How to grow China Doll

Radermachera sinica

Plants Grow well under a number of diffrent light requirements including shade or full sun or anywhere in between. Must not be allowed to completely dry out at any time, will wilt very fast. Commerical grown plants are treated with growth regulators at about mid crop so as to have a compact bushy dark green apperance. Can also be sprayed with Iron to get rid of yellowish leaves. Best Growth is in spring at 85 degrees. NOT a frost hardy tree. Can be grown as a bush form or individual tree.

Growing China Doll from seed

Sterile peat potting medium. Sown directly on moist surface. Cover, keep warm, best germination is at 30 deg c. Alternatively, cells can be covered with 2-3 cm of perlite. Keep moist at all times. Prone to damping off, use of soil drench such as Subdue, or Banrot at planting time is reccomended. Under optimal conditions germanation is well over 75% in about 10-21 days.

Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 0.78 inches (2.0 cm) and sow at a depth of around 0.0 inches (0.0 cm). For optimal germination, soil temperature should be a minimum of 25°C / 77°F.

Transplanting China Doll

At about 3", cells should be planted into desired pot size (usually 4", 6", 8", or 10") and treated again with fungicide. Use of Granualar fertilizer and pesticide is reccomended.

China Doll is tender, so ensure you wait until all danger of frost has passed in your area before considering planting outside - as a guideline, the minimum temperature outside should be approximately 5°C / 41°F.

Harvesting China Doll

Seeds form on bean like seed pods which twist and are quite long, giving its name dragon or sepernt tree.

Seed Saving China Doll

Seeds are double winged bigonae flat about 4cm long and 2 wide.

How long does China Doll take to grow?

These estimates for how long China Doll takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Days to Germination How long does it take China Doll to germinate?
10 days

Average 10 days | Min days | Max days (0)

Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out China Doll?
+ 30 days

Average 30 days | Min days | Max days (0)

Days to Maturity How long until China Doll is ready for harvest / bloom?
+ 180 days

Average 180 days | Min days | Max days (0)

Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow China Doll?
= 220 days

China Doll Etymology

The name “china doll” was given in 1982 after the david bowie song.

Other names for China Doll

Asian Bell Flower, Emerald Tree, Dragon Tree, Radar Plant

Steroserpum sinicum

Footnotes


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