Brunia paleacea

Growing Hints

• Germinating and potting media varies depending on who is doing the growing.
• Commercial growers might prefer a mixture of coarse, gritty acidic river sand and good quality washed peat or coco peat/coir that has been washed of salts (mix sand and peat and check the drainage) proportions used will depend on the drainage so experimenting is called for.
• Non-commercial growers Berzelia like Protea are sensitive and should do well in a mix of vermiculite, river sand and coir in equal parts (balanced coir that have all salts leached out which is very important).
• The seed should be sown in autumn in the open.
• It is important that the soil is sandy, well-drained and acidic, roughly in the range pH 5.5 – 6.7.
• Berzelia and Brunia seeds are very small and should be carefully handled. Plant out into multi-trays with small plugs balancing the seedling size to soil ratio.
• Over potting into larger bags can be detrimental as the medium remains wet too long and the soil can go sour.
• Sow seed thickly into seed trays filled with well – drained acidic potting mixture. However not too thickly as the result can be seedlings growing too close and damping off.
• If damping off happens it will be a combination of poor drainage, poor aeration and congested sowing.
• Never use Apron XL pre emergence fungicide unless there is damping off.
• Cover seeds with milled bark or mulch (pine needles or protea trash).
• For good germination treat seeds with smoke primer, discs or
• Smoke from a bee smoker into a paper packet containing seed or Smoke filters from us or
• Soak the seed in a 1% solution of Promalin (19g/1 of Gibberellic acids GA4 and GA7) for 24 hours.
• Water well. Feed weekly with organic seaweed based fertilizer ie Nitrosol, Seagro.
• Quite easy to germinate takes 3½ – 10 weeks.
• It is important with fynbos to remember good drainage and aeration.