Seeds

Coprosma propinqua fruit.Growing from seed is the easiest and most commonly used method of propagating native trees and shrubs. It’s the best way to produce large numbers of plants. Find out more about what different seeds look like, seed collection, and check out our tips for growing from seed.

What you’ll need

To grow your own native plants from seed you’ll need the following:

Seeds – collected locally
Seed trays
Seed raising mix
Labels and pens (permanent)
Pea gravel
Protective frame with a shade cloth
Watering can.

Know your seeds

Koromiko seed is very fine, like dust.Before you can start collecting seeds, you need to know what to look for. Examples of different types of seeds are:

Fluffy seed – for example, clematis.
Hard-coated seed – for example, kowhai.
Fruit-covered seed (berries) – for example, coprosma, cabbage tree, wineberry.
Sticky seed – for example, kohuhu.
Seeds in pods – for example, manuka and rata.
Dry seeds – for example, grasses and tussock.

When to collect your seeds

Broadleaf with mature, black fruit.Most seeds are ready to collect from late summer to early winter (February to June). Berries will usually change from green (unripe) to red, white, black or blue when ripe. Check fruiting trees regularly over late summer – autumn to observe changes in fruit colour. This way you’ll be ready to harvest the berries (and the seeds they contain) before the birds do! Birds love to eat ripe berries so you’ll have to be quick.

See the table below for seed collecting times for native plants in Southland:

Plant species	Common name	Seed type	Colour when ripe	Collection time
Aristotelia serrata	wineberry, makomako	Fleshy fruit	black	February
Astelia fragrans	bush lily	Fleshy fruit	orange	February - April
Carex secta	pedicelled sedge	Small nut		February
Carex virgata	wetland sedge	Small nut		February
Carpodetus serratus	marbleleaf, putaputaweta	Fleshy fruit	black	June
Chionochloa rubra	red tussock	Dry seed		February
Coprosma propinqua	mingimingi	Fleshy fruit	blue (ranging from pale to dark blue)	March - April
Cordyline australis	cabbage tree	Fleshy fruit	white	May
Cortaderia richardii	toetoe	Dry seed		February
Clematis paniculata	clematis	Dry seed		April
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides	kahikatea	Fleshy fruit	orange/red	April
Ficinia spiralis	pingao, golden sand sedge	Small nut		March - April
Elaeocarpus hookerianus	pokaka	Fleshy fruit	purple	May
Fuchsia excorticata	fuchsia	Fleshy fruit	black	February
Griselinia littoralis	broadleaf	Fleshy fruit	blue/black	February - May
Hebe elliptica	coastal hebe	Dry seed		February - April
Hebe salicifolia	koromiko	Dry seed		February - April
Hoheria angustifolia	lacebark	Dry seed		April - May
Leptospermum scoparium	manuka	Dry seed		July
Melicytus lanceolatus	narrow-leaved mahoe	Fleshy fruit	dark purple/black	February - April
Metrosideros umbellata	southern rata	Dry seed		March - May
Myrsine australis	Red mapou	Fleshy fruit	black	February
Myrsine divaricata	Weeping mapou	Fleshy fruit	dark purple	February - May
Nothofagus menziesii	Silver beech	Dry seed		March
Pennantia corymbosa	Kaikomako	Fleshy fruit	black	February - April
Phormium tenax	flax/harakeke	Dry seed		April
Pittosporum eugenioides	lemonwood/tarata	Sticky seed		All year
Pittosporum tenuifolium	kohuhu	Sticky seed		All year
Plagianthus regius	Lowland ribbonwood	Dry seed		February - March
Podocarpus hallii	Thin-barked totara, Hall’s totara	Fleshy fruit	red	May
Prumnopitys ferruginea	miro	Fleshy fruit	Red – but may be covered in a bluish ‘bloom’	April - May
Prumnopitys taxifolia	matai	Fleshy fruit	Purple – with bluish ‘bloom’	April - May
Pseudowintera colorata	pepperwood/horopito	Fleshy fruit	Reddish black to black	February - April
Schefflera digitata	Pate, sevenfinger	Fleshy fruit	purple	April
Sophora microphylla	kowhai	Dry seed in pod		All year
Weinmannia recemosa	kamahi	Dry seed		May

When collecting seeds, remember to write down the species you collected the seed from and the date of collection.

Seed preparation

Different seed types need to be prepared differently before sowing:

Kohuhu has sticky black seeds.Dry seed, fluffy seed and seed from pods

Keep dry in paper bags until you are ready to sow.
Keep them warm and dry to prevent fungal problems.

Sticky seed

Rub sand in with the seeds to separate them – making them easier to sow.
For example, Pittosporums.

Hard-coated seed

Cover with boiling water and let cool – this softens the hard exterior and aids germination.
For example, Kowhai.

Coprosma lucida berries.Fruit-covered seed

Remove the fruit from the seed by pushing through a fine sieve.
Lie the seed onto paper towel and blot off remaining fruit.
For example, Coprosma.

Note: there is no need to cold treat (stratify) seeds in Southland.

Sowing seeds

Fill seed tray almost to the top with commercial seed raising mix (no weed seeds).
Flatten the surface of the soil.
Sow seeds onto the flattened surface.sowing Coprosma seeds April 2011
Cover with a layer of pea gravel – holds the seed down and helps retain moisture.
Label with species name and date.
Water the trays.
Place in a protected area outside – protected from disturbance from cats, mice, etc.

Seed germination

Seeds will usually germinate in spring (September to October). Some large seeds, like miro, can take two seasons to germinate.

You can use heating to get seeds to germinate sooner. However, you’ll need a heated tunnelhouse to raise the seedlings in before the weather warms up. It’s best to follow nature and pot up your seedlings in spring.

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