How to propagate the royal poinciana

Seed propagation of royal poinciana

In December, collect mature Delonix regia seeds and expose them to the sun. The pods will crack naturally, or you can hit them with a wooden stick to make the seeds fall off. Put the seeds in a sack and store them in a cool, dry and ventilated place. Their vitality can be preserved for more than one year. Sow again in the spring of the second year.

Because the seed coat of the Delonix regia is dense and hard and has difficulty absorbing water, the seeds need to be germinated in hot water at about 80°C before sowing. Soak them for a day, then cool them naturally with cold water. After cooling, they need to be soaked in warm water at 50°C for another day. After taking out, washing and draining, sow it on the seedbed, covering it with soil to a depth of about 0.5-1 cm. After that, pay attention to keeping warm, water once in the morning and evening to keep the soil moist, and it will start to germinate in about a week.

Management of Royal Poinciana after sowing

When the seedlings grow to more than 8 cm, they should be separated into beds and some branches and leaves should be trimmed. In the early stage, compound fertilizer can be applied, and less nitrogen fertilizer can be applied. Fertilization should be stopped after autumn to promote early lignification. In winter, the leaves that have not fallen off should be manually cut off. Delonix regia seedlings are sensitive to frost and need to be covered with film or wrapped individually to keep warm and prevent frost.