Free Pots

 Free Pots & Trays.

I am amazed at just how generous people can be and also how many pots are produced by the horticulture business that are just thrown away, and would end up in landfills.

A friend has just recently given me the below tray and tubes. He had plants delivered in these for his own business. As he had already planted the plants the trays and tubes had been lying around on his property for several years until he knew that I was looking to start a horticulture business when he gave them to me.

But at the same time horticultural businesses are throwing away an enormous number of pots with companies (Nelmac and Franks Trees) having bins outside their premises with pots being given away for free. I'm pretty sure that if people don't pick up these pots they would simply end up in landfill so good on these companies for at least trying to recycle their pots.

But it does also make me wonder just how much plastic from horticulture is simply thrown away!

However there is some good news as this problem has been recognized by the industry and various companies are now trying to make pots in a more sustainable manner. One company that I was recently made aware of is Cow Pots in the USA that use cow manure to make plants pots 

https://cowpots.com/

If only these were available in New Zealand!

Kowhai Seeds

 Kowhai Seeds and how to Germinate.

From my recent experience with Kowhai seeds I can say one thing. They are tough! I have read several books that say that you just have to put them in warm water to get them to start to germinate but from my experience this just doesn't work. I have even tried pouring boiling water over them and leaving them for 24 hours but have had to do this three times before I have managed to get the seeds to take up the water and swell. Basically the seed coat is super tough.

However the easiest, although time consuming, method that I have used with great results to date is using a toe nail clipper and snip the ends of the seed. Be sure to avoid cutting the slightly darker indent on the seed as this is where the embryo resides. However by clipping the ends of the seed and soaking the seeds in warm water I have at least managed to get the seeds to swell and hopefully start the germination process. It is still early days so I am unsure as to how successful this technique is but I believe it is a step in the right direction and FAR better than the first kowhai seeds that I tried to get to germinate which I placed in warm water (as mentioned in a book I had been reading) and which after two months in a seed tray were still as hard and wrinkled as they were the day that I had sowed them there!

 

Clipping Kowhai Seeds (all 850 of them:>)

The Top Photo show the original Kowhai Seeds, then next the seeds clipped and soaked in warm water for 12 hours, then seeds that have had their seed coat completely removed and seeds that have just been soaked in hots water.

Comparison between a seed that has been clipped and one that was just soaked in warm water. The above seed has obviously taken up water while the one just soaked in water remains wrinkled and small.

Some of the Kowhai seeds sown in a seed tray.

Now all I have to do is wait to see if the clipped seeds are now going to germinate!