Starting curry trees from seed

[pepperhead212]

Back in September, a few seeds finally started ripening on my curry tree - seeds that showed up on the plant way back in June! They stayed green all summer, and I finally got them totally ripening at the end of September.
Seeds of the curry tree, from the spring, just now starting to ripen. 9-15 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The seeds are actually the fruits of the plant, with a single seed inside, starting to root, by the time they get dark, and soft:
Seed, squeezed out of a curry tree fruit, showing the root already started! 9-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

This one is eventually the largest of the 5 seedlings:
Curry tree seedling, growing from a seed. 10-15 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here are those curry tree seedlings more than 3 months after planting! I had a couple more than the original 3 germinate, and two of these were actually came up late, in the pots with 2 of the others, and I left them, since they were an inch or so apart. I had them under a blue LED light, and they seemed to grow well, though slowly (probably the norm), not getting leggy. I re-potted them today, wetting the mix with some dilute hydroponics nutrients, also adding a few drops of Bt israelensis, for the fungus gnats. I transferred them to sit under a stronger LED 5,000k bulb - I'll see if they grow faster.
All 5 of the curry tree plants, started from seed, re-potted 1-11-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Largest of 5 curry tree plants, started from seed. 1-11-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[taxlady]

Neato!

 

[Kathleen]

That is very cool!

 

[larry_stewart]

First time I tried it with my seeds, they never germinated . Looks like my plant is flowering, so when I get my next round of seeds Ill try it again. thanks for sharing

 

[pepperhead212]

Unfortunately, those seedlings shown above didn't grow much more. Don't know what happened.

Those seedlings just never made it - I don't know what happened, but the roots just never strengthened. Maybe next time.

This curry tree I re-potted again around 4-1 (using a larger, fabric pot), and put out in mid to late May (May was very cool this year), trimming off a lot of branches. It has really taken off now!
Curry tree, really taking off! 7-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[larry_stewart]

I tried once from seed too, with no luck. I still have my curry tree which has been alive for at least 5 years. Never really thrives but I get what I need out of it. Seems like I bring it back to life each spring ( doesn't do too well inside, drops most of its leaves).

 

[larry_stewart]

Pepper, have you ever tried and or successfully propagated the curry plant from cuttings ? or other methods?

My curry plant is very leggy. It has a main trunk that is about 1 1/2 feet high, then it splits like a 'Y'. and those extensions are like another 2 feet, each having a cluster of branches at the top of them.

I would like to have more of a bush type plant Thant a weird looking tree. One for productivity of leaves, and also would be easier to house over the winter.

There is on small branch that came about this year just below the split of the main trunk. I was thinking of cutting it down to just above the split and hoping it will re-branch and bush up a bit.

Id also like root some of the other branches if possible.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I love curry leaves and was desperate to find some seeds, thinking that the tropical climate here would work.I spent a good hour one day, over 20 years ago, talking to the owner of an Indian grocery in Miami; he said that seeds are very difficult to grow, but the best way was from a cutting.
The next day, he brought me a few thick "twigs" which I wrapped in damp newspaper and took home. Planted them the next day, and they grew perfectly; in 3 weeks, I had fresh curry leaves.
Then the idiot gardener ripped them out and threw them away because he said they were weeds. I stripped him naked, covered him in honey and left him in the garden next to a fire ant nest.
No, no no no - only joking but I was not pleased.
Bought some seeds in the UK a few years ago - no go.
Anyway, the best route is a cutting, no doubt about it, and a warm, humid climate - around 25-30°C.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Pepper, have you ever tried and or successfully propagated the curry plant from cuttings ? or other methods?

My curry plant is very leggy. It has a main trunk that is about 1 1/2 feet high, then it splits like a 'Y'. and those extensions are like another 2 feet, each having a cluster of branches at the top of them.

I would like to have more of a bush type plant Thant a weird looking tree. One for productivity of leaves, and also would be easier to house over the winter.

There is on small branch that came about this year just below the split of the main trunk. I was thinking of cutting it down to just above the split and hoping it will re-branch and bush up a bit.

Id also like root some of the other branches if possible.

Two suggestions, Larry: first of all, transplant it to a MUCH bigger pot. Make sure the earth is filled with leaf mould, etc.
Second - cut off one of the branches and replant it. Lots of water, lots of heat, lots of leaf mould in the mix.

 

[pepperhead212]

Larry, I propagated my plant, just to see if it would, by air-layering it, like I did with the lime tree. Here are a couple of photos:
Rooting Pot set up on curry tree, 4-13-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Roots forming on the air larered branch of the curry tree, started on 4-13, and uncovered on 9-2. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

New air layered curry tree, potted in a 3 gallon fabric container, 9-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

As you can see, I opened it up in under 5 months - should have stayed in longer, but the branch was getting grown to long, and now I know I should have trimmed it back, before opening it, and planting - the roots just wouldn't support what was attached to it! It did work, however, using 50/50 coir and peat, dampened some clonex solution, to start it out.

I would definitely trim those branches - not much, just enough to hopefully trigger branching off. I have never seen mine get that leggy. And trimming usually triggers them! And if you do try air layering, don't let it get too large above the roots, like I did!

