The Gardeners Thread
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Bluetongue1
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Kathy, Magnolias are mainly white in colour and the flowers are huge and spaced out on the plant. For trees which are virtually covered in flowers, here’s a few that come to mind… Pink, red or purple flowered trees are possibly Crepe Mrytle or Oleander. Yellow flowered could be any of a number – Cassia fistula (Golden Showers), Laburnum, Senna, Tipuana etc. Don’t know if that helps. Maybe Google a few and have a look.
Cathy, I had a pineapple pant grown from a top for years but eventually gave it away. Apparently they use hormones as well as fertiliser to get them growing and fruiting. They produce more than one fruit but it seems that after 3 to 5 the quality drops off significantly. They do not like wet feet – so if planting them out, plant in full sun in well drained soil such as sandy soil.
Justdragons, Mangoes grow readily from seed. I have a seed grown tree in the back yard that has produced 22 fruits in a season. Very yummy. They do need fertilising and regular water from spring through summer if you want a decent crop. To propagate, use the seed of a mango that was good to eat. The main season in Australia provides mostly Kensington Pride (also called Bowen Special) which will do well in a cooler climate comparedto most of the other varieties. Mangoes are poly-embryonic so it is not unusual to get 6 or 7 plants come up from one seed. Use only the strongest seedlings and ditch any runts.
Squeeze the seed through your hands under water or running water, to remove as much remaining pulp as you can. Allow to dry thoroughly out of direct sunlight (a day or so). Use a pair of secateurs to trim along the outer crescent shaped edge – about 2 mm in will do it. Carefully prize the seed covering open being careful not to disturb the embryos inside. Remove the embryos, which will have a ‘papery’ cover with an attachment to the font of the crescent. Place on its side about 2 cm deep in seed raising mix and treat as per any other seed propagation. No fertiliser at this stage. Once seedlings reach the 10 cm to 15cm stage, separate them and pot separately. Once they show signs of new growth, then you can give them a bit of fertiliser. I use slow release myself (Macracote – its Aussie made).
Caliherp, Tillandsia from seed… amazing! I must say that I did think it was an odd looking pineapple, with its thick, narrow, glaucous leaves.
Jason.s, Getting a Sarracena to flower… awesome! I cannot get over how orchid-like the flower is.
Blue
Cathy, I had a pineapple pant grown from a top for years but eventually gave it away. Apparently they use hormones as well as fertiliser to get them growing and fruiting. They produce more than one fruit but it seems that after 3 to 5 the quality drops off significantly. They do not like wet feet – so if planting them out, plant in full sun in well drained soil such as sandy soil.
Justdragons, Mangoes grow readily from seed. I have a seed grown tree in the back yard that has produced 22 fruits in a season. Very yummy. They do need fertilising and regular water from spring through summer if you want a decent crop. To propagate, use the seed of a mango that was good to eat. The main season in Australia provides mostly Kensington Pride (also called Bowen Special) which will do well in a cooler climate comparedto most of the other varieties. Mangoes are poly-embryonic so it is not unusual to get 6 or 7 plants come up from one seed. Use only the strongest seedlings and ditch any runts.
Squeeze the seed through your hands under water or running water, to remove as much remaining pulp as you can. Allow to dry thoroughly out of direct sunlight (a day or so). Use a pair of secateurs to trim along the outer crescent shaped edge – about 2 mm in will do it. Carefully prize the seed covering open being careful not to disturb the embryos inside. Remove the embryos, which will have a ‘papery’ cover with an attachment to the font of the crescent. Place on its side about 2 cm deep in seed raising mix and treat as per any other seed propagation. No fertiliser at this stage. Once seedlings reach the 10 cm to 15cm stage, separate them and pot separately. Once they show signs of new growth, then you can give them a bit of fertiliser. I use slow release myself (Macracote – its Aussie made).
Caliherp, Tillandsia from seed… amazing! I must say that I did think it was an odd looking pineapple, with its thick, narrow, glaucous leaves.
Jason.s, Getting a Sarracena to flower… awesome! I cannot get over how orchid-like the flower is.
Blue
caliherp
Well-Known Member
Thanks blue. It was harder then I thought. lol you dident see the wood under the plant? I would love to see an epiphyte pineapple.
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Jason I used to have a handfull of pitchers, never once did they flower for me. Well done.
