In one of my previous articles, I wrote growing and caring tips for powder puff plant. I felt that the propagation guide, I mentioned there was not in detailed. That's why I am providing a detailed guide on growing Powder Puff (Calliandra) plant from seeds.
Sow the seeds in the spring season. I am creating a table to show you the sowing date ranges according to growing Zone
| USDA Zone | Date Range for Sowing Seeds | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Zones 9-11 | March - September | Direct sowing or indoors. |
| Zone 8 | March - June | Start indoors, transplant after frost. |
| Zone 7 | March - May | Start indoors, move out post-frost. |
| Zones 5-6 | March - April (Indoors) | Indoor sowing only. |
| Zones 3-4 | April (Indoors) | Indoor sowing, transplant if warm. |
You need to follow the following steps:
Collect powder puff seeds
You need to collect fresh and good-quality seeds to get successful germination. The germination rate is not really good. I had many seed pods on my plant and let them germinate naturally (self-germinate in the ground). I only noticed one sapling grown from the seeds.
You can collect seeds from the seed pods or purchase them from an authentic store.
How to collect the seeds from the seed pod?
You need to identify the seed pods and need to understand the timing to pluck them.
The small little red balls in the above picture are not seeds. That is a flower bud of powder puff (calliandra).
The seed pod looks like this:
It's not mature enough to extract seeds from this seed pod.
A mature seed pod will turn brown or a bit blackish.
Use a scissor or blade to cut the head and bottom portion of this seed pod and you can extract the seeds easily. You may expect to get 2 to 3 seeds from each healthy pod.
Prepare germination medium
Now it's time to prepare the soil. To be honest you can sow the seeds in any soil. It will germinate but the germination process depends upon the soil type.
Clay soil is not recommended at all. Mix soil, perlite, and sand in a 1:1:1 ratio. It will be a good soil for seed germination. ( Well water draining )
Sowing the seeds
Sow seeds about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) deep in individual pots. Try not to use a seed tray this time.
Cover the seeds with soil spray with your fingers. Now sparingly water it. (Just to keep the soil and the seeds moist)
Provide preferred environment
The seeds will love warm and humid climate to germinate faster. Cover the pot with plastic and make a few holes so that air can pass through it. It will increase the humidity. (Not necessary)
If you place the pot indoors, provide grow lights. Light is very important to germinate a seed. (We studied in our school days)
You are all done!
Next is your patience. Within 2 to 4 weeks you can see seedhead coming out of the ground. Small saplings can be witnessed.
Wait for the saplings to grow at least three true leaves. Once you see the true leaves, it's ready to transplant to bigger pots or in the ground outdoors.
Do not fertilize until they become 2 months old.
Here is a picture of a Powder Puff plant of mine that I have grown from seed.
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