What did you plant today (other plants)?

[NanaNut2]

Today I transplanted my Tacca and my dracaena goldieana. Nice plump roots on both of them!! I used a one to one ratio each of Miracle Grow's Cactus Citrus and Palm mix, and Perlite.

[mskitty38583]

i planted a 4 ft. cherry bush i dug up out of my moms yard this morning.. my dad ordered it from starks bros. about 3 yrs ago. the roots were massive. and i planted 10 date palm seeds.( thanks cookiecow). i used an 18 inch long planter, and covered it with plastic wrap and secured it with a rubber band to have a little gh for them.

[bencelest]

many flowering annual plants in between those bananas at my pergola plat as per orders from my dear wife.

[Richard]

many flowering annual plants in between those bananas at my pergola plat as per orders from my dear wife.

Hey, when those annuals are spent replace them with summer and winter clover! The roots are less agressive than the evergreen variety, and fix nitrogen in the soil!

:woohoonaner:

[harveyc]

Hey, when those annuals are spent replace them with summer and winter clover! The roots are less agressive than the evergreen variety, and fix nitrogen in the soil!

:woohoonaner:

And may bring you lots of company as gophers love them! ;)

[bencelest]

And may bring you lots of company as gophers love them! ;)
Harvey, I don't worry about gophers. The last gopher I had was3 years ago but I think I drowned it for I really use my hose and let it run all the time until my soil was flooded. I never saw anymore new mound after that. I was expecting it to come out of one of their holes about 4 different places but I never saw it .

Richard please tell me more about these summer and winter clover. That's what I need to put more nitrogen in the soil for my new plat. Will peanuts will do also?

You are a good maestro.

[Richard]

It's not so much that clover puts nitrogen into the soil but instead makes it more readily available. All true legumes do this. An old, maybe ancient farming practice is to grow alfalfa (another legume) in your fallow field and then after a year till (or after the snow melt) till it under. Before you go sowing alfalfa, keep in mind it has a powerful tap root and root system in general.

But I use alfalfa on a small scale. When developing my vegetable beds, I sowed alfalfa seed and watered it semi-regularly. After 9 months I weed-whipped it down, got out the rototiller and tilled it in. I'm about to do this again in a 10 x 10 ft area of the front yard.

I have also noticed that rabbits love alfalfa. I observed that they would eat their fill and then fall into a sophoric sleep in the shade. So I ran a soaker hose along the chain-link fence on the perimeter of my property and sowed alfalfa seed so it would grow on the outside of the fence -- in my neighbors' unattended back yards. The rabbits came, ate their fill and fell asleep right there! Of course times change, and now I have new neighbors who are plowing their yards for other adventures. So now I'm on plan B, burying 1 x 1 ft paving stones vertically 6" deep so that rabbits won't dig under my fence.

If you decide to grow alfalfa, then buy the seed from a feed store in your county. There are hybrids of it available for every climate. Don't use the seed sold at the vitamin store or whatever for alfalfa sprouts. It's a different breed.

[harveyc]

Today I finished planting the remainder of my pomegranate trial, eight trees each of:

Wonderful, Parfianka, Sin Pepe, Gissarskii Rosovyi, Sirinevyi, Vkusnyi, Azadi, Medovyi Vahsha, Desertnyi, and Sakerdze. All of these except Wonderful and Sin Pepe came to the USA from Turkmenistan in the 1990s and are not widely grown. I also planted seedling trees of Mridula and Ganesh (from India) and Mollar (from Spain) and one tree budded to Cranberry, a tree of unknown origin.

It will be a small challenge at harvest time when these trees start producing as each tree of a particular cultivar are randomly located throughout the plot of 4 rows and 22 trees in each row (plus "guard trees" at the end which are not an official part of the trial). I'll process some of my photos and have them up on my pomegranate web site when I get a chance.

Harvey

[Richard]

Harvey, that was a lot of work. Congratulations. Your location should be great for pomegranates in terms of heat units and subtropical winters. Any particular reason you didn't include White Flower?

[harveyc]

Richard, I don't remember if I've tasted White or am just remembering comments made to me by others, but I believe it's been considered somewhat insipid. I did plant one tree of White last year but it never grew for me and I didn't bother to take it back to the nursery for replacement. It wasn't a cultivar recommended for the trial by the repository's pomegranate manager which was then narrowed down by the curator who then left me with the final choices of narrow it down.

Different ethnic groups have various taste preferences, though. I believe many Asian and Indian groups prefer the sweet types. Turkmenistan had 1,117 accessions in the collection at Garygala (sp?) and they sent 40 or so of the best to Davis so they seem to be a good source to be picking from.

[Richard]

Harvey, your memory is pretty good. I had to go look it up. From p. 26 of the Sept. 2006 Fruit Gardener, Barbara Baer writes:
"Dr. Gregory Levin had sent Davis 60 varieties [from Garrygala], 30 for taste, color and seeds, 30 for diversity".

Then, on p. 29 of the Jan. 2007 Fruit Gardener, Barbara Baer writes about the Fifth Annual Wolfskill Pomegranate Tasting:
"Perhaps the most magical experience happened to a first-time taster from Ft. Bragg who had brought his young daughter named Eden. They lingered to the last and had a picnic in the orchard, savoring the single sweet-as-crystallized-sugar 'White Flower' that has stayed on the tree".

