The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

I have 2 kauri trees on our property in Palmerston North.
Last year they produced many seed pods which I did not spot until quite late and my inquiries did not give me the information on how to tell when the pod is ripe to harvest before it gets to the 'shattering' stage which they were when I went to pick them. Nevertheless I got approx 3000 seeds which I gave to a nursery to propagate.
I have just found out that 15 germinated. Not good??
Anyway I have looked my trees earlier this year and discovered that there are cones again this year. I do not want to repeat last years collection problem so I am asking for advice as to when I should pick - what do I need to know.
Hopefully I will be able to safely pick the ones high up on the tree without the shattering on hitting the ground.
One tree would be 40 years old, the other planted 2000.
Thank you for your help.
Blessings,
Ian Staples

Hi Ian,
I collect kauri cones with a pole pruner and a long pool net. It's a two person job to cut the cones off and catch them in the pool net so that the seeds do not touch the ground and if they explode, you do manage to catch a lot of the scatter. Takes a wee bit of practice to get the technique right. Seeds need to be sown immediately. Their viability drops off very quickly even after a few days. Put them in the fridge if need be. Also make sure the seed is all viable. This is easy to do by touching the seed and if it's good, it should feel hard and not squishy. I find there are few viable seeds in a cone (but that can depend on the age of the tree). Hope that info helps. Good luck.