Nine-pin Heath

Erica mammosa

Scientific name

This erica or heath is a robust erect log lived shrub with a wide range of tubular flower colours from oranges, reds and purples to cream, white and pinks, which are pollinated by sunbirds. Plant with proteas, buchus, bulbs, daisies and ericas of different flowering times for year-round flowering.

Propagation instructions

By seed

Seeds can be harvested when they start to fall out of the flowers naturally. To harvest, cut off the older flowers before they shed their seeds, dry them, and extract the seeds by rubbing the dried flowers against a rough surface; clean them using graduated sieves. Sow seeds in autumn (April to May) into a tray not less than 100 mm deep. The sowing medium should be well drained and acidic, levelled and firmed down. Seeds should be sown evenly to prevent damping off and fungal diseases. This can be achieved by mixing the seeds with fine sand before sowing. Seeds can be smoke treated before or after sowing. To ensure maximum germination, night and day temperature fluctuation should be approx. 8-10°C (16 hours of night) and 15-25°C (8 hours of day), the same as those that occur in the Western Cape during autumn.

By cutting

Cuttings are easiest. Take semi-hardwood tip or heel cuttings of 5 cm in Feb to April, treat with rooting hormone, place in half crushed pine bark half sand/polystyrene at about 23 degrees Celcius. Harvests seeds when naturally falling out, but cut flowers before they fall and rub out seeds when dry. Sow seeds evenly (mix in fine sand beforehand) in patted down sand in autumn Smoke treat before or after sowing.