3 i é Raising plants from seeds found in your cupboards AT this time of year gardeners are looking over their new seed catalogues and trying to decide what they should grow. However, there is another source of seeds that may be of interest to you and your children. Have you ever thought of growing some tropical house plants from the fruit seeds or vegetables that come from the produce store? Raising plants from exotic fruit seeds can be a great way to get children interested in growing things and learning a little clemen- tary botany in the process. Many of the seeds are very large and the parts of the newly- germinated plant are casy to observe as they devel- ol Sow it grows P Adults in the family might also be surprised to see what some of these plants look like. Most people have eaten peanuts but would not recognize a peanut plant if they saw one. Coffee makes an excellent potted plant. It has holly-sized leaves that are deep green and after several years will produce clusters of white flowers and green berries. After the berries ripen and turn dark red the coffee beans can be extracted, roasted, ground and brewed. Possibilities for good house plants include avocado, cheri- mova, citrus, litchi nut, loquar, mango, persimmon and pomegranate. Passion fruit can also be grown but the plant will be a vine rather than an upright plant. Coconuts and dates are interesting to germinate but grow too large to keep in the house for long. With few exceptions, seeds must be extracted from the ripe frui¢ and dried briefly before being germinated. If the fruit or produce has been cooked, roasted or pickled, the seed is dead and of no value. Plane the seeds in semi-sterile medium such as “mica- peat™ or “Reddi-carth” -— regular potting soil contains too many microbes and fungal spores. Choose a container that is large enough to accommodate the type of seed. Avocado, coconut and mango can be quite large and the sceds need to be completely covered with 5-20 mm (.2-.8 in.) of medium to maintain the moisture. Dampen the medium before planting (like a wet sponge) and place some loose plastic wrap over the container. Seeds from tropical plants generally need a higher temper- ature to germinate so choose a warm spot above a hot water tank or fridge or set up a 25-watt bulb below your seeds to provide that extra constant hear. If you have a small ther- mometer, check the temperature first and try to keep it between 24 and 28 C. The length of time it will rake for germination varies greatly. Be patient! Some will come up within two to three weeks and others will take nvo to three months. If they are not in constant view, they must be checked on a regular basis as the seedling will not survive for long in the dark or without food and water. Lifting the new seedling out of the rooting medium can be interesting because on the large seeds the radical (root) and the cotyledon (sprout) are very evident and grow in opposite directions — one with and one against gravity. Most of the seed is stured food and the seed casing slowly withers and drops off as the food is consumed by the new scedling. Use any quality potting soi! and a 5-10 cm (2-4 in.) con- tainer for the first porting. Too large a pot will kill your seedling. Papaya seeds have to be treated differently. They will not germinate unless planted along with some of their own pulp which contains a digestive enzyme called papain. The enzyme helps break down the seed casing allowing germination. Pineapples are grown from cuttings, not seeds. Tug on the green leaves coming out of the top of the pineapple and if they do not come free then the top section can be used, Cur the top section off with a 20 mm (.8 in) layer of fruit and fet it sit ina warm dry place for several days until there is no sign of moisture on the cut surface. Plant it in a damp rooting medium so the fleshy section is buried and then place it in a warm bright area, In three or four weeks, lift the pineapple top gently and check for roots. There are several vegetables that can also be grown from cuttings. Sweet potatoes and yams are both vines and can be grown the same as seed potatoes. These tubers, like most otatoes, are treated to prevent them from sprouting. It may help to soak them: in water fora day before planting. They also need to be quite warm to break dormancy. Peanuts or ground nuts will sprout as long as they have not been roasted. 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