Well, that latter piece caught my interest and stuck in my memory when I placed my cutting order. :)

[harveyc]

Yeah, BB writes with pretty flowery words and I have teased her about that. I think she can make a sweaty dusty farmer sound like a fun time. lol

Based on the ones I tasted last November these are cuttings I got the other day to root. Not part of my formal trial, but something I want to try. I may just graft some of the trees I planted last year with some of them:

Cranberry, Kazake, Palermo, Ink, Balegal

BB has another article on pomegranates coming out in the next issue, I believe.

[harveyc]

FYI, here are photos I took last October of many of the Turkmen cultivars:
Purely Pomegranates (http://www.purelypoms.com/PhotoIndex.htm)

Fruit size, etc. shown on these pages is not very meaningful because (1) these trees at the repository are not managed for fruit production and (2) this fruit was collected after much of the fruit was already picked.

[Richard]

Harvey, did you try Vishnevyi ?

[harveyc]

I did taste it back last October when I had the fruit for those photos but don't remember the details. I was up all night from something like 9:30pm until 6am extracting seeds to send to a friend who is working with Dr. Levin in Israel. Much of the time I was chatting with him on Messenger and had hoped I could go back and read my comments about the cultivars but my computer froze up and the chat session was not archived and my friend did not have his Messenger set up to archive chat discussions. I was really disappointed about that. I remember not liking 2 or 3 at all but I pretty much liked all of the others.

[Richard]

Ray, my close friend and neighbor of 7 years moved about 15 miles north of here to a new home that he completed a few months ago. Today I potted up some berry plant root suckers for his new orchard:

4 "bababerry" raspberries
4 youngberries
4 "black satin" blackberries

:woohoonaner:

[Lilith]

Variegated Monstera
Philodendron Quercifolium
Philodendron Royal Queen

[mskitty38583]

yesterday i started rooting 2 monstera. today i planted a root cutting of a babaco.

[microfarmer]

Hop bines (Humulus Lupulus) :bananas_b

2 each of...

Centennial
Chinook
Glacier
Goldings
Horizon
Liberty
Mt. Hood
Nugget
Santiam
Sterling
Willamette

4 each of Cascade

[AnnaJW]

I planted Bi-colored corn and Pearly white corn.
I'm sure my HOA loving neighbors will be happy when they see corn stalks. :bananajoy:

[lorax]

Mora de castille (Spanish blackberries)
Zarzamora (Ecuadoran blackberries)


Why wouldn't your neigbors want to see corn? The people who live behind me turned their yards into cornfields and it was so cool to watch it all grow up and mature. Plus now I can trade them for ripe cobs!

[microfarmer]

I grew up in a corn state (Illinois) and I miss it. I planted it in my microfarm and I loved it! My DW hated it, though, and never wants me to plant it again (even though all she does in the garden is look around).

Guess what? I got some 'Candy Corn' for the back fence. I just hope 'Pete' (the horse) leaves it alone.:ha:

Mora de castille (Spanish blackberries)
Zarzamora (Ecuadoran blackberries)


I keep trying to kill the blackberries travelling from the neighbor's yard.

[Richard]

... I keep trying to kill the blackberries travelling from the neighbor's yard.


Get some concentrated Glyphosate (40% to 50%), sold inexpensively as "Remuda" or expensively as "Roundup". Some Ag stores also sell it by the metal drum.

1. Paint the blackberry vines (or poison oak, ivy vines) with it, but
2. Put down a rag or drop cloth so it doesn't drip on the ground.

Give it a few weeks to take full effect.

[microfarmer]

Thanks Richard. I've used the expensive kind called Roundup poison ivy and tough brush killer. I gotta say, it works well...even on my roses
:0493:

I'll look for the Remuda.

[magicgreen]

Ensete Maurelli, and more castor beans

[mskitty38583]

where did you get castor beans??? inquiring mind wants to know....

[magicgreen]

Hi Mskitty!!:2208:
I got them from jurassicdaryl when I went to his house to get all those Dwarf Cavendish he gave me.
His castor beans were HUGE!!! I started some, and all germinated. He also gave me EE bulbs.

[mskitty38583]

im so glad to hear they all germinated. its exciting!!!! and wow, thats awesome about the dc's. post pics if you can, id love to see them.

[magicgreen]

With my new camera I plan too! Just want everything planted and looking pretty!

[lorax]

I keep trying to kill the blackberries travelling from the neighbor's yard.

They're actually considered a threatening and noxious weed on the Galapagos, but in Quito they're actually fairly easy to control. Good thing I live far far away from the islands.

And today I planted out some other "invasive" natives -
Lantana camara and L. trifoliata
Oxalis tuberosum (oka)
Portulaca

Death to the lawn! Give me garden any day. :2791:

[mskitty38583]

lorax....the more you mulch...the less you mow. thats my story and im sticking to it!

[harveyc]

Thanks Richard. I've used the expensive kind called Roundup poison ivy and tough brush killer. I gotta say, it works well...even on my roses
:0493:

I'll look for the Remuda.

Some of the "brush killer" sprays you can buy in the retail stores is the same thing as the Garlon which us farmers can buy, just less concentrated and a lot more expensive per ounce. Garlon works very well kiling blackberries (we have problems with them growing wild along our drainage ditch banks). I will pretty much spray them anytime I find the time but my brother was reminding me the other day that they are more easily killed in the fall.

One thing that works well with many hard-to-kill things is to cut the plant down low and then brush undiluted spray concentrate (I've mixed Garlon and Roundup) right onto the fresh wound for it to be drawn into the plant before the wound is healed over with sap.

Good luck!

