MAGICAL MANUKA

Honey bees love manuka flowers. On a warm spring day you’ll see them busy collecting the nectar, which they turn into world-famous honey. Manuka trees have another important job. They’re called ‘colonisers’: when their seed lands on bare soil, they grow really fast, making shade and shelter so that bigger, slower growing trees can start to grow. Manuka seed is tiny - like dust. Place the seed capsules in a paper bag in a warm dry place until the seed is released. Then sift out the seed and sprinkle it over a tray of seed raising mix. Tiny seedlings will appear in one to four weeks depending on the temperature.