Fastest Growing TREE - Empress Tree (Paulownia Shantong) From Seed!

- Please inform yourself whether you are allowed to plant this tree in your state. It could possibly be invasive -

Let`s make the world a healthier place.

Trees are the lungs of our planet, but a lot of them are beeing cut down, especially in the rainforest. But we can make a change and grow some on our own. If every person plants out just one single tree, it would have an huge impact.

But as always, we wanted more. A normal tree just does not grow quick enough. So we searched for a faster growing tree with a high CO2 consumption rate and finally we found Paulownia Shantong.

It is a hybrid between Paulownia tomentosa and the white Paulowina. It grows faster than the other varieties, very straight and has a higher tolerance against frost (up to minus 25 degree Celsius).The Tree reaches a height up to 15 m and could be harvested within 10 years with a diameter of 35 cm. It has huge leaves and beautiful flowers.

In this instructable I am going to explain the best way to germinate seeds and how to transplant the seedling

If you like the instructable, don`t forget to subscribe to our channel. Have fun reading =)

Step 1: Materials

Paulownia Shantong seed (it is better to buy a few more seeds, so you are able to transplat just the best growing ones)

http://goo.gl/95boEA

Sand

Water

A small plastic box

good quality potting soil http://goo.gl/PnHHnD

A bigger plastic box/ indoor green house http://goo.gl/DvpsLV

Plastic cups

Dibber (recommended) or a thin pencil http://goo.gl/5fLzwE

Step 2: Buy Good Quality Seeds

Paulownia Shantong seed is a bit more expensive than other Paulownia because it is a hybrid, but it grows much better and it is worth the very small price difference.

One tree should be worth at least 150 € after 10 years, so do not save money on the wrong side. You want to grow best quality trees.

Step 3: Stratification

This a process of treating seed to simulate a winter.

Take a small plastic box, mix your seed with sand and add a little bit of water to keep the sand – seed mixture moist (3 parts sand, 1 part seed). Than you put this for 3 weeks into the fridge. Temperatures must be between 1°C and 5°C (34°F and 41°F). This cold and moist environment triggers a chemical reaction, which is needed to enable the seed to germinate.

I `ve also tried to germinate some seeds without stratification and without sand and it really worked out with a few seeds. Also I tried to germinate them in a bottle of water, like i saw it on youtube. But the results with stratification and sand were much better!

Step 4: Sowing

After 3 weeks, prepare an indoor greenhouse or a plastic box with the potting soil and moisten it. Sow your seeds on the soil. Paulownia Shantong is a light germinator, so do not put any soil above your seed. Don`t let the substrate dry out and don`t keep it too wet. Temperature must be between 23°C and 27°C (73,4°F and 80,6°F). Germination should occur between 2 and 4 weeks if you do it this way.

Step 5: Transplanting the Seedlings

As soon as the seedlings look like the ones in the picture above, you can start transplanting them in single pots. I use plastic cups, because they are cheap and easy to handle. Fill the cups with potting soil (you want to mix it with garden soil, because now you need a few more plant nutrients) and water it to moisten your substrate, than carefully dig one seedling out with the help of a dibber and put it in your single pot. Ensure that the roots are covered with soil and act very gently to not harm your seedlings. Now put your seedlings to a little bit colder but bright place or use a grow light. Water them as much as required.

And you have to wait until your seedlings are strong enough to be transplanted outside or to be transplanted into a bigger pot. This may take a while, because young trees are vulnerable to frost and after you `ve put so much effort in growing your seedlings, you don`t want to harm them.

Step 6: Updates

We will keep this instructable updated and we will show you, how the empress tree is developing.

We hope you have enjoyed this instructable. If you have any question feel free to ask us. We will answer you as soon as we can.

Check also how to grow tomatoes

https://www.instructables.com/id/Grow-the-best-toma...

or a real giant pumpkin with a few hundred lbs!

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-grow-a-gian...

To start seeds indoors, you should also have a grow light. Look at this if you want to build cheap and easy ones on your own. https://www.instructables.com/id/60W-30-Dimmable-LE...

Please do not forget to vote. Thank you for reading and try it on your own =)

Step 7: Update 1

As you can see, the tree is growing extremely fast. Haven`t expected such a fast growth.

Comments

[ShireenB]

Banned in Connecticut. Possibly other states.

[fineguitar]

Connecticut is like that with many things. Perhaps it is time to move

[Luis P.M]

Is it necessary to cut the plants after the first year down almost to the root in order for them to grow faster with a solid (no hole in the center) trunk?

[bignail1954]

I thought it would have been helpful to give a pic of a mature tree. Other stats would be nice to see if it is worth growing.

[bignail1954]

I thought it would have been helpful to give a pic of a mature tree. Other stats would be nice to see if it is worth growing.

[bignail1954]

I thought it would have been helpful to give a pic of a mature tree. Other stats would be nice to see if it is worth growing.

[enchiladeeda]

I am going to try this with some cherry tree seeds I got and was wondering if you think this might work on rose seeds that I ordered.

Let us know how the trees you started are doing. I had 2 paulownias but they died. I would love to get another.

[Team Z]

I think cherry tree seeds could work a bit different. it could be necessary to crack the hard shell before you start everything. Unfortunately, I don`t know anything about roses^^

I am going to update this soon =)

Thank you

[Gordyh]

I tried this with seeds from my local pine tree's. I had great success with them germinating, but lost whole batches to dampening off I think it's called. It's where the seedling starts turning brown at the ground and continues up the seedling till it's dead. How have you avoided this happening for you???

[enchiladeeda]

I have read that if you mix hydrogen peroxide in your watering it will help with the damping or damping off. It adds oxygen to the soil and prevents the fungal growth.

[jeanniel1]

It's called "damping" or "damping off" and is due to a fungal growth in their systemic system (water up from roots, nutrients down to roots) at the soil line, and can be avoided with some mild antifungal powder (Mycostop used for organic farming and is a naturally created defense against the deadly seedling-killing fungus) sold in nurseries (a real one or online). Fungal growth occurs when there is too much moisture - so good ventilation and allowing the soil to be moist by not constantly wet is also helpful.

Here's a helpful site about prevening damping: http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/p...

[Team Z]

Very helpfull for us all. Thank you for this!

[jeanniel1]

Oh, and keep good drainage with the ventilation. Preventing fungal growth is key.

[Team Z]

Yes, this is my opinion,too =)

[EmmitS]

Dampoff is a real bummer, especially when you've paid five dollars for three seeds. I've found that mixing any garden fungicide with the soil will help, but the runoff water is poisonous. Lately I've read that adding cinnamon is helpful. Perhaps because the cinnamon plant comes from very hot and humid areas, so it has a natural fungicide built into the plant.

[Team Z]

Did this happen after or before transplanting the young seedlings? Because when you transplant them, you have to be really carefull. Any damage to the roots could kill them. Also protect them from direct sunlight (sunburn) and keep the soil moist but not too wet, so you make some holes in your planting pot for a better drainage.

Also use good quality potting soil. You really get a lot of crap out there. Maybe mix it with some sand to avoid waterlogging. Also, when the seedlings are out of the earth, place them somewhere colder but it should not be too dark.

Often, it is a combination of a soil with too much nutriets, too much heat and too less sunlight. So the seedlings grow very long but remain very weak and fall over or get lost because of bacteria (too wet and too warm). :-)

[pierremaricq]

You might want to read this:

Invasive Paulownia (Princess Tree)

http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/paulownia-prince...

[Team Z]

We have already discussed this topic. Please try to avoid posting the same things again and a again with almost no additional information.

[flyingace]

It may be worth viewing what the US Dept. of Agriculture has to say about these trees: http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/printree.shtml

[dougstrickland]

Wrong species tree. That page references the "Paulownia tomentosa". the genus is correct, just the wrong species.