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Conifer growing guide
Podocarpus macrophyllus, the yew plum pine or Buddhist pine from southern China and Japan, is a slow-growing evergreen conifer used for hedges, screens, containers and bonsai. Sow its seeds fresh, cleaned of the fleshy fruit, and keep them warm and moist.
Each 'fruit' is a single round seed, about 1 cm across, sitting on a swollen, fleshy, purplish receptacle. Only the seed is sown: pull it off the receptacle and wipe away any soft pulp. No storage trial for this species was found, so treat the seed as short-lived and sow it as soon as you receive it rather than keeping it for a later season.
Not needed. The seed coat does not need nicking or filing.
Not needed. In a study of the related Podocarpus costalis, more than 90% of fresh seeds germinated in warm conditions without cold stratification.
Not needed. A short soak in clean water can soften leftover pulp before cleaning, but it is not a germination treatment.
Keep the seed warm. In the P. costalis study, germination was high at a constant 25 °C (77 °F) and at day/night temperatures of 25/15 °C and 30/20 °C (77/59 °F and 86/68 °F). In most of India this matches the warm months; in cooler climates use a heated propagator or a warm windowsill.
Press each seed into the mix and cover it with a thin layer of fine mix or sand, so it is only just buried. The study above germinated seed in light, so deep burial is not needed.
A free-draining seed mix, such as compost with plenty of coarse sand or perlite. The species does not tolerate wet soil, so avoid heavy, waterlogged mixes.
Keep the mix evenly moist but never soggy. Do not let fresh seed dry out.
Bright light or light shade. Keep trays out of hot midday sun, which dries the surface.
Fresh P. costalis seed germinated within about 4 weeks. Seeds studied in this family have an underdeveloped embryo that must grow before the root appears, so older or cooler seed can take much longer; keep trays for several months.
When seedlings have a few sets of needle-like leaves, move each into its own deep pot with the root ball intact. Use a well-drained, slightly acidic potting mix.
Growth is slow. Keep young plants in bright light or partial shade and water when the top of the mix starts to dry. Plant out in the ground when frost risk has passed, or keep them in containers for years.
Plants are male or female. Only females fruit, and only when a male grows nearby. Seedlings vary more than plants from cuttings, so expect some difference in shape and vigour.
Full sun to partial shade in well-drained soil. It tolerates heat, salt spray and drought once established, but not waterlogging. Sources disagree on frost: from about -10 to -15 °C (14 to 5 °F) in shelter to damage in cold winters.
It tolerates clipping well and is often grown as a hedge, column, topiary or bonsai.
The fleshy part of the fruit is described as edible, but the seeds are reported as toxic, causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea; keep seed away from children and pets, including cats, dogs and horses.
Sow Podocarpus macrophyllus seeds fresh and cleaned in a warm, free-draining mix.
No. Clean off the fleshy part and sow the seed fresh in warm, moist conditions. A related Podocarpus germinated well without any cold treatment.
The fleshy part is described as edible by some sources, but the seed is reported as toxic. Do not eat the seeds, and keep them away from children and pets.
Only if it turns out female and a male plant grows nearby. The sex is not visible until the plant matures.
No. Both are in the family Podocarpaceae, but Afrocarpus is a separate African genus whose trees, such as Afrocarpus falcatus, are still sometimes sold as podocarpus.