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Alrite I couldent resist. I have good faith Mr. Smithers will bless us with some photos.Brett I refuse to post any more pictures until you post some more pictures.Bro you have a INCREDIBLE!!!! garden and some amazeingly grown plants. I for one And im shure all of us would like to see individual photos of some plants in your garden. Bro dont make me beg.
Tillandsia bulbosa-Guatemalan form
Tillandsia bulbosa-Guatemalan form seed pods.
Ill update you guys and girl on how it goes in 8 or so years.
Hopefully ill get some nice specimens out of them. wish me luck.p.s These are the last two. I have ALOT more waiting on photobucket to be posted. So smithers do us prouad.
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caliherp
Well-Known Member
I couldent help myself.
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mysnakesau
Almost Legendary
One of my newly acquired orchids is flowering. I don't know what it is, no label attached. But its beautiful. I know that much.
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borntobnude
Guest
Nice ,Its a Cattleya of some sort .There are a million x's to choose from .
caliherp
Well-Known Member
This plant is a flowering machine. Every night the flower closes up, and reopen mid afternoon the next day. Another flower stalk is growing now.
New Tillandsia bloom.
New Tillandsia bloom.
cathy1986
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This plant is a flowering machine. Every night the flower closes up, and reopen mid afternoon the next day. Another flower stalk is growing now.
New Tillandsia bloom.
lovely photos great colours
Cathy
caliherp
Well-Known Member
Bump. I have the day off today so I figured I would bust out my camra and take a few pictures.
The second flower has opend up. I think it ruined the growth point though.
I can't remember if I posted these plants or not, but they were looking good.
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And a couple more.
The second flower has opend up. I think it ruined the growth point though.
I can't remember if I posted these plants or not, but they were looking good.
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And a couple more.
Smithers
Very Well-Known Member
Love the purple on the brom Patrick and the 3rd last image nice plant.
Here a couple of my latest
Knophofia uvaria
View attachment 271127View attachment 271126
Epiphylluym 1st flower
View attachment 271128
Wild something or other down the river.
View attachment 271129
And some from this yrs Floriade here in Canberra
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Here a couple of my latest
Knophofia uvaria
View attachment 271127View attachment 271126
Epiphylluym 1st flower
View attachment 271128
Wild something or other down the river.
View attachment 271129
And some from this yrs Floriade here in Canberra
View attachment 271139View attachment 271140View attachment 271141View attachment 271142View attachment 271145View attachment 271146View attachment 271147View attachment 271148View attachment 271149View attachment 271150View attachment 271151View attachment 271152View attachment 271138View attachment 271137View attachment 271130View attachment 271131View attachment 271132View attachment 271133View attachment 271134View attachment 271135View attachment 271136View attachment 271153
caliherp
Well-Known Member
Nice shots Brett. I'm really liking that huge caudex on that Adenium? That Bonsai is nice to. Thanks for the complement about my brom. The cold weather brings out the colors in my Neo's really well.
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Smithers
Very Well-Known Member
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slim6y
Almost Legendary
Incredible flowers - WOW!!!
I grew a whole bunch of these at one stage and had a great array of colours (mostly red actually) - flowers the size of dinner plates. I might steel some cuttings from my bro when I visit this year. I have a perfect spot for them here!!!
I grew a whole bunch of these at one stage and had a great array of colours (mostly red actually) - flowers the size of dinner plates. I might steel some cuttings from my bro when I visit this year. I have a perfect spot for them here!!!
fourexes
Well-Known Member
does anyone here know what makes a 'blackboy' grass tree send up spears? I've got a fairly mature one here and I really want it to spear up but it hasn't though some small ones the outlaws bought from a nursery speared a few months back.
Love the succulents, I'll get some pics together of mine when I learn to take photos as good as half the people here lol
Love the succulents, I'll get some pics together of mine when I learn to take photos as good as half the people here
lolYou can try liquid pot ash that helps most plants come into flower, some people think you have to burn them but i've seen them flower with out being burnt normaly plants flower when they are stressed, the pot ash normaly works well you can get it from most garden centers, we used to use it in the nusery, but don't use it to much or it will harm the plant once a season should be plenty.does anyone here know what makes a 'blackboy' grass tree send up spears? I've got a fairly mature one here and I really want it to spear up but it hasn't though some small ones the outlaws bought from a nursery speared a few months back.
