Hawaiian Baby Woodrose might sound like a baby size plant but, it is not. This perennial vine can grow up 9 to 10 meters, with leaves that grow to 27 cm in length. The flowers are lavender pink and funnel shaped. When they open, the woody seed pods that look like miniature roses (hence the name) are revealed.
Growing Hawaiian baby woodrose from seed
Growing HBW from seeds is fairly easy, only thing that might be tricky is the hard seed coat that makes it difficult for the moisture to penetrate the inside and, as contrary as it might sound, it has tendency to rot easily.
You should start the sow of the seeds in late spring, maximum early summer.
The first thing to be done to germinate the seeds is to file the hard seed coat to allow for the seed to take up moisture. To do this you need a sanitised razor blade and gently scrap out the brown seed coating, away from the germ eye (the little circle in the end of the seed). You can also use large grit sand paper. Whatever you use, be careful not to damage the germ eye because there is where the root of the seed will come out.
Next step is to give moisture to the seeds so they can germinate. The seeds must be soaked in water for around 24 hours. This time will allow the seeds to absorb water they will need to germinate. The seeds will be swollen from the water.
Clean the seeds with a paper towel. Put the seeds in a wet paper towel or wash cloth, if you can get hydrogen peroxide to put on the paper, it might help preventing mould and bacteria. Make sure to squeeze out the excess of water from the paper towel/cloth, you do not want it too wet.
Fold the paper with the seeds inside and keep it in a dark place. If you can get a zip bag and put the folded paper inside. Do not close the bag to allow some airflow. Check everyday to see if it is sprouting and to make sure that the paper does not dry out.
Putting the seeds directly in the soil after soaking it is also possible but, since the seeds tend to rot easily, it is more difficult to make them sprout.
When there is a little sprout coming out of the seeds it is time to put them in soil. You should put the sprouts in a rich fluffy soil and not more than 2 cm deep. Make sure that the soil has good drainage and airflow. Keep the pots at room temperature and the soil moist, not wet.
When the plants grow a bit you can plant them outside. Choose a place where the plants can climb like a wall or pergola. They like sun but, in really warm regions they should be in a place where they can get some shade, especially in the early stages of the plant.
Cloning Hawaiian baby woodrose
Cloning HBW is just the same as cloning other plant. You need to take a piece of a “mother” plant. Find the end of one branches of vine and cut it at a 90 degree angle.
Place the cutting in a pot with prepared soil and keep it inside the house by a window until it starts to grow. Make sure that is really rooted before you transplant it outside.
After taking a cutting you will notice that the “mother” plant will grow and bush out more.
Taking care of you plant
Do not use high nitrogen content fertilisers because it will result in a lot of leaves but, not so many flowers. If you want to fertilise your HBW plant a good option might be a good organic bloom-booster fertiliser (3 tablespoons for 4 litres water). Use it once a month.
If you notice that the leaves are presenting small dots and webbing (sometimes difficult to see) you might have spider mites on your plants. You can use a garden hose to spray the leaves and discourage the spider mites, as they like dry places. You can also make a solution with 2% horticultural oil and spray the plants early in the morning or late afternoon.
The flowers will start to grow when the plant reaches a good level of maturity. The flowering usually occurs in spring/summer after the vines have at least a full year of growth. Some varieties of HBW will need at least 2 or 3 seasons before they have a good flower production, and if the growing conditions are not optimal, the flowering will not be as vigourous.
Pay attention, if you want to grow HBW inside the house you might never get flowers, as most of the HBW plants grown inside the house never flower.
In frost free places the pants will green all year round and can be kept outside. If you live in a place with cold and frost winters, the best is to have the plants in a large pot and have it outdoors in the summer and move it indoors in the winter. You can also lift the roots and store them until next spring.