From Australia
by Steve Jackson
Growing your Blackberry Jam Fruit Seed
Randia Formosa
Randia Formosa is a
vigorous and hardy member of the gardenia family. It is a small shrub,
usually under 1.8 metres tall, but you can prune it to any size
or shape you like.
The flowers are white and fragrant, as you would expect they are similar to a single Gardenia flower.
The
fruit is around the size of a large grape and yellow when ripe. The
black pith can be eaten fresh or used in preserves and as a flavouring
in cookery, there is a fair bit of information on the net in this
regard. It will grow in full sun to partial shade and only requires
water to get it established and then only under the most extreme dry
spells.
Sow the seeds in a seedling tray or pot filled with a
good quality potting mix or seed raising mix, and cover the seed with a
very thin layer of mix. I’d suggest using a sifter to get an even
coating over all the seeds. It is important to keep the seeds damp at
all times.
It is helpful to cover the seeds with a sheet of
glass or even a plastic ‘tent’ to maintain high humidity,
but if you use this method you will need to check on them regularly to
ensure that they are not affected by fungal problems. This eventuality
can be minimised by removing the cover on occasions to allow air
movement around the seed or seedlings.
Once the seedlings are
large enough to manipulate, prick them out (transplant) into 5 cm pots
filled with a top quality potting mix. Add one quarter of a teaspoon of
Osmocote, ensuring that the granules do not contact the young seedlings
directly.
Keep the plants in bright filtered light without any
direct sun at this stage and allow the roots to well fill the pot
before moving them on to a 10 cm pot and morning sun. Continue potting
as required, but don’t consider planting in the garden until well
established in a 15 cm pot.
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