Here's my plant now, going crazy I guess because of the rain and heat I had this year! I got a lot more seeds, so I'll try them again - no idea what happened to them!
Curry tree, 9-24-21 Incredible growth this year! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

One of 4 clusters of seeds on the curry tree, on 9-24-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[pepperhead212]

Larry, I'm going to try the seeds again, just to do it, as it seems they grow very easily. I checked out YouTube again, and found similar posts about seed starting, but I checked out a couple that made me think of you! One was a guy that had a very leggy plant, like yours, with yellowing leaves - this, and a couple others I was guessing had their plants growing on N sides of apartment buildings, on balconies, with little light! Anyway, this guy said that he re-potted his plant yearly, and that was the part of the title that caught my eye - re-potting. And what he did was cut the thing off right at where the thing branched into the 2 main stems, leaving nothing! But a few weeks later, there was some new growth, then the video was cut off. Another one, was about how to make curry trees bushier, and her plant wasn't as bad, and I was expecting the obvious suggestion of cutting 6" off each main stem, but she cut almost the entire plant off, leaving only about 6 or 7 inches! And 3 weeks later, there is a bunch of new growth on the stem, where I didn't even see any areas of growth, in the beginning.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Km0EwvvkGwQ

Another interesting post was one for starting from a cutting. I have never had any luck with this, in my cloner, or in pots, but I was going at it wrong. The guy cut a large area of a stem off - about 1/4" thick at the cutting point, then cut all of the stems off, and cut the large stem about 6-7" long. Then he sharpened about 1¼" of the large end, removing the bark around that end, too, then, his rooting compound he coated it with was turmeric! He just put it a few inches into the ground, and a few weeks later there was new growth on it. I remember seeing this kind of thing done on various types of trees, in a propagation book, but didn't pay much attention to it, as I was usually dealing with non-woody herbs.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ng6pOtKkfe4

 

[larry_stewart]

I do have 2 seed berries ( for lack of better words) that looks ' ripe' so I may give it a go. I have nothing to lose.

he way my plant is, I may be able to try a few of the above options.
If it works, great, if not, (ll just buy another plant and prune it properly this time.

Do you have a preferred rooting compound ?

 

[pepperhead212]

I use the Dyna Gro gel for the cuttings, and Clonex, for the solution in the cloner.

 

[pepperhead212]

I finally got 3 of those seeds coming up, in just over 2 weeks - about how long the California Gardener on YouTube said it took, from seed. Strange thing was that the two that I sprouted quickly in the heat in the IP, another came up the same day - one of the 6 seeds I just stuck an inch into the soil, after squeezing them out of the berry. Here's a photo, though the one in the far left isn't very visible. The other 2 are in the middle, about 1 1/2 inches from both sides.
Curry tree seedlings, finally, on 10-16, planted on 09-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[larry_stewart]

I got 2 seeds that Im going to try and plant.
I tried a few years back with no luck.
There are more seeds on the tree, butt they are unripe. If they ripen Ill try them as well.
Nothing to lose other than a little time and a little soil

 

[pepperhead212]

...Nothing to lose other than a little time and a little soil

My thoughts exactly! The last time I got a number of them sprouted, but not grown past 2-3". I'll see if the different soil makes a difference, and the different light. I put it under the new LED light I got last year, dimmable, so I put it close, but lower - no need to have it high, as it wasn't spreading out to light trays. I'll see how they do - if they start growing quickly, I'll transplant them to maybe 4" pots. We'll see...

I got a lot more ripe berries this summer, early, probably due to the heat, which is probably why the plant got so huge! I have to trim it soon, to bring it in.

 

[larry_stewart]

Im using my current tree was an experiment. I watched those videos you posted above, and as my tree kinda looks sorry, Im going to be aggressive with it and see what happens.
Ill but the main tree back and see if it grows back bushier, Ill make cuttings with what I cut up and try rooting them ( both in soil as above, and hydroponically ). I also have air-layered a branch, in addition to planting the ripe seeds. In the absolute worst case scenario, Ill have no luck and have to get a new plant. Its worth it to me, Ive always wanted a bushier plant anyway, so f I have no success, ill just get another one,

 

[pepperhead212]

When I trim that tree way back, to bring inside, I am going to try some of those as cuttings, after taking all the stems off, like in that second video, and also I'll try that turmeric, next to other rooting compounds I have. Not that I have a need for more curry trees, but maybe there's a market for them out there, around here!

I'll also try different diameters of stems, to see if it makes any difference.

 

[larry_stewart]

I'll also try different diameters of stems, to see if it makes any difference.

I was thinking the same thing. I'm going o take advantage of what I got and try everything.

 

[pepperhead212]

Today I trimmed my curry tree; after it had gotten very cool the last two nights, I had to get it smaller, to at least bring onto my back porch, for when it does that again. I got 9 or 10 twigs from the cuttings, to try to root. Two nights ago I trimmed a small amount, to take to some friends, but the large amount I trimmed today I took to an Indian market, where the guy loves getting these, and gives me deals, as well as samples of things they make there. He couldn't believe I had 2 bags of them this time. He wanted to know again if I had grown any plants; I told him the seeds did not do well for me (though I'm trying again), and I told him about the rooting I'm trying, so I'd let him know. He said he'd buy them from me, if I ever get them growing!
Just 3 branches I snipped off today, to take my friends some curry leaves. Hardly looks like I cut any! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Over 5 gallons of curry tree trimmings. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Two bags of curry tree trimmings, ready to take to the Indian market, where they give me deals, in return by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Curry tree, still needing a little trimming, to bring inside. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

These are the cuttings I'm going to try to root. Tomorrow I'll make a pot or two, to start the cuttings in. One video shows a guy whittling the bark off the lower 1½", then dipping it in some turmeric, as their rooting compound! I'll try that, and a couple of compounds I have, and see if anything is better.
Stems from the curry tree, which I will attempt to root. by pepperhead212, on Flickr