Agathosma ovata

Growing Hints

• Sow the seed in autumn in the winter rainfall region (suggest in spring in summer rainfall areas) in a light, acidic, well-draining medium composed of course river-sand and decomposed pine bark compost or naturally matured compost. Compost must not contain manure or be raw.
  Another product is balanced coco peat which is commercially available in SA. The ratio will depend upon drainage.
  A well-drained mix will be either 50:50 compost or coco peat and river sand or maybe up to two parts sand one part compost or coco peat.
• Apply smoke treatment for better germination.
  Cover the seed with a thin layer of sand or fine compost, but do not water so that the smoke can penetrate the medium. At Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden seed is sown in trays and placed under a heavy duty, see-through plastic covering which is enclosed on the sides with soil/sand to keep the smoke in.
  Smoke is generated in a drum using semi dry/semi-green, fine-leafed vegetation and pumped through to the tent using an inlet and outlet pipe. In the old days we used bellows and now they use a compressor. The smoke is allowed to settle on the seed trays and medium for a few hours and then they are removed and watered. Otherwise use smoke-discs, in which the seeds can be soaked, fulfills a similar function (but this method gets done before seed is sown). I know a New Zealand nurseryman who puts the seed in a paper bag and pumps in smoke with a bee smoker. Probably your best option as it is the easiest.
  After removal from the smoke-enclosure, the seed trays are then watered and moved to a space that provides good light and ventilation.
  Seeds must never be allowed to dry out completely and should also not be overwatered.
• Germination takes between 1–2 months and the onset of the first 4 true leaves, is an indication of the readiness of the seedling to be potted on. Instead of potting seedlings into bags or pots they should be potted into Unigro-plugs or similar compartmentalized trays.
• Depending on the species, plants can spend between 6–12 months in such plugs. It offers several advantages in that less casualties are being experienced, the young plants grow faster and can be better maintained, with pruning and feeding (organic liquid fertilizer such as Nitrosol) to improve overall ornamental value. The roots are air pruned when they grow out the hole in the bottom of the plug. The Unigro-plugs can be reused.
• All hardened off, actively growing young plants should be kept under cover with good light conditions and can after a few months be moved to under shade net 40% should you wish to further harden them off. Thereafter, plants get moved into the full sun.
• This is also an opportune moment to facilitate more vigorous bushy growth, through the pinching out of the growing tips of the young plants.
• I have also used Horticote slow release fertiliser successfully with low P.