There are numerous types of oleander and new ones are always coming onto the market. You can choose the most beautiful ones from this large selection - or embark on the "plant breeding" adventure yourself. It's actually not that complicated, because all you need are at least two different oleander bushes.
Young oleanders need more care
Properly fertilize oleander flowers
Oleander flowers are hermaphrodite, i. H. both female and male, which is why any oleander is suitable for breeding. In fact, it is even sufficient to pollinate the flowers of one plant among themselves, but foreign genetic material from a second increases firstly the fertilization rates and secondly the varieties that emerge from the seed. So take at least two oleander bushes with as many flower buds as possible. Watch these closely because as soon as they open, grab a fine brush and transfer the pollen from the flowers of one plant to the other and vice versa. Professional growers still wrap the hand-pollinated buds to prevent them from being accidentally cross-pollinated by insects. However, this measure is not necessary in the hobby area.
Ripe pods and collect seeds
It is only after flowering that you can see whether your efforts have been successful: if the oleanders develop oblong fruits, there is a high probability that the pollination worked. Now, however, comes the difficult part, because in our climate the pods often do not ripen, which is why the seeds they contain are not suitable for sowing. So make sure that the oleander fruits can ripen, for example by placing them in the warm and bright winter garden in the cooler autumn. If you don't have one, the living room does too. However, it is important that it is not only warm there, but also bright - the light streaming in through the window is not enough in autumn, so it makes sense to install plant lamps. Once the pods are mature, you can collect the seeds and sow them immediately. Ripe oleander fruits are brown, look dried out and eventually burst open on their own.
Sow oleander seeds
First let the collected seeds soak in lukewarm water for about 24 hours. Only then do they sow on nutrient-poor potting soil, whereby the seeds should either not be covered at all or only very thinly with sieved soil. Keep the substrate slightly moist and ensure that the growing tray is in a light and warm place. A cover or indoor greenhouse increases the chances that the seeds will actually germinate.
tips
However, you will only find out after three years at the earliest whether you have actually bred new varieties and what the concrete results of your experiments are: that is when the young oleander plants will flower for the first time.