My baby durian seed is germinating…
I was trying to find information on growing durian seeds on the internet but I have to say that it has been a futile attempt to obtain detailed advice. My own instincts told me that a tropical fruit would need high humidity, lots of water and preferably healthy doses of sunshine (duh).
The two durian seeds I brought home more than a month ago now went into a nice plastic container which I had lined with cotton wool soaked in water.
“Hee-lllloooo“, my sister exclaimed when she saw it, “Whaddya think you’re doing, growing tau-geh?”
(Tau geh by the way, are beansprouts, which are also by the way, her least favorite food maybe one notch below durian)
Ignoring her, I insisted that my technique had merit and would work for any seed with germination potential. Imagine my horror when I discovered that one of the seeds (flat-shaped and rather mis-figured) had turned black in three days and looked like it was really undergoing nature’s most efficient necrosis. Naturally, I feared for the other seed and whether it would suffer a similar infection and fate. Surprisingly, the seed just stayed as it was for a long while. I just kept watering it (and occasionally talking to it) keeping my hopes up that all that water would not be in vain.
I was rewarded (well at least it is somewhat satisfying) when I spotted the first signs of germination. A wriggly-viney thick green root suddenly erupted from one side of the seed and looked as though it wasn’t quite sure which way was up or down. Subsequently, the root did manoever itself into the cotton wool pads but didn’t make much growth progress after that. Well, we all grow in spurts don’t we. How do we encourage the seed to take the next step?
Since SW was very free one afternoon, we decided to properly pot the seed into soil and fed it with lots and lots of water. You can imagine how pleased we were when the root clearly took hold and grew…
No more commentary, just pictures from here on!
Durian Seed germinating in a pot
Check out the thick viney almost furry stem of the baby durian plant
This has become something of a home science project. I’ve never really had green fingers so I’ll keep you posted as to whether this little durian plant gets any further along in its development.
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Taste of Stinky Spikes
I was taught to eat durian by my father at the age of 4. Peeping into the kitchen late one evening, I saw my parents crouched on the floor over a makseshift carpet of newspapers, energetically ripping the husks of a stinky green fruit apart. I was more amazed with the enthusiasm of my parents towards their activity than the fruit itself. My father happened to look up and saw me watching quietly from the kitchen door, he beckoned me to come over to have a look.
Casting a glance at my mother to check that it was alright to be out of bed at that hour, I decided that the coast was fairly clear and proceeded over. At that point, my dad had just opened a husk and grabbed a small piece. He made out as if he was demonstrating how he was going to eat it, but instead shoved it into my mouth. I didn’t know what to expect and so decided to give this alien item a chance.
Those chances still keep coming.
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Hi
Was searching for info on how to grow the durian and I came across your blog. I’ll be interested to see what happens in a few more months.
Hi Linda!
Would be happy to keep you updated on the baby durian seed, its just had its transplant into a new pot of soil so I think it is in the process of acclimatizing to its new environment. Will put up a new photo of it later this week and let you know how it goes.
Stinky Happy Always!
Saritaone
Hi,
Just wondering where did you get the seeds from? Did you just save it from the piece of fruit? Just curious as I usually throw away the seeds as I think they’re “too young” to germinate?!!
Hi David!
I got the seeds from the durian I ate. I liked the flavor so much that I thought I would try giving it a try at growing it. My thoughts were that the fruit must be completely ripe when you’re eating it, which means that it must be ready to be digested by an “animal” and thrown onto the ground for it to start growing into a potential durian tree. Honestly speaking, I did a search on the internet about growing durians but couldn’t find very much in terms of helpful information. So I’ll share with you what I did:
1. Choose a durian seed which is nice and round and heavy (refer to earlier blog posts on durian seed shapes etc).
2. Wash the seed thoroughly and make sure any flesh is taken off – if you leave any on, it will rot and infect the seed.
3. Get a plastic container like a bowl or tupperware and line the bottom with some cotton pads (like the ones ladies use to clean their face or nail polish).
