When it comes to plants, succulents are one of the more intriguing and unique plants you can take care of in your garden. But one of the most unique and somewhat weird yet still very attractive succulents is the Trachyandra tortilis.
Known for its coil-shaped ribbons, the Trachyandra tortilis will instantly stand out in any garden, as this African plant’s bizarre appearance will always be a treat to the eyes of those who love exotic succulents. So, how do you grow Trachyandra tortilis from seeds if you want to keep some of this variety of plants in your garden?
Trachyandra tortilis is best grown indoors and with a well-drained pot. Grow it as you would with any other plant, but they grow during the cold seasons and go dormant in summer. When you are germinating them, please provide them with a lot of indirect sunlight.
Like many different succulents, the Trachyandra tortilis shouldn’t be a tough plant to grow from seeds. But you have to make sure that you do it the right way because this plant is actually quite rare. So, in that sense, if you do manage to get your hands on some Trachyandra tortilis seeds, see to it that you grow them right.
Can Trachyandra tortilis grow from seeds?
The Trachyandra tortilis is a rare plant that you don’t often see in different gardens, particularly due to its rarity. It is native to South Africa and doesn’t always make its way to American shores. That’s why, if there are gardens that do have this plant, they are usually expensive specimens that were hard to come by.
Also, because of how rare the Trachyandra tortilis is, it can be difficult to see specimens that are actually unique because they are their own plants. That’s because many Trachyandra tortilis you see are actually propagated as clones from mother plants due to how rare it can be to find Trachyandra tortilis seeds.
So, in that sense, can you grow the Trachyandra tortilis from seeds regardless of how rare this plant might be?
Like most other kinds of plants, the Trachyandra tortilis can be grown from seeds. But the problem when it comes to the Trachyandra tortilis is that the seeds are tough to come by. Because of how rare the seeds are, you will only most likely encounter clones of a mother, Trachyandra tortilis.
Still, it is possible for you to see seeds of this plant, especially if you know where to look. But the main point here is that the Trachyandra tortilis can be propagated from seeds even though they are popularly grown from leaf cuttings as clones from mother plants.
How long does it take to grow Trachyandra tortilis from seeds?
One of the things you need to know when growing the Trachyandra tortilis is that you need to be quite patient with it. While there is no certainty as to how long this plant will grow when you propagate it from seeds, what is certain is that it will take a longer time in comparison to other plants. That means that it will take some time for you to see it actually growing from the seed if you propagate the Trachyandra tortilis from a seed and not as a clone.
As long as you are doing everything well when trying to propagate the Trachyandra tortilis from seed, you should be able to see some results in a few weeks as you should be quite patient when it comes to growing this plant from its seed.
Also, when the seeds have begun to grow, you have to understand that, while the Trachyandra tortilis isn’t a particularly slow grower and is actually moderate in terms of its growth speed, it still needs some time before it gets to the point where it can develop the nice shape that this plant is popular for.
That’s why, if you want the Trachyandra tortilis to reach the shape that makes it a nice decorative plant, you need to be quite patient with it both when you are growing it from a seed and when it is already growing like a plant. You may want to wait for about a year or so for it to look good enough for decorative purposes in your garden.
Is it hard to grow Trachyandra tortilis from seeds?
So, as rare as the Trachyandra tortilis might be, you might be wondering by now if it is hard to grow it from seeds, especially if you consider the fact that there are not a lot of these plants available in the market or many different gardens around the country. You might also be wondering the same, especially knowing that this plant does take some time to grow.
The truth is that the Trachyandra tortilis really isn’t a tough plant to grow from seeds as many of the different procedures you need to take are common to growing most types of succulents but with only a few differences.
So, if you want to know how to grow the Trachyandra tortilis from seeds, here is how you do it:
- Use a few small pots for the seeds and fill them up with seeding soil. Avoid using a garden mix soil or the same kind of soil for grown Trachyandra tortilis.
- Place the seeds on the surface of the soil but do not bury or cover them. However, the larger seeds might need to be covered by a bit of soil but not too much to the point that they are entirely under the soil.
- Moist the soil on the pot but not to the point where the water begins to flood the seeds. The best way to keep the soil from drying out quite fast is to cover the pots with a plastic cling wrap that traps the humidity and the moisture inside. But if you don’t want to cover the pot, you can regularly spray the soil from time to time when it gets a bit dry but don’t spray to the point that the soil gets too soggy.
- Make sure that the seeds get a lot of sunlight. But it would help if you saw to it that you are not using direct sunlight. As such, a well-lit window might be good for it but make sure that you keep it away from direct sunlight. You can also use artificial light that provides the seeds with about 8 to 12 hours of light a day.
- You can fertilize the seeds from time to time every week by providing them with liquid fertilizer. But don’t overdo it because you may end up damaging the seeds if you give them too much fertilizer at this point in their life.
- It can take a few weeks for you to start seeing the seeds germinating. That’s why you really have to be patient with the Trachyandra tortilis, especially when growing it from seeds. But once you see the shoots growing out of the seeds, that should signal you to remove the cover from the pot so that the seedlings can grow in the open air.
- As soon as the seedlings have reached maybe half a foot in length, that should be when you can transfer them to individual pots with soil made for succulents and Trachyandra tortilis plants so that you can grow them as regular plants and not as seedlings.
- You should still be patient at this point because it might take a year or so for the Trachyandra tortilis to reach the stage where it can look good enough for decorative purposes.
Should I water Trachyandra tortilis seeds every day?
If you are growing the Trachyandra tortilis plant from seeds, there is no need for you to water it every single day. The goal here is to make sure that the soil in its pot is moist and not too wet or flooded because that can damage the seeds.
In that case, you can trap the moisture and humidity inside the soil by using a plastic wrap that will prevent moisture from escaping. However, if you notice that the soil is becoming a bit dry (but not completely dry), you can spray the soil with water. Do not overspray the soil, and make sure that it is only moist and not wet.
How much light does it need?
In terms of the light that the seeds need to grow into healthy Trachyandra tortilis plants, you need to provide them with at least 8 hours of sunlight, but the ideal number should be 12. That’s why you should leave them near a well-lit window where the seeds can get ample indirect sunlight. You may also use artificial lighting but make sure to leave the light on for about 12 hours before giving the seeds about 10 hours of the dark time.
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