Growing a trumpet tree from seeds

Do not harvest seeds until spring

In contrast to most native trees, the seeds of the trumpet tree do not ripen in autumn, but rather in the following spring. You can tell when the time is right by the color of the pods - as long as they are still green, they can remain on the tree. You can start harvesting as soon as you can color the fruits brown. This is usually the case between January and March. The very fine seeds inside are flat and have tufts of hair. However, trumpet trees do not develop seeds every summer, and sometimes the pods remain empty. You have the best chance after a very warm and long summer.

Stratification is necessary

Trumpet tree seeds are provided with a sprout inhibition, which must be broken by a cold stimulus. It therefore makes sense to either leave the fruit pods on the tree for the winter or to stratify the seeds. This is done by placing the seeds in a well-sealed container with damp sand in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator for a few weeks. In many cases, purchased seeds are already stratified, so this step can be omitted.

Sow trumpet tree seeds

The further cultivation works very easily according to the following scheme:

• Let the seeds soak in lukewarm water for 24 hours (change several times!).
• Sow them in a planter with Potting soil and cover them lightly with substrate.
• Keep the substrate evenly slightly moist.
• Put the potty in a greenhouse or cover it with foil.
• The planter is best kept in a bright and warm place.
• Ventilate several times a day.

The very germ-friendly seeds often show their first delicate green after just a few days.