Harvey

[lorax]

lorax....the more you mulch...the less you mow. thats my story and im sticking to it!

Who mows? I borrow a goat. :2623:

[Richard]

This morning I planted out in the garden 3 tomato plants grown from seed:
Azoychka
Palla di Fuoco
Persimmon

:woohoonaner:

[mskitty38583]

my house is grandfathered for codes and stuff like that. i called the codes guy and asked if i could get a goat( being that i live in town) and he said sure, i just have to keep it 150 ft. from my house. well...150 ft is on the other side of my fence. so unfortunately the goat is out. and the fact i dont know how my dogs would take to a new "dog" in the yard. lol. wednesday i planted cannas, tropical ee's( under protection) and a "hardy" ee's.

[Dean W.]

Wow, I planted tomatoes, squash, repotted my Shibatea chineisis (bamboo), and will work on palm seeds later.

Dean

[Richard]

Way to go, Dean!

Mskitty: some dog breeders keep one goat in the yard to "train" young hunting and work dogs. Basically, the goat won't put up with any puppy nonsense and the puppy learns quickly to leave 4-footed animals that smell like that alone.

[lorax]

Wow, Ecuador's definitely different; people here keep milch cows just up the street, and I live just off a freeway in the middle of a big city. My next door neighbors, the ones with the corn, keep chickens and rabbits and cuyes (guinea pigs) and it all just sort of runs wild except the bunnies. Roosters wake me in the morning.

Today I planted sweet corn and repotted some volunteer sanseverias.

[mskitty38583]

after the storm yesterday i planted 3 cannas, 3 hostas(called fried banana),and a yucca pup. today i have to mulch it all in.

[Richard]

after the storm yesterday i planted 3 cannas, 3 hostas(called fried banana),and a yucca pup. today i have to mulch it all in.

Oh my, you're busy!

[mskitty38583]

i would rather be in my yard planting things and playing in the dirt then be cooped up in the house. i hate being in the house thats why i hate winter. as long as my yard looks nice, i dont even care how the inside looks. that is horrible to say but its the truth. if i put a hammock outside id never go in the house. lol!

[island cassie]

Potted up about 15 rooted small flowered rose cuttings - the hybrid teas won't grow here but the little floribunda types do well in the sun.

Cassie

[lorax]

I'm potting up some hybrid teas, myself.

[island cassie]

Hey Lorax - how high above sea level are you? We are too humid for the HT roses but the little ones do fine.

Cassie

[mskitty38583]

15 yellow neck squash seeds. 18 iroquois melon seeds( thanks deb). and an angle wing begonia. have castor bean seeds soaking( thanks lynn). and blue corn flower seeds( thanks sandy)

[lorax]

Hey Lorax - how high above sea level are you? We are too humid for the HT roses but the little ones do fine.

Cassie

About 2800 meters (about 10,000 feet) - I'm in the paradoxically named high-altitude humid semidesert. It hovers around 75% unless it's raining, as it does at some point just about daily. I blame the volcano. This said, the soils are basically volcanic sand (super-drainage) and when the sun comes out we push 30 degrees C. I have a little pop-over "greenhouse" to shade my roses so they don't burn when the sun comes out.

You might not know this, but Ecuador is one of the world's largest growers of HT (ie florist's) roses for export. The really big operations are just 30 minutes to an hour north of me. This means, among other things, that I can buy 2 dozen longstems of amazing colour and variety for $2 US. I do this weekly. Today's roses are lime green with pink lips, and I'll be taking a sample to culture from because they're so very unusual.

[mskitty38583]

i love ht, but i find the more of a hybrid it is the more bugs love them. so i try to stick with the oldfashion roses. like the cabbage roses. my mom has some oldfashion ones i might have to snip to get some going. rose wrangling in my moms yard. wahoo.

[southlatropical]

These were not all planted today, but over the last few weeks. I was out with the camera and snapped some pictures.

Chamaedorea microspadix (hardy bamboo palm)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9168&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9168&ppuser=973)

Giant Red Crinum
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9166&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9166&ppuser=973)

I nearly fell out when I found a nice size Tasmanian Tree Ferns at HD.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9167&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9167&ppuser=973)

[Richard]

... Today's roses are lime green with pink lips, and I'll be taking a sample to culture from because they're so very unusual ...


This is usually done by treating the roots with hormone or dye, so if the plants you propagate continue to show this feature it would be stupendous!

:woohoonaner:

[Cazieman]

i planted my cannas and sewed coleus seeds

[damaclese]

well lets see iv been building are new back patio so iv planted allot one Williams banana. desert guava, Bougainvillea 3 deferent variates of passion flower one of which fruits and 2 Camellia, 2 rose trees 4 lavenders and a flat of marigolds thats all i can plant for now as its April and the heat is coming so any thing els isn't likely to make it but in the fall iv got allot more to plant living in the Desired is an exercises in patients

[mskitty38583]

where are you located?

[kimarj]

passiflora incense and incarnata
brown turkey fig
swet peas

[damaclese]

where are you located?

