African Acacia cultivation thread

[xantho]

I'm in the process of germinating Acacia seeds from four different species for the first time so I thought I'd chart my progress here. I would love input from any other Acacia growers out there - especially those who cultivate African species.

A. karroo
A. albida
A. nilotica
A. sieberiana var. woodii

*In hindsight I realize that I should have included a ruler in the images.

 

[acacian]

:thumb_up:

 

[xantho]

Thanks for inspiring me to grow closer to the trees, brother acacian

 

[nen888]

..cool thread xantho..!:thumb_up:

as African acacias are probably not as fire-adapted as australian, i would suggest gentle 'scarification' to germinate the seeds..either take a small nick out of the edge of the hard seed coat with a pair of scissors or sharp knife, being careful not to damage the soft internal 'germ', or rub off some of the outer coat with a file or sandpaper till the softer interior is reached..then soak the seeds in water for a few days to a week or two..check the next and each day..when the seeds start to swell in size, and become a slightly paler colour usually, then remove them from the water and sprout in moss/cotton wool etc..

and watch out for rodents eating the new shoots a few weeks after sprouting!..

 

[Vodsel]

Awesome, xantho, I will follow this closely.

Actually, I hope nen eventually has no choice but to start an Acacia Grow Logs Checklist thread...

 

[nen888]

^..i had no choice in this long ago! lol:lol:

 

[xantho]

Thanks for the info nen. I started between 6 and 9 seeds from each species last Saturday after having submerged them in boiling water and then leaving them overnight to soak. If I have time tomorrow I'll throw some pictures up with a bit of action The A. karroo and A. sieberiana var. woodii have already started popping up! I will nick the seed coats and follow your instructions with the next round and compare germination rates.

Thanks Vodsel! I'm hoping to apply some lessons learned from your thread to help them thrive.

 

[nen888]

..i can't get that Nigrescens peripherally out of my head now xantho..and i know and love East Africa well..
here's a short video from N.E of you..Gardening:Acacia Trees In Tanzania[YOUTUBE]

 

[xantho]

Hey that's a great video nen I haven't been too far up that way but I'm sure it must be incredible!

Nigrescens sure does have a unique look about her

Would you believe it, I planted all of my Acacia seeds on 1 December and so far some of the A. karroo (first two pics) and A. sieberiana var. woodii (bottom pic) have already popped up! :d Powerful and purposeful; from the earth they rise.

 

[xantho]

Updated photos taken an hour ago.

First: A. sieberiana var. woodii (left) A. karroo (right)
Second: A. sieberiana var. woodii (foreground) A. karroo (background)
Third: A. nilotica

 

[nen888]

..awesome xantho! thanks for posting..you and treelets be well..!

 

[xantho]

A sad post after such a long absence: I'd love to be able to post updated images but I relocated a few months ago and was unable to bring my precious trees with me I left them with an interested party I no longer have contact with and can only hope they are still healthy.

I've started some A. nilotica and A. xanthophloea seeds and will be germinating a wide variety of other African Acacias soon. I'll do my best to post regular updates.

In more positive news: I have three gorgeous Anadenanthera peregrina var. peregrina saplings of approximately 18cm, one Mimosa ophthalmocentra recovering from complete leaf-loss, and at least six radiant sprouts on two Psychotria viridis leaves :thumb_up: Much love to all the Acacians!