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Ruby Salt Bush Barrier Saltbush Enchylaena Tomentosa Seeds
Packet of 10+ whole dried fruit containing seeds!
I have found that the seeds store better and germinate much more reliably when dried whole like this.
All you do to germinate them is soak the fruit overnight then rub the thin layer of fruit off before planting shallowly in a sandy well draining soil mix.
The soil mix must be free draining and you have to make sure you get all the fruit off or you may get fungal attack as the remaining fruit breaks down in the soil.
But do that and firmly cross your fingers, should be cool.
For me here they are all popping up by around the ~5week mark.
This fella is found in every state of Australia and once established it handles a huge range of soils even surviving the poorest soils of coastal and desert salt pans.
Handles anything from -5c to 45c and hardy is an understatement!
It also looks super cool with the shiny red berries and slightly furry leaves.
The fruit are edible and I have seen them described as all sorts of nonsense including “very sweet and juicy like tropical fruit”.
I’m very happy to dispute that saying that to me they taste like very weak piss.
Maybe warm watery gatorade/powerade/sports drink if you’re feeling especially generous, but not “sweet” and not at all like a “tropical fruit”.
Don’t get me wrong, the taste isn’t offensive and I do eat a lot of them, just taste wise there isn’t really anything worth mentioning apart from a mild saltiness.
The leaves are ok cooked up with a bit of garlic or fried then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, but they aren’t amazing either.
Dried and used as a rub on roasted meat and vegies is a bit better, but even so..
Lets just be honest about it.
The best bits of this guy are its hardiness and its beauty, and I personally reckon that’s plenty.
They hold the soil and provide food and habitat for the critters and they really look nice.
It is way hardier and heaps prettier than a heck of a lot of other more common ornamental plants, it’s native to huge areas of Australia, so yeah, buy a couple packs and grow some yourself!
Grown by me and the Mrs organically, no chems no nasties no problems!!!