Las Vegas Baby! heheh well its home for now any way looking to relocate to Palm Springs when i retire witch as far as I'm concerned is way to far away

[Richard]

passiflora incense and incarnata
brown turkey fig
swet peas

:woohoonaner:

[damaclese]

passiflora incense and incarnata
brown turkey fig
swet peas

lavender lady ornamental
ruby glow fruiting not sure it looks like its setting fruit
and one that doesn't have the common name
passiflora alatocaerulea witch i think is still to young to fruit
also u mentioned figs i have two
Black Jack dwarf 2 years old not fruiting yet but I'm hoping
and dwarf Italian Honey fig only 2 moths old years to go!
You cant go wrong with the old reliable Turkey fig but i don't have room for it
have u tryd a mission fig another old perennial favorite

[mskitty38583]

Las Vegas Baby! heheh well its home for now any way looking to relocate to Palm Springs when i retire witch as far as I'm concerned is way to far away


so what happens in vegas stays in vegas? im sorry i could not resist that one. been wanting to use that for a while. lol.

[mskitty38583]

castor bean seeds( thanks lynn) started cuttings for bat wing begonia.(some in dirt and some in water) potted up som tx. mt. laurel(thanks fernie)for a friend, and potted up some canna(thanks fernie) for a friend.

[damaclese]

so what happens in vegas stays in vegas? im sorry i could not resist that one. been wanting to use that for a while. lol.
mskitty You did not realy say that!

[damaclese]

OK i took a risk after saying it was to late to plant more i did cannas and three rose trees one hybrid tea rose lovely pail pink so sutal u have to look twis and the sent is heaven also decided to put in my kitchen Herb patch basal two different kinds of thyme province lavender and
Greek basal repoted two orchids and clipped and planter about 100 dwarf uwanamus cuttings for this fall have to have a hedg for the new patio

[mskitty38583]

mskitty You did not realy say that!

yes, actually i did. lol! ive never been to "sin city" but i watch it everynight. csi las vegas.

[Richard]

Whew! Today I constructed a 30 foot tomato bed along a sloping section of my property line. There is chainlink fencing on the property line and plenty of sunshine all day for the plants. I built five permanent cyllindrical cages from 4 foot metal fence posts and welded-wire fencing with 2 x 3 inch holes. These keep ravens from picking at seedlings and provide support as the plants get older. I covered the entire bed with 2-3 inches of some extremely well cured compost from the city facility. I planted these seedlings I grew from seed:

Big Girl
Better Girl
Green Grape
Momotaro
Striped Roman

... on six-foot centers, and between them I also seeded a handful of Stover's California hybrid Alfalfa.

:woohoonaner:

[mskitty38583]

wow! thats a lot of work. :pics:

[Richard]

:pics:

ok, ok. It was dark when I finished.

[Richard]

In the bottom right are two pumkins (Sugar Pie and Connecticut Field) that were planted several weeks ago. Looking uphill from there along the right are the 5 Tomato enclosures and seedlings installed yesterday.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9189 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9189)

[mskitty38583]

LOL!. thanks for the pics richard. nice to see what i read about. it looks great!

[Dean W.]

Hey Steve,

Heres my garden. Your's looks great.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee185/Dean_Wil/100_6881.jpg

[damaclese]

OK guys and gals i posted some pics of the new plants around my patio hope you like sorry but I'm not really good at taking pictures o and don't tell me how bad my Williams banana looks I'm really unhappy about it but I'm determined so if it bits the big one I'm not giving up

[magicgreen]

Potted up musa laterita, and variegated ee's (Thanks Brent).
Yesterday potted up sago palm from Xavier. thanks X.
Also potted up last years EE tubers and regular old cannas tubers that have yellow and red flowers.

[damaclese]

wow Richard nice tomato patch looks like u mite be giving some away this summer. i love tomatoes favorite variety Beef stake and better boys supersonics mmm mmmm thinking about your tomato patch takes me back to childhood:2179:

[mskitty38583]

2 hostas called fried bananas, 3 cannas, 5 solomons seal.

[Richard]

"i dont know where im a gonna go when da volcano blow." - jimmy buffett


"Afraid of whats beyond just eyesight keeps the worlds in harmony" - jimmy buffett

[mskitty38583]

"Afraid of whats beyond just eyesight keeps the worlds in harmony" - jimmy buffett

today would be the day to be" wastin away again in margarittaville". as long as i can wast away under a banana tree. LOL!

[AllenF]

I still haven't planted anything outside. This morning it is -10*C/14*F with about 20 mph winds. My tulips broke the surface of the ground a couple of days ago when the temperatures got up to the 20sC/70sF. They are now covered in snow and I hope that they don't die. We put 1400 in the ground last fall and it would really piss me off to lose them without ever seeing them bloom.

Allen

[Richard]

I've seen tulips continue to grow under those conditions and bloom. I hope yours do.

[Dean W.]

I transplanted some Lemon Grass, potted up some bamboo and planted some more squash and tomatoes.:baloonnaner:

Dean

[kyplanter]

I planted my Upright elephant ears. They are already 5 ft. tall! I planted Illustrius, black magic, pink china, black pearl, teacups, big dipper. Those are my elephant ears that were planted. I planted geraniums, brugmansia, oxalis. I have Pink tomatoes started in house, Cherokee tomatoes, Zebra tomatoes, and herbs. I've never grown herbs... I have no idea what I am doing with those. A friend of mine gave them to me!! I hope they live. Happy Gardening to all!!!

[Richard]

I planted my Upright elephant ears. They are already 5 ft. tall! I planted Illustrius, black magic, pink china, black pearl, teacups, big dipper. Those are my elephant ears that were planted. I planted geraniums, brugmansia, oxalis. I have Pink tomatoes started in house, Cherokee tomatoes, Zebra tomatoes, and herbs. I've never grown herbs... I have no idea what I am doing with those. A friend of mine gave them to me!! I hope they live. Happy Gardening to all!!!