4. Fill with water to make sure the cotton pads are soaked.
5. Place seed onto the wet cotton pads and top up water to about half the seed.
6. Put a cover on top of the bowl/ tupperware to prevent things from falling in and to keep the environment very humid.
7. Check on the seed regularly and keep it moist and warm (I left my container on the balcony in KL).
8. Watch for germination and root in about one or two weeks!
You can see what I did with my little durian plantlet in the blog entries and I shall keep you up to date as it slowly makes its growth progress.
If you love durians like we do and have a fruit that you truly enjoy, I highly recommend that you give it a go.
Was the durian you ate frozen or fresh?
in other words, does low temperature kill the seed?
Hi Rob,
The durian(s) we eat here are usually fresh and the seed which is growing in my pot came from a fresh, unfrozen durian seed, direct from a freshly opened durian fruit. As to whether low temperature kill the seed, my suspicion is that freezing temperatures are generally not good for any living tissue unless properly cryopreserved with some agents that prevent ice formation and destruction.
I would guess that the seeds may no longer be viable after having placed them in the freezer, but I remain to be corrected by a tenacious durian seed! Do you plan on giving a frozen durian seed a go at germinating?
Wooo… just to let you know that my durian seed has also started sprouting as well!! Im growing it in the UK, so humidity is a problem here as its Autumn at the moment. Basically, I just keep it in a normal plant pot and put a plastic bag over the top to keep it humid…. rather like a mini-greenhouse!!
Hope yours is going alright!
Hi David! That’s great news. So please tell us whether you grew your durian plantlet from a frozen seed or a fresh one? It would be interesting to know how resilient these seeds are.
The most important point I’ve found so far is to make sure that the durian plantlet gets lots and lots of water as well as some sun. Your plastic bag over the plant pot is a great idea, just make sure it gets enough oxygen once the leaves start showing. Send me a photo to post on the blog!
While I fear that tropical seeds will not appreciate sub-zero temperatures, I am hoping that seeds from a frozen durian will still be viable. The seeds have been washed and are sitting half submerged in water on top of cotton balls in a sealed container. I will keep you posted on the progress of my durian forest.
Hi Gary, sounds good. How many seeds in your durianarium? They key is not to plant them in soil too soon. If your frozen seeds are viable, they should show some signs of germination anywhere between 1-3 weeks. Once you see the stem and the root, let it stay in the water (+cotton) for another week or so before you introduce them to soil. Let me know if you need tips on that when you get to that stage!
Saritaone
Thanks Saritaone. I will keep you posted.
Ooops! Sorry Saritaone, I forgot to answer your question about the number of seeds. Unfortunately, not knowing any better (My first durian), I cut through 3 good big seeds. All the same I have 6 nice big seeds and 3 smaller ones sitting on the wet cotton balls.
Hello,
A friend from me went to the Filippines and brought me 3 durian seeds.
2 of them were already germinating and one not. I’ve put them in a moisty soil in some pots.
The first 2-3 weeks went good, the greenish root grew. But the last 3-4 weeks, everything stagnated and the roots became brownish black (also some molds started growing on the seed)
Just as you described. I’m very worried, because you can’t find those seeds easily here in Belgium.
Do they stay long like that? Do I have to put the root into the groud? Or is it ok to just lay the seeds on a wet soil as in your picture?
Thank you very much!
Oh yes, I forgot to say this;
I’ve posted my question on a forum, but I doubt if i will receive a good answer because over here there are probably no durian plants.
You can see a picture on the 5fth or 6th answer. It’s a horrible sight.
Hi Carl,
Which forum did you post your question on? I’d like to take a quick look at your photos before I provide you with any advice!
Oh lol, that was so stupid of me.
http://www.wetenschapsforum.nl/index.php?showtopic=113296
Carl,
Is the photo of your durian seed a recent one? I thought it looked fine, nothing like what you described as I had imagined something far worse. How bad is the mould? If it is quite severe then maybe the seed is dying. But if the roots are in the soil and you’ve watered it well, don’t fret just yet and give the seedling a bit of time.
