Bramble Wattle - Growing Wattle Plant (Acacia victoriae)
Wattleseed is an ancient grain source used by Australia's First Nations Peoples for thousands of years. High in protein, iron, zinc and magnesium, the Bramble Wattle has a low GI index and once roasted has a toasted hazelnut, coffee, chocolatey flavour (minus the sweetness).
The Bramble Wattle is a prickly wattle species and has small thorns covering the plant, making it a perfect defence against some furry predators.
You can expect seed within the first 3-5 years. It is tolerant to extended drought and frost conditions, saline soils, and grows well in inland and coastal locations.
It is covered in small thorns over the entire plant, so keep that in mind if you have animals or children.
Image from Melbourne Bushfood
Good for:
- Beginners
- Garden
- drought
Water
Moderate
Sunlight
Part shade/Full Sun
Size
2m high
Planting
Planting Wattleseed
Suited for arid and semi-arid warm temperate to tropical regions of Australia, Wattleseed will grow comfortably in between 12°C to 32°C daytime temperatures.
Whilst it is known to accommodate stretches of 5°C to 38°C, mature trees will not take -10°C and below. We recommend growing younger trees above 0°C, otherwise, it’s best to protect them. Naturally, the plant prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 300 - 800mm, but tolerates 100 - 1,000mm. Mature plants are notoriously drought tolerant.
Wattleseed will do well in part-shade but prefers full sun. Easy to maintain, Wattleseed will grow well in moist soils even tolerating saline soils and a pH of 6 -7.5.
A fast growing tree, it will give you a steady supply of Wattleseed for 10-15 years! To put into perspective, that’s 15 years of around 26% protein, 26% available carbohydrate, 32% fibre and 9% fat. The energy content derived from Wattleseed is higher than most legumes, averaging 1480 ±270 kJ per 100g.
A low glycaemic index food, it produces a small, but sustained rise in blood glucose and so delaying the onset of exhaustion in prolonged exercise. I digress-- but did I mention the subtle coffee-chocolate flavour, delightful in hot or cold beverages, baked goods and raw food recipes from roasted Wattleseed?
Maintenance
Watering
Water young trees more regularly as mature trees will grow with natural rainfall just fine. They're drought hardy, tough as nuts! They don't mind a good drink during Summer peaks though, as we all do.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing is not mandatory, but if you prefer--then use a regulated amount of amount of blood and bone or a low-phosphorus native plant food.
Harvesting
It’s easy to harvest Acacia victoriae. The pods are held towards the end of the branches and once fully mature, a gust of wind is sufficient to remove them. The pods may open on the branches or after shedding with the seeds still attached by the funicle. Simply collect the pods by manually shaking or gently beating the branches and picking them off the ground.
With minimal mechanical processing, the seeds will easily separate from the pods. P.S don’t try to crack the seeds with your teeth, they’re hard enough to damage your enamel!
To propagate, you’ll need to get past the nut-hard seed coat notorious for this genus. By pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds, (be careful not to cook them though!) and soaking them in lukewarm water for half a day, your Wattleseed will have swollen and the seed coat will no longer be a challenge.
Mature seeds, if properly stored, can last for 5-10 years and still be viable for propagation. Fancy growing a couple? You’re literally one click away.
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