Congratulations on getting those plants growing!

Use a high speed coffee grinder or blender to grind up about a tablespoon's worth of herbs and add it to the flour of some bread dough. You'll be hooked.

[mskitty38583]

yesterday i planted a crabapple tree.

[Richard]

yesterday i planted a crabapple tree.

Any idea what variety?

[mskitty38583]

i have no clue.they were giving them away at the garden show last feb. i love crabapples. they are soooo tasty! the little tree is only 1 ft. tall.

[island cassie]

Wow kyplanter - busy person! I love elephant ears!

Dean - I have to have 2 sets of lemon grass - 1 for me and one for the dogs to eat - they love it! I guess like catnip for dogs.

Cassie

[Dean W.]

Cassie,

Well I don't have any dogs right now so I'm safe. LOL!!!:2704:

Dean

[mskitty38583]

you can cook with lemon grass. rub it between your hands if you slice onions and it will take the smell off. use it in pasta salads, potato salad, and even in curried rice. yummy

[Richard]

Today I planted Red Grenadilla 'Frederick' in a narrow bed along a chain link fence. I also sowed some wildflower and commercial alfalfa seeds in the bed but away from the Grenadilla.

[The botanical name is Passiflora edulis var. flavicarpa 'Frederick'.]

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9299 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9299)

[damaclese]

you can cook with lemon grass. rub it between your hands if you slice onions and it will take the smell off. use it in pasta salads, potato salad, and even in curried rice. yummy
Kitty being a chef all my life all thell you the best way to get rid of garlic is to rub your hands over a stainles steal spoon uner runing water it takes about 10 seconds and wala! no smell they alsow sell for the overly rich smal stainle steal bars at willams sanoma but i just ues the spoon (woks for onions too)

[jnstropic]

Last week I made a gazpacho for 50 people at my church. After chopping 6 pounds of onions I chopped the celery. To my surprise my hands smelled of celery. That's not a bad trade off.

[mskitty38583]

Kitty being a chef all my life all thell you the best way to get rid of garlic is to rub your hands over a stainles steal spoon uner runing water it takes about 10 seconds and wala! no smell they alsow sell for the overly rich smal stainle steal bars at willams sanoma but i just ues the spoon (woks for onions too)


we do that a lot too with the stainless steel. but the lemon grass makes your hands feel and smell..well lemon fresh.pardon the pun. i dont like to eat lemons but i love the smell and taste of the lemon grass. was watching foodnetwork and they had a mixologist on there and he used lemon grass for a citrus drink. it look awesome.

[Dean W.]

Kitty,

My wife uses the lemon grass in Asian cooking. I've heard that you can use lemons or limes to take smells off your hands. Supposed to work especially well w/ fish.

Steve, looking good. Where did you find the Alfalfa seed?:2734:

Dean

[Richard]

... Where did you find the Alfalfa seed?


There are specialized alfalfa varieties for different climates. These are not what is sold for growing sprouts for salads! Mine happens to be a southern California variety distributed by Stover Seeds. I ordered a 5-pound bag from my regional Ag supply store several years ago. It took about 2 weeks for them to receive it. The seeds have a very long shelf life. Hand sown in the ground this year I am getting nearly 100% germination rate.

A 5-pound bag was the smallest I could order, but it was under $10 at the time. The seeds are small, about 1/2 the size of a sesame seed. Over the years I've probably only used one pound. On the other hand, one pound contains about 100,000 seeds!

[Dean W.]

Thanks!:11:

Dean

[mskitty38583]

majestic palm and a madagascar dragon tree.

[damaclese]

yes Kitty its a wanderfull aroma to bad u dont like lemons so now that i know ther will be no myer lemons in your stocking this year i love that ty recipy that is the grownd pork in lemon grass broth its very refreshing dinner in the summer time now im hungrey thanks Kitty!

[Richard]

majestic palm and a madagascar dragon tree.

How strange, I sold those very two plants and some soil mix to a customer today.

[mskitty38583]

i said i dont like to eat them...i didnt say i dont want to grow them. LOL! my mom and my youngest daughter love lemons. i love the smell of lemons,(i buy comet cleaner w/ lemon and my dishwashing soap has a lemony smell) but i used to eat them like apples when i was about 11-13 yrs old. i ended up with stomach problems. i would eat about 7 a day. that is so very funny richard. i got my m. palm at walleyworld last fall and the mad. dragon tree i got at lowes last winter. it was one of the last 4 they had. i tell you what, you plant a m. palm in your yard, it makes a statement. i walked out the front door this morning and wow, it was right there. i knew it would be dramitic, but then again wow! i have run out of room in the front yard to plant anything. i might have room for one more, "something", but after that im done in the front. and ive started on the left side of the house. i still havent planted my pony tail palm yet, dont know where she is going. lol!

[Dean W.]

Planted 6 Bell Peppers and 1 Thai Basil.
:basketballnaner::colorwoot:

[Dean W.]

I potted up some Palm (Washingtonia filifera x robusta) seedlings. :o

[kimarj]

:2623:banana canna
canna austrailia
stuttgart canna
brugs some named some noid.
gingers
EE's wentii..diamondhead..potadora..limezinger...borneo giant
castor oil plant
passi incarnata.. incense:nanerwaveytrain:

[Richard]

Wow Kimarj, you were busy!

[mskitty38583]

he was busy! :bananajoy::bananajoy::bananajoy: i only planted 4 solomons seal,4 snake plant and a croton.

