If you are thinking of growing your very own houseplants from seed, you are in the right place! This is the ultimate guide to growing houseplants whether they are carnivorous, tropical palms, aroids, cactus, succulents or bonsai trees!
Carnivorous houseplants
The first most important tip for growing carnivorous plants is to use distilled water when watering and also when you plant them. They will not survive if you use tap water! Second top tip is to sow your seeds, then place them inside a ziplock bag then straight in the fridge for stratification! This step is very important and will ensure you get a high germination rate once you take them out in 4-6 weeks time. They need that temperature shock from cold to hot for them to germinate. After that, they are pretty simple plants to care for. Carnivorous plants also require a dormancy period over the winter where you place them in a colder area that’s relatively dark so they can die off to then be taken out and placed in a warm area once Spring starts. If you follow those simple steps, you will easily grow your own carnivorous houseplants! Take a look at our collection of seeds here.
Tropical Palms
Palm trees are simple to grow, but they do take a while! So with a little bit of patience and perseverance you will have thriving palms growing in your home before you know it! First and foremost, the most important tip for growing palms is to get the temperature as hot as possible when you are getting them to germinate. After this point, they are not as fussy about the temperature. All palm seeds we grow (all types we sell) are grown inside zip lock bags. They take up very little space and you can easily see through the bags so that you can keep an eye out for germination. Most palms take around 3 months to germinate and require a soil-less seed starting mix, or coco coir will do absolutely fine. Find our selection of palm tree seeds here.
Aroids
The important thing about Aroids is that you need the correct soil. Given the correct soil, these babies will thrive! We tend to mix coco coir with perlite, charcoal, orchid bark and worm castings. Or you can purchase a soil-less seed starting mix here which is specifically produced for growing Aroid plants from seed using the perfect blend of the above mix. Also, another important thing to note is that Aroids tend to thrive if you water them using distilled water. We have grown a lot of Aroids over time and found that the plants always grow best using rainwater/distilled water. Take a look at our tropical houseplant seeds with a wide range of aroid's here.
Cactus & Succulents
A good mix of potting soil and sand is the best mix for Cactus and succulents. Always surface sow the seeds and place a light covering of coarse sand over the seeds to prevent the seedlings falling over once they grow, which can be the detrimental for them if they do. Cactus and succulents are generally easy to care for, you just have to be very patient. Particularly with the Cactus! Check out our cactus range here, and our succulents here.
Bonsai Trees
There are many ways of starting Bonsai trees off, but generally we find that using a good quality soil which is sandy loam based works a charm! You can buy special bonsai mixes but we find that growing from seed you need a specialist seed starting mix, which we have here. Always remember to soak your seeds before sowing them. Growing bonsai’s is a lot easier and quicker if the seeds have been soaked. Most tree seeds germinate relatively quickly and have little care instructions for when they eventually grow as they are so easy to look after. But always check the instructions in case they need stratification or any other special treatment prior to germination. Last thing to note is that you should never start your bonsai training before the plant is 1-2 years old depending on how quickly they grow. Otherwise the stems will snap off and you will have wasted your time! Take a look at our wide range of bonsai tree seeds here.
Growing your own houseplants is so rewarding and you can get some beautiful plants thriving that would have cost you a pretty penny whereas growing your own is so much easier on the pocket and greater for the environment!