Love the succulents, I'll get some pics together of mine when I learn to take photos as good as half the people here
slim6y
Almost Legendary
Jason, plants don't 'normally' flower when stressed. There's a multitude of reasons for a plant to set flower, although stress is one of them, it is possibly way down the list.
Wikipedia does suggest "Flowering can be stimulated by bushfire, in which case it occurs in the next flowering period after the fire."
Although Tasmanian, this .pdf suggests exactly the same on page 4 http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/internnsf/Attachments/LJEM-7CV7E5/$FILE/Xanthorrhoea%20australis%20Notesheet.pdf
But more garden friendly than setting a fire (also on page 4 of the same document):
"Cutting off the leaves produces similar results to fire, as this also initiates flowering. Application of ethylene, which is present in smoke, has a similar effect, indicating that flowering is stimulated via a hormonal response to the removal of leaves."
Otherwise it appears flowering could be considered 'sporadic'.
Hope that helps some...
(admittedly I know little about this species - but Brett will know, won't he???)
PS - want to get some cheap ethylene? I believe, but you may want to check this yourself, ripening bananas produce ethylene. In fact, from what I gather, banana producers may pick under-ripe bananas for export and then when the bananas arrive at their destination they're ripened with ethylene (usually from petroleum products most likely). The ripening bananas themselves produce ethylene too... Silly idea, but worth an experiment.... Ripen a kg or so of bananas near your Xanthorrhoea... I'd like to know if the results are positive
Wikipedia does suggest "Flowering can be stimulated by bushfire, in which case it occurs in the next flowering period after the fire."
Although Tasmanian, this .pdf suggests exactly the same on page 4 http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/internnsf/Attachments/LJEM-7CV7E5/$FILE/Xanthorrhoea%20australis%20Notesheet.pdf
But more garden friendly than setting a fire (also on page 4 of the same document):
"Cutting off the leaves produces similar results to fire, as this also initiates flowering. Application of ethylene, which is present in smoke, has a similar effect, indicating that flowering is stimulated via a hormonal response to the removal of leaves."
Otherwise it appears flowering could be considered 'sporadic'.
Hope that helps some...
(admittedly I know little about this species - but Brett will know, won't he???)
PS - want to get some cheap ethylene? I believe, but you may want to check this yourself, ripening bananas produce ethylene. In fact, from what I gather, banana producers may pick under-ripe bananas for export and then when the bananas arrive at their destination they're ripened with ethylene (usually from petroleum products most likely). The ripening bananas themselves produce ethylene too... Silly idea, but worth an experiment.... Ripen a kg or so of bananas near your Xanthorrhoea... I'd like to know if the results are positive
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Thanks for the info slim6y, i to would like to know how the bananas would go it seems logical, i was going to say you could cut the bottom leaves off to but forgot the potash used to work for us at the nursery i guess it might simulate a bushfire as you normaly see them flowering after one but i have just seen them randomly flowering as well, i have seen people with fruit trees twist wire around the trunk to stimulate fruit as it stresses them so i do beleve in it, not trying to be smart but when a bushfire burns a plant it dose stress it and it wants to reproduse to make sure of future plants, corect me if i'm wrong, otherwise we will have to wait for Bretts input.
slim6y
Almost Legendary
You're not being a smart *** Jason... You're correct about stress... I was just making the change about the word normally (ie plants don't flower normally because of stress, it's just one of the reasons)
Potash - you don't always need to buy it... Empty the contents of your fireplace (if you have one), the brazier, the ol' charcoal bbq... All these are ideal, if not better.
Plenty of options for you fourexes... Including something experimental
Potash - you don't always need to buy it... Empty the contents of your fireplace (if you have one), the brazier, the ol' charcoal bbq... All these are ideal, if not better.
Plenty of options for you fourexes... Including something experimental
Thanks mate, the liquid potash is just a cleaner and more user frendly way i thought, would still like to see if the bananas work though, and i'd like to see what brett has to say it's good to learn something new and i like to see what other people have to say.
Hope to see photos of your flowering Grass Tree fourexes and i hope we have helped you solve your problem.
Hope to see photos of your flowering Grass Tree fourexes and i hope we have helped you solve your problem.
slim6y
Almost Legendary
At JCU (Cairns) they have blackboys flowering all year long.... Perhaps give them a call, talk to the caretakers there and see what their secret is.... Because I certainly have not seen a fire at JCU in the years I was there
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