[kimarj]

That would be she:pinkskirtnaner::pinkskirtnaner::pinkskirtnaner: LOL!!
:bed:
More in the morning:abajo:

[mskitty38583]

im sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that was my bad. ok she was busy!:D:2758:

[Dean W.]

kimarj, any pictures?:o

[kimarj]

I will try to post some tomorrow.:2766::2766::2766:

[kimarj]

Well I did try to post a pic from the gallery...no luck.
Today I planted scarlet runner beans..hyacinth beans and a sword bean just for fun.:2735::2735::2735: Also canary vine and mexican flame vine.:2747:

[D_&_T]

tomatoes 1 of each, pineapple, white queen and variegated

[lorax]

A whole snotload of sanseveias and echeverrias and sempervivums - yay seedlings! Plus potato chits for the "Atahualpa" and "Oro morado" varieties, Oxalis tuberosum (aka Oka) and purple-veined Ipomoea batatas. It's toooober time!

[Dean W.]

I planted some Bengal Tiger Cannas, and trasplanted some Zoysia grass to make more room for Bananas and Cycads. :exercisenaner:

[Dean W.]

Today I planted the following Cannas-musfolia, durban, stuggart, tropicanna, and president. I potted up a spider lily and a cast iron plant. :doggyandnaner:

[Richard]

:woohoonaner:

Is there a cast aluminum plant?

[billabong]

Started potting up Nepenthes species obtained from Borneo as well as some that are from TC. Also started setting TC Venus Flytrap cultivars into plugs, plus a new crop of passion flowers. All told close to 600 plants to be potted up in the next couple of weeks.

[CookieCows]

These things have been planted either weeks ago or yesterday but haven't been able to be on as much with weather warming up!
Planted in dirt: various tomatoes, globe artichoke, sugar loaf pineapple, a grocery store pineapple top is growing for me for the first time... yeeaaay!! Brocolli, cauliflower, beets, radishes, butter lettuce, iceberg lettuce, carrots, bell pepper, anaheim pepper and armenian cucumbers which I guess are really in the melon family but it's the only cucumber I like.

Aquaponics: butter lettuce, radishes, onions, bell pepper, tomato, green been, cucumber, globe artichoke, broccoli, strawberries and one small juniper.

Have afew cuttings of Redbud, unknown apple and unknown peach tree in spaghum moss/perlite mix and put the other in the aquaponics bed. Hoping for the best on those. I've never done this before.

Deb

[Richard]

Started potting up Nepenthes species obtained from Borneo as well as some that are from TC. Also started setting TC Venus Flytrap cultivars into plugs, plus a new crop of passion flowers. All told close to 600 plants to be potted up in the next couple of weeks.

Keep us posted on that Nepenthes species ... could it possibly be developed into a houseplant?

[damaclese]

Started potting up Nepenthes species obtained from Borneo as well as some that are from TC. Also started setting TC Venus Flytrap cultivars into plugs, plus a new crop of passion flowers. All told close to 600 plants to be potted up in the next couple of weeks. could u post a pic im not familer with
Nepenthes or mabe i am and just dont know that name?

[jnstropic]

I just put a Nepenthus in my gallery. It's not my plant, I can't grow them. Many years ago I grew two from a spring to fall and when the temperature went to 40 they died. When they were living they looked pretty good. But when I took them apart they had very few roots. Maybe with good roots they might have gotten the cool weather.

[Dean W.]

I planted Cannas- wyoming, king city gold, king humbert, and frances vaughn. I also potted up A fox tail palm, Fish tail palm, yucca brevifolia, and Pachypodium geamyi. :jumpingonbednaner:

[Kylie2x]

Hey ya'll!!
I haven't been around in a while...
Hope everyone is doing Great! and Hey to everyone I haven't gotten the chance to meet yet..LOL
I have been Brug'in it..(Brugmansia) spent the Winter propagating and starting some new X's.. Finally got most of them outside...The Banana's are out but just didn't Winter over as well as last yr. :eek: so I have my fingers crossed on a few...Might be looking for some!!!
Yesterday I planted some Plummies and MORE Brug's..LOL DH brought home some more Tomatoes and Peppers..repotted up some Salvia Hot Lips, ground Orchids, Black Boo,Bissiti and started some Jap. MG,Latex Vine, Passi's, Hibiscus and Aristolochia..Still need to get the Okra in the ground...LOL
I look forward to seeing ya'll around!!!
Kylie

[Richard]

Good to hear from you!

[damaclese]

Nepenthes Picher plant?

[Kylie2x]

Thanks Richard! It is nice to be back .. I think I have passed that Winter Slump and can get back in the groove...This Old thing is not as easy as I thought...LOL

[billabong]

Keep us posted on that Nepenthes species ... could it possibly be developed into a houseplant?

I doubt it. They require high quality water; distilled, RO, or rain and I don't see the average hobbyist meeting those needs. Plus the highland group likes high humidty and in low humidty surroundings pitchers are often not produced. But I have seen dedicated individuals grow them as housplants and do very well. They will grow very well outside in 60% shade as long as they are not allowed to get below 50F, and into the 40's once acclimated.

This batch that was potted up consist of; N. sibuyanensis, bellii, talagensis, raffelsiana. lowii, epiphinata, and rajah - some of the easier to grow species.

[lorax]

Basils went into a new pot today....

[Dean W.]

I potted some Macarthur Palm (Ptychosperma macarthurii) seedlings.:2688:

[AllenF]

It is finally warm enough to put bulbs & corms in the ground. I planted 27 Cannas yesterday.

