EUCALYPTUS tetraptera 25g

An attractive ornamental mallee that produces large shiny red flower buds on short twisted stems. Bud caps fall off to reveal short red flowers, mostly in winter.
Rarely attaining heights over 2 metres with single low branching trunk with smooth grey bark and large thick glossy leaves is an ideal species for small gardens of landscaping. Bird and insect attracting.

Endemic to the south coast of Western Australia from Albany to Esperance.

Prefers a poor sandy soil in an open sunny position, drought and frost resistant.

Grow notes:

Eucalypt's germinate readily from seed and are generally considered one of the easiest natives to grow from seed.

Depending on the species Eucalyptus seed comes in various sizes from very fine to several millimetres long. As a rule of thumb seed that is fine should be sown on the surface of a porous mix and not buried. Seed 1 to 2 mm in diameter can be covered very lightly and seed from 2 mm up can be sown to a depth of the seed width.

Although seed can be sown most of the year in many parts of Australia seed is generally best sown in spring or autumn in temperate climates, avoid the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 18-22°C

1. Sow seed on surface of a porous seed raising mix and cover to a depth of 1-2mm. Do not bury seed deeply.
2. Water with fine mist spray to avoid disturbance of the seed.
3. Place in a warm shaded or semi shaded position to avoid dying out.
4. Keep warm & moist, avoid drying out or waterlogging the growing mix.
5. Germination generally occurs in around 10-28 days in the right condition.

General note: Seeds of many natives are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they were discarded.