Often known as the fossil tree, Wollemia nobilis was once thought to be long extinct, it was only known through fossil records until the discovery of a handful of live specimens in 1994. The trees were found growing in sandstone gauges within temperate rainforest in the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales, Australia. With the help of micropropagation, the following decades saw many thousands of trees grown and distributed throughout the world. The common name, Wollemi pine was trademarked to help manage distribution and to protect the original wild specimens.
Jump forward 30 years and there’s hardly a botanical garden or arboretum without at least one specimen of this ancient conifer. Still though, they are an expensive tree to buy, especially as a mature specimen. So here is a way to grow your own for little cost, but a degree of patience is needed.
As most of us don’t have the luxury of a micropropagation lab at home, we need to look for simpler methods. It is possible to take cuttings from Wollemia but I am going to concentrate here on growing them from seed.
SOURCING SEED
First of all, you are going to need to source some seed and this can be tricky. Wollemi are monoecious, which means the produce both male and female reproductive organs. Male cones which carry pollen are long and narrow, female cones are round and once fertilised will produce seed. It takes around 6 months for a small female cone to be pollinated, a further 18 months for it to grow and for the seeds to ripen. Often a mixture of larger, fertilised cones will be visible on the same tree as new, unfertilised cones. The picture above shows a female cone. In the foreground are the seeds, behind the seeds are the cone and the woody scales. I have seen these scales fraudulently sold on ebay, paraded as seeds. I have also seen seed listed in packets of around 50. Bear in mind a ripe cone will only contain around 10 viable seeds so any which are sold in large quantities might not be worth buying. It is important to only buy pre-tested seed from a reliable seller.
If you are lucky enough to be able to harvest your own seed then keep an eye on the female cones from around August to September. The green cones will start to tinge orange or brown and when handled, the scales will feel like they are loosening. They are now ready to harvest but you will need to be quick. As soon as those scales loosen, they are likely to fall quickly. The cone will not drop all in one like an apple, the scales will fall away and the seeds will disperse, so it’s important to collect the cones directly from the tree as you won’t be able to collect them from the ground.
SOAKING AND TESTING SEED
Wollemia nobilis is not a true pine. It is a coniferous relative of the monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana) in the Araucariaceae family. Thankfully, unlike true pines, the seed will germinate without stratification, (the process of artificially breaking dormancy by means of moisture or temperature manipulation). The cones contain so many seeds that sowing them all would mean countless seed trays. Therefore, it is better to test viability first. This is very easy. Take a large bowl, preferably clear for visibility, fill it with water and scatter the surface with seeds. Leave the seeds to soak for 24 hours, occasionally pushing them below the surface. The viable seeds will drop to the bottom and non viable will remain on the surface. Carefully skim off the non viable then pick out the viable from the bottom. The viable seed are plump and when pressed feel hard and will not depress. Notice the difference to the non viable, floaters, which are empty and will press flat.
SOWING WOLLEMIA NOBILIS
I have tried sowing fresh seed in September and sowing in spring. The seeds which I sowed in September were sown on a free draining compost with added sand and covered with a couple of millimeters of the same mix. The tray was kept moist at a temperature of around 25 Celsius. Germination did not take place until April, next spring. 8 out of 10 seeds germinated together within a couple of weeks and I pricked these seedlings out once a set of true leaves had appeared. I kept the the tray and found the other two seeds germinated a few weeks after the others had been pricked out. As you can see from the picture below, lots of moss had grown on the surface but this did not bother the seedlings at all.
The seeds which I sowed under the same conditions but in February, germinated around the same time in April. I am guessing light levels are an important factor and the light here in the UK is optimal during April.
The leaves which are emerging in the picture above are known as cotyledons or seed leaves. It’s best to wait until true, more recognisable leaves emerge before pricking out into small pots or cell trays.
PRICKING OUT AND POTTING ON
I use a peat free ericaceous compost for my plants, from the pricking out stage onwards. I mix in some sharp sand to assist drainage and sometimes perlite to lighten the growing medium. The plants in the picture above show true juvenile leaves with the cotyledons still visible below. These plants are one year old. Young plants do tend to grow quite slowly in their first year and I keep them in an unheated greenhouse during at least their first winter for a little protection. After that first year, growth seems to accelerate. Be sure to check the plants never become root bound and pot them on at least once each year.
Chris Howell Gardens 
Wh
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So interesting learning of Wollemia nobilis. Your instructions on how to grow it from seed are painstakingly step by step as only a master horticulturalist would do. The three year old result is a beauty.
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Thank you Judith
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I love that for once there’s a feel good story about nature – they seem like very slow growers, but well worth the wait! Linda 🙂
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I would love to try and start a few of these here, but I can’t find a current source for seeds it seems. Don’t really have $100 to risk on a sapling especially through horrid shipping as of late.
I’m in Tennessee, and would be starting them in pots for indoor and deck.
Can you help me with some sourcing of seeds at all?
Jack
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Hi Jack.
Unfortunately I don’t have access to seeds right now. Seed is often available on ebay here in the UK, I would imagine it would be the most likely source in the US too.
Chris
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Okay thanks… I’ll keep looking. 🙂
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Ooops forgot to give my credentials… 🙂
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Is it possible to get Wollemi seeds from you? I live in Ireland and it is extremely difficult to get seeds here. I would be very grateful if there was such a possibility, of course I will cover all shipping costs. Best regards, Robert.
robertfux731222@gmail.com
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Hi Robert
I’m afraid I don’t have any at the moment. If I do get any I will let you know. I think there are people selling them on ebay but as I say in the blog, be careful who you buy from.