Allen

[Richard]

It is finally warm enough to put bulbs & corms in the ground. I planted 27 Cannas yesterday.

Allen

Way to go Allen!

[Westwood]

I just planted some palm trees i started from seed on mothers day. there 1 and 1/2 yr old and about 2 foot high . I found they love Iron and Orchid food . Tammy

[microfarmer]

Over the past week I planted (along with what's on the banana side http://www.bananas.org/37172-post365.html)

Variegated ginger
White ginger
all my tomatos (6 varieties, 36 plants)
all my peppers (5 varieties, 54 plants)
Helliconia
Bacopa (blue)
Nastursium
Alocasia
Huchera
Asclepias 'Hello Yellow'
Gloriosa 'Rothschildiana'
Brugmansia
sunflowers
corn
melon

[Richard]

Today I visited Paul Fisher in El Cajon, whom some of you know as the V.P. of the CRFG (www.crfg.org). I brought him some extra pitaya cuttings and he gave me a fruit from the Avocado he has developed (patent pending). Paul operates a nursery from his home with some of the best (and unusual) fruit varieties that will produce in southern CA. You can reach him at 619-322-4141.

Here is a picture of 2/3 of the fruit plus seed. The seed weighed in at 0.1 pounds, and the fruit + skin (w/o seed) weighed 0.75 pounds. The fruit is of excellent quality. If the seed produces anything decent, I think I'll call it Paul-son.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9611

[Dean W.]

Planted some palms- Chamaerops x vulcano and Sabal causaria seedlings.

[jellyfish_sky]

Put some Montreal Melons in the ground yesterday that I bought at the Botanical Garden. Hoping to get some nice 12" melons in the fall! :p

[Dean W.]

Potted up 20 Washingtonia filifera x robustas.:2747:

[Richard]

Potted up 20 Washingtonia filifera x robustas.:2747:

What a busy guy!

[Dean W.]

What a busy guy!
LOL!!!

[D_&_T]

1 H. guatemalensis 'American Beauty'
2 H. undatus 'Thompson'
5 H. polyrhizus x H. undatus 'Physical Graffiti'
4 mini rose
russet potatoes

[Richard]

1 H. guatemalensis 'American Beauty'
2 H. undatus 'Thompson'
5 H. polyrhizus x H. undatus 'Physical Graffiti'
4 mini rose
russet potatoes

Dragon Fruit in Indiana!

:woohoonaner:

[Richard]

Today I planted several Clivia miniata in pots in-between my dragon fruits. Two of them are orange variety. I dug them up from the area that my banana plat construction is starting. The other two are the "American Yellow" cultivar which I purchased 2-for-1 at the orange box store yesterday. Here's a picture of one of the yellows, in between some annual Lupine and Hylocereus.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9845 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9845)

[kimarj]

Honeysuckle
Croton
Dahlia
Salvia:2729::cloudban::2764:

[Richard]

Planted two 4-inch peat pots containing rooted Pomegranate (Punica granatum) cuttings. Before putting 3 inches of fine-textured natural bark on the top of the planters, I sprinkled Triazicide granules sparsely on the soil to kill any grubs that might attack the developing roots; plus a 1/8 cup of 46-0-0 Urea in a 5-inch diameter circle around the cutting, and a 1/4 cup of 0-0-22 K-Mag on the outside perimeter of the tree rings shown in the photos.

Pomegranates "Golden Globe" and "White Flower":

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9935 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9935) http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9934 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9934)

After putting down the bark, I spread Slug & Snail granules around the perimeter of the planters to keep them away from the new plants, and also installed rings of garden welded-wire fencing to keep browsing pests from sampling the plants. In the background behind the pomegranates is my Bababerry (a raspberry variety) patch, which has grown to 6 feet high!

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9933 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9935)

[Richard]

Cuttings and vegetable seedlings transplanted into #3 pots:

Diospyros lotus 67.2 (female)
Pomegranate "Golden Globe"
Pomegranate "White Flower"
Fig "Black I"
Fig "Osborne Prolific"
Fig "Panache Tiger"
Fig "Calif. Brown Turkey"
Carissa spinarum aka Karondu
Eggplant "Rose"
Eggplant "Florida High Bush"
Pepper "Bulgarian Carrot"
Pepper "Long Slim Cayenne"
Pepper "Pimento Elite Hybrid"

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10005

In the background are the 2 pumpkins I planted earlier this year. In my yard, I'm keeping them to a 3 foot by 12 foot area, but they have gone through the chain link fence and will also provide the neighbor with quite a crop!

[damaclese]

Way to go Richard keep up that good work!
and I'm sure the Nabier will appreciate the Pumpkins
well iv been hard at work this weeks been all about my Orchid collection today i repoted 3phalaenopsis i wish i new wish ones they were but as they and most of my Orchids are casino rescue i have no Ida what they are in addition i repoted 5 Cattleya,1 dendrobium and 2 Oncidiums at least i think they are Oncidiums all no for sure when they all bloom which for some will be soon

[island cassie]

Yesterday (luckily as today we have torrential downpours) I planted 2 Acerola - Barbados cherry (malpighi glabra) sent up by a friend in Santo Domingo. Also about 18 rooted rose cuttings and sowed seed for sweet orange (as opposed to the sour ones that are grown here and are wonderful for marinades), citrus mitis and passiflora edulis as only flaviocarpa is available locally. Sowed seed under the shade of the papaya for lettuce, spring onions and various tomato, as well as some flowers - marigolds for the garden in a friend's bar. Oh yes - butternut squash too - with the melon growing in the compost heap we will be overrun with vines shortly, and when the passiflora edulis flaviocarpa that I hacked down recently takes off - help!!! My machete arm is feeling tired already! Having been away recently in England - I need to get the garden under control. The torch ginger needs to be thinned, and the palm hedge should be hacked back so that we can walk along the paths, and the heliconias - well enough said!! But with the humidity my orchids are looking great.