The Durian is a tree that grows more than 80 feet tall in its usual jungle climate, so if it takes a bit longer than usual to put down its roots, you’ll have to just accept that growth is never a consistent and continuing process but rather in spurts and burst phases.
My durian seedling took quite a while to lose its seed husk and if you read the next post, I was quite distraught like you when the first leaf shriveled up and turned brown. I thought that was the end of the plant, but after really watering it well (make sure the soil is able to drain too) the plant amazingly survived and grew new branches and leaves.
Others like David and Linda who have written to me have had similar experiences to you, and I have also advised them to keep the plant well watered (it really needs to be WET, like soaking WET).
However, they have also experienced a sudden halt in the growth and I’m wondering if it has to do with the fact that their seeds were frozen prior to planting. Was your durian seed from a frozen fruit too? Perhaps that might be the reason why its growth is affected.
Durian plants are quite high maintenance, mine has required frequent watering, shadey part of the balcony and I’ve also added organic fertilizer to the soil to make sure that it has all the right nutrients and supplements for growth.
Send me an updated photo? I’d like to see how bad the mould is…
Stay upbeat and don’t give up!
Saritaone
Well, that was a picture from 2 days ago, the seed itselve has a healthy color, it’s just the root that worried me.And the color looks a littlebit healthyer because of the camera flash in reality it’s just a shriveled up, brow saucige which was white with a brown tip in the beginning.
And I frequently removed the molds with a soft brush and a soft jet of water to try to keep them from spreading.
And you said the soil had to be soaking wet, that wasn’t the case with me. Thanks for telling me that.
The seeds came from a fresh durian, a friend brought them here when he returned from his voyage.
How old were the seeds when you took your pictures? (I mean how long after the germinating started)
HI Carl!
My seeds took approximately a week to germinate. When I got them fresh from eating I cleaned them and rinsed them very well, then soaked them in my cotton wool pot for about a week before I saw any signs of life. Essentially, I suspect that it takes a few days to sense it’s environment, then a few days to absorb all the water around it to make the seed swell and split, revealing the wriggly root that appears. After that, it took a good 2 weeks before I saw the root really digging into the wet cotton wool and that was when I thought it ready for planting into soil. The soil for SS No. 1 was clean organic soil and the pot was approximately 15cm in diameter and about the same in depth (or maybe a bit deeper). When the seed was put into the soil, we made sure that the root was pushed into the soil. The mistake I made then was to water it only a little bit, thinking that I didn’t want to drown the plant, but instead the leaves turned brown and dried up. That was when I realised the importance of water – Durian after all is a tropical plant- and right after the Durians fall, the wet monsoon sweeps in with the heavy rains.
Hence, I think you (and others attempting to grow durians in temperate climates) need to simulate the natural weather environments (and sunlight/nighttime) in the equator. Not a small feat by any means! But then again, Durians are a luxury everywhere in the world and it takes a lot of effort to obtain a good one, which is when we truly appreciate why we pay top dollar for the best fruit.
Hope it works out, otherwise you could check on the possibility of receiving more seeds by express mail… I could put some in a Fedex box for you for the next attempt!
Hi Saritaone
Mine started getting mouldy too! I had to take it out of the soil again. Does not look so positive and it’s curving still further into the soil, as if it wants to be buried.
Hi Linda,
Does your seed have enough ventilation? And the mould is the “mushroom” type or the carpet type? I noticed that I too had some mushrooms growing in a few of my other plant pots which had me worried. But I read somewhere that durians and fungus seem to co-exist in the soil. I threw out a whole pot of soil which another plant was inhabiting due to the mushrooms and decided to re-start with a new bag. The key though I suspect is certainly ventilation. Tall order I know but that’s the only way to prevent the fungal invasion.
