How to propagate syzygium australe
A quick step by step guide on how to propagate syzygium australe (Brush Cherry). We propagate thousands of these each year by collecting and sowing the ripe berries.
Collect the seed
We propagate Syzygium australe- Brush cherry, by collecting seed when the berries have ripened.
This is evident when they turn pinky-purple in colour. Waiting until you notice a few start falling to the ground is a good sign, we figure this is nature telling us that they are ready.
This will occur in Autumn. For us, a couple of hundred to a thousand berries is necessary, as we grow on a larger scale, for you, a smaller quantity will suffice.
They are very easy to collect as they form in clumps, like grapes.
Sow the seed
Once we’ve collected our berries we sow them into a used styrofoam vegetable crate, these crates we re-use over and over again.
We fill the crate 3/4 full with a good quality potting mix. Then evenly distribute the berries over the surface.
We then very lightly cover the berries. We have been told that by removing the outer flesh of the berry and exposing the seed within, that germination is quicker.
Because we collect thousands we find this too time consuming and have had great success sowing the seed flesh and all.
They do take quite a while to germinate, usually about 6 months before we can start potting them into tubes.
Having said that the time doesn’t bother us as the crate takes up very little room and it’s holding hundreds of plants.
So, after we sow the berries we put the crate in a sheltered position where we can keep it moist.
This is all you need to do while you wait for the seeds to germinate. Simply keep the potting mix moist.
However, don’t let it get water logged, we don’t want to rot the seeds.
Wait & Pot your syzygiums
After about 6 months, sometime in spring, little syzygiums will start popping up.
Simply select the plants you want to pot. As we are selling ours we pot them all. We use a 2’(50mm) pot.
Make sure you water them in really well, we use seasol. This helps promote root growth after transplanting.
It then takes another 8-10 weeks before these have a sufficient root system to be planted outside.
So it does take a long time in the waiting, but its very little in terms of man hours.
This is for us the easiest and most efficient way of propagating syzygium.
They can also be propagated via cuttings, quite possibly with a faster result if you’re only after a smaller quantity.
As long as we collect our seed every year we always have a constant supply of plants. For the home gardener this is a great way to save some money.
It just takes some forward planning so the plants are ready when you need them.
Below is a short video of us sowing the syzygium seeds. If you like this and would like to see more content feel free to subscribe. Thanks.
Propagation Kit
We have also put together a resource page that contains links to the products we use or similar. If you want to check that out click the link.
Propagate Syzygium Australe video
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Syzygium australe- Brush cherry Information
Syzygium australe- Brush cherry is small-medium sized evergreen tree. Is fast growing has glossy green leaves, the new growth is a coppery-red colour. In summer it produces clusters of fluffy white flowers. These are followed by pinky-purple berries.
A great choice for a privacy screen. Its fast growing, loves getting pruned and has dense foliage. Can also be shaped into topiary balls or standards. Can be kept in a container. And a great choice for an edible/bush tucker garden as the berries are edible, they make a great jam.
Best grown in a sunny position, although tolerates part shade. Can be grown in most soil types, but does best in moist well drained soil. Will survive frost once established but young plants should be covered.
Cultural notes
Botanical name: Syzygium australe
Common name: Brush cherry
Family: Myrtaceae
Native to: Australia
Flowers: summer-autumn
Position: Full sun/Part shade
Height: 6m
Width: 3m