Best
Chris
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Cześć Hris. Dziękuję za odpowiedź. niebezpieczne bede czekal na info o nasionach u ciebie zwlaszcza ze już raz kupilem nasiona “Wollemi” niestety tylko w opisie .
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starting my adventure with the wollemi and I’ve been working out who to trust on E-Bay. I’ve purchased seeds and I’ll report back once I get germination results. I live in Wigan and it’s not the warmest of places but I know once they reach a few years the Wollemi will be ok outside here. My friend has one which made me want to grow them.
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Hey Rob, was wondering where you purchased your Wollemi Pines? Seems like there are a lot of scammers, my seeds look nothing like the ones above.
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Hi Ian, I’ve been looking for ages and a friend made me aware of a guy on e-bay that sells genuine seeds called ‘germinator’. He replies to messages and seems to be honest. The seeds are £20 for 10 but he’s added two extra which I thought was a nice gesture.
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I am also looking for Wollemi pine seeds. By looking at the seeds in your photo above. I may have been scammed quite a few times by a seller on Ebay.
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Sorry to hear that Ian. I think some of these sellers just don’t know what they are selling. I hope you manage to get hold of some legitimate seeds. Best wishes.
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Hey Chris,
I decided to grow out the seedlings a bit. Do you recall what yours looked like at early stages? Can I send you an email with a photo of my seedlings?
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Hi Ian. Yes, go ahead. I think you can email me via the page. If you zoom in on the pic (poor quality) of the seed tray, you can see my early seedlings.
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Would you believe QVC was selling Wollemi Pine trees for £30/40 about 4 years ago my friend has one and I said it’s probably worth 3 grand now.
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I’ve been very successful with my seeds from the Germinator on E-Bay. I’ve got 7 shoots from 11 seeds, they took between 6 to 8 weeks to show but I’ve kept on top of it watering daily. I’ve moved 3 of the older ones out and hope they continue to thrive.
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That’s good to hear. They can be pretty sporadic in germinating but it sounds like yours have been very successful. Hope they continue to thrive!
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I had a 5′ Wollemia tree, which I loved indoors and outdoors in the summer, but it didn’t survive due to heating problem in our house when we were away. I bought seeds once and a couple germinated but then wilted away. I have read online the proper way to germinate them and would love to try again. Please tell me if Germinator on E-Bay is from the U.S.
Thank you so kindly, Carol
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Hi Carol,
Unfortunately Germinator is UK based, I’m unsure about movement of seeds there must be rules in place like with food products. My shoots are six months old now and it looks like they are marking time and doing absolutely nothing. Hopefully there will be a rush of action soon!
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Good luck! I hope to see pictures of seedlings soon!
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10 months in and it’s very slow going but I’m not giving up. Look forward to a burst of energy in the second year. I’m supposed to be giving one of these away a for a friends mums 60th as she’s a horticulturist and loved it when he mentioned growing them. Hopefully in 8 months time on her birthday it’ll be actually something to look at.
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They can be very slow at first, but once they grow, they grow. It’s worth protecting plants from the strongest sun. I also find they benefit from regular repotting into fresh ericaceous compost. I’ve been repotting mine twice each year.
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I would love to get one and plant on my property in Georgia it’s hot and humid here if you do get any seeds I will buy one. I will try and find Germinator on eBay to see if he has any and thank you for all the information you have given everyone
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My 6 year old Wollemi pine ( 8feet tall) has just started to drop seeds for the first time. I was delighted to find Chris’s detailed guide to growing from seed, so will give it a go. My daughter in law has taken half of them to try. Lots more female cones will be ready to drop theirs soon, so I am really excited and hopeful.
I would be happy to send seeds to a few of you, free of charge. Anything to help this fantastic endangered tree.
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My 15 year old tree has been coning so have collected some seed. Never had any luck with cuttings so hopefully will be more successful with seeds. My tree must be about 15 feet high now and has grown more than I expected. Thanks for the detailed instructions which have helped a lot.
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Thanks for a detailed set of instructions. My Wollemi pine is now showing seed and I would love to grow a tree from them. This was just what I needed
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Thanks for this useful article. Our 17 year old Wollemi is around 15m tall & is partially obscured by surrounding trees. I thought it had never produced cones but today I checked the upper parts of the tree with optical assistance and was delighted to see cones. On inspecting the ground beneath I found lots of scales & seeds (I think) attached to the scales. Delighted with the find. Location is in the S of Ireland, approx 52° N.
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Hope you manage to find some viable seeds amongst them.
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Hi Chris
Thank you for doing this site. We have a Wollemi pine planted 19 years ago when it was 4 foot in a large pot. So I estimate its 23 years old now
planted in sandy soil its now 42 foot tall and going through puberty. Most UK wollemi are still Juvenile. At about 20 years of age from the bottom up they shed the downward sloping leaves for upward sloping branches. Ours is now changing shape and looks.
we call it Prince Willy because its likely a descendant of King Billy in Wollemi (1000 year old)
it has been producing seeds for several years but we have not done anything with them but intend to now so your site is very helpful. Thank you
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Hi Paul
Glad to hear you found this useful. I think their growth habit changes in a similar way to their cousins, the monkey puzzle. Lucky you to have such a mature specimen!
Hope all goes well with the seed sowing.
Best wishes
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