I’m not sure why your baby seed isn’t growing but maybe you might want to just put the root in a glass of water and cotton wool again and forget about the soil and see what happens then. If it perks up then you can fertilize it and grow it hydroponically….(which would be a great way to cultivate it).
Best regards,
Saritaone
Hi Saritaone
It started getting cold in the UK now so I don’t open the windows anymore, and soon the radiator will be on.
About the mould, I’m not sure what type it is, but it looks a bit like some greyish powder kind of thing around the stem in contact with the soil.
I might have to try your ‘trick’ and see if it gets better, but the tip will then be under water cause remember that it’s curving towards the soil…
Oh dear…
Kind regards
Linda
It would be great to get these Durian delivered door to door. Fresh, frozen and freeze dried!
It is much trickier than it sounds.
Yes, that’s true. Durian doesn’t last long when fresh, for the best, you have to harvest it only when the fruits fall to the ground when ripe (unlike other fruits which you can cut from the tree and artificially ripen). Worse still, when frozen, can only be thawed once. When freezing the fruit try to make sure your container is really dry and doesn’t contain any moisture. When thawing, try to avoid any parts with ice formation as it simply ruins the taste and texture. Freezing is what freezing does to all living tissue, every technique has its imperfection- it preserves the shelf life but destroys the texture, although the smell and flavor does remain intact.
Imagine the smell of your mail and other groceries if all of them got delivered together though!
Saritaone, Could You Possibly Send Me Some Durian Seeds That i could try to grow;im very interested in growing durian/ill pay for the seeds/and the shipping if need be.Thanks
Hi Brett,
Well, this could be a fun experiment. Perhaps I get a batch of seeds, ship some to you and grow some here and we can compare how we do with the seeds. Hmm….
Expect an email from me and I’m sure we can work something out!
Saritaone
Thanks Saritaone for the response.When you get some seeds please let me know and if you want icould send you my mailing address via E-mail then you could keep some to grow there for yourself like you said then we could send eachother pictures via email of eachothers Durian Seedlings to Compare them that would be fun and interresting.Thanks From Durian Lover
O.K Saritaone I hope your trip goes safe and well i cant waite till you get back to hear from you again.Thanks
Hello again.
2 of the 3 Durian’s survived. they never turned green like yours, but they grew good.
Just now, I saw the “seed” itselve was loose from the root.
It was in a stadium much like your second picture (only browner)
I have no Idea how to discribe it, but is the part on your second picture, where the durian “splits in 2″ just before entering the seed important? Because that is broken. (I thought those were the beginnings of leaves)
There is a small tail like structure on top of the remaining root.
Is this normal?
? I thougt my first message dissapeared.
Sorry for saying the same 2 times
But now you have a good description of how it looks like.
Dear Carl,
I am sorry to hear about your durian distress, unfortunately growing these seeds aren’t as easy as we’d like them to be and it is quite challenging to get the environment right amongst all the other considerations about the viability of the seeds themselves. I was wondering if you have checked out Linda’s durian growing experience and whether it is similar? You can find her post and experience at this link.
When you refer to the “nut” falling off, I suppose from your last comment that you didn’t see any leaves at the tip of your “goedendag”? If there are no baby leaves visible then how about new shoots coming off the sides of the brown stem? If you see some greeny brown stubs coming off the side then perhaps that could be a sign of future activity.
I am going to post a picture of the nut which fell off my plant in a new posting, so please tell me if your nut resembles mine! I would also like to suggest that you take some photos of your durian seedling (and the time points) and let’s have a look at whether its as bad as or better than Linda’s experience.
Stinky sincerely,
Saritaone
Hello again, I think something terrible happened.
The nut fell off. I think it was way too early. Now there is only a small pointy saucige coming out of the thick root.
Now it resembles a “goedendag” sticking out of the dirt. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goedendag) But only the upper point is smaller.
Is this normal?
Sounds great! I’ll be travelling for work this week and back only next weekend so it’ll be 2 weeks til I’m back in contact again…