Popcorn Tree Germination Instructions
- 1). Place the seeds in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. The tree is called Chinese tallow because of the seeds' waxy coating, which can be melted off. Soak the seeds in the boiling liquid until all traces of the slick exterior have melted off. Drain the water and set the seeds on the counter to dry for a day.
- 2). Use a piece of sandpaper to rough up the exterior of the seed and thin the seed coating. This will enhance germination. In the wild, none of this is necessary because birds eat the seed. Stomach acids dissolve the wax and the gullet action scars the seed naturally.
- 3). Soak the seed in lukewarm water for a week. Change the water daily so it doesn't get moldy or smelly, which can affect the seed. The seed coating softens after soaking and the embryo can then break through the shell.
- 4). Fill a seed-flat with peat moss and mist it thoroughly until it is evenly moist. Set the seed into the soil one inch from each other and at a depth equal to the length of the seed. Brush a light coating of peat over the seeds and place the flat in a basement or garage for four weeks, monitoring for moisture needs.
- 5). Move the flat to a light-filled area with temperatures between 60 and 75 F. The tree is a tropical plant that requires humidity, light and heat to germinate. Keep the peat moist. Germination occurs in two weeks to two months.
- 6). Transplant the seedlings to larger pots after they grow two sets of true leaves. Grow them in a sunny location with consistent moisture and temperatures above 60 F. Popcorn trees thrive outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 9 to 11. If you live in those areas, you can move the plant outdoors and eventually plant it in the ground.