Sorry - I got carried away - Cassie

[Dean W.]

Way to go, Cassie, sounds like your very busy.

[bencelest]

I planted siling labuyo seeds today and one calamondin in my other house.

[bencelest]

One babako branch that came from Richard

[island cassie]

Today we went up to the finca with the streams that our friend James bought, and took him some trees. His sheep had got loose and eaten all his moringa oliefera trees, so we took him the one we had pot grown (now nearly 6ft tall so we were glad to get rid of it), also some crape myrtle and pink grapefruit. Sorry mskitty that I didn't get back to you about the moringa, but apparently it comes from India and all parts of the tree are edible/useful - which is why the sheep liked it obviously. We put a chicken-wire cage around this one as there is no more seed left - it must need to be sown very fresh as the older seed (1 month) didn't germinate. Funny how different people have different capabilities - my neighbour is ace with seeds and especially herbs, whereas I am useless with herbs and so-so with seeds, but good with cuttings. haha! horses for courses I think!

Cassie

[Mason]

I planted a peach tree a week and a half ago. I am very new to growing plants. Nothing has come up yet. Does anyone know anything about how long it takes for peaches to come up?

[island cassie]

Mason - did you crack the stone first? I haven't grown peaches from pits for a long time - but I think they take a long time.

Cassie

[Mason]

Mason - did you crack the stone first? I haven't grown peaches from pits for a long time - but I think they take a long time.

Cassie

Yes, I just put the pit in the ground about 3/4 of an inch deep.

Thank you! :2204:

[harveyc]

I planted a jaboticaba and 'Sweetheart' lychee the other day and will plant a longan, mango, 'Big Jim' loquat, and feijoa tomorrow.

[sunfish]

:2750::2750::2750::2750:Blueberries Southmoon And Legacy. Planted In Pots For Now.:2750::2750::2750::2750:

[jnstropic]

Harvey, how big is your jaboticaba? I put two jaboticaba trees in our yard over 40 years ago. The trees were 7 feet tall when I bought them. They both produce large crops, heavy in the spring and off and on in the summer. My wife makes jelly from the fruit. Since it's not sterilized we fill up the frig with the jelly. It's the only jelly that we eat. It also makes good wine.

[hersirsmiley]

Today, well yesterday, I planted 3 clumps of red currants that at one point belonged to my great aunt who we lived next to when I was quite young. They currently have green fruits, if those will survive i don't know but the survival of the bush is all that matters to me right now.

woo! :2723:

[Kylie2x]

Good Luck with your Currants.. I hope the fruit holds...

:2223:Yesterday I was able to get a handful of things planted..
Kylie


Hibiscus~
City Slicker
Gabriel
Cest ce' Bon
Snow Queen (variegated)

Brugs~
Pink Smitty
Snow Bank
Day Dreams

4 Plummies (NOIDS)

Clerodendrum Ugandense
Patchouli
Zuc's

[mskitty38583]

yesterday i dug up lambs ears and put them in pots. there were 10 pots altogether, now there are 8.( gave 2 pots to my mom). and i seperated bloodleaf bananas and potted them up. i left the littest pup on the mom.

[island cassie]

I potted up some orange amaryllis (spelling?) bulbs from a neighbour - lots of different colours and types here especially in the mountains where it is a bit cooler.

Cassie

[phatkix]

i planted some miniature chusan palms, some venus fly traps, some musa balbisiana, some mary j and some hops.

i also transplanted my passion fruits, salvia divnorum and marrow :)

[saltydad]

I potted and "planted" an absolutely gorgeous tropical water lilly called "Foxfire", with marbled pads. Can't wait for the blue bloom.:bigotes:

[island cassie]

Hey Howard - in South Africa in the ponds and rhino wallows they have the most gorgeous blue waterlillies. Don't know the species but it looked amazing beyond belief to see those big animals among such beautiful plants.

Cassie

[jnstropic]

Howard, I've had Foxfire for 2 years and it has bloomed every day since I have had it. It's the largest flower in the pond. But the best thing is that the flower opens one hour before any other lily. Some lilies have to be repotted more then once a year. But my Foxfire has yet to be repotted. The flower sometimes looks pink but mostly blue. I have posted Foxfire on my site: default.aspx (http://www.togofcoralgables.com) The waterlily page is under 'plant album'

[saltydad]

Howard, I've had Foxfire for 2 years and it has bloomed every day since I have had it. It's the largest flower in the pond. But the best thing is that the flower opens one hour before any other lily. Some lilies have to be repotted more then once a year. But my Foxfire has yet to be repotted. The flower sometimes looks pink but mostly blue. I have posted Foxfire on my site: default.aspx (http://www.togofcoralgables.com) The waterlily page is under 'plant album'

Thanks for the info. Steve in France turned me on to this beauty. Love the pics of Foxfire and love your garden!

Edit- Now awaiting a hardy lily called Black Princess, and a lotus called Chawan Basu. This pond is addictive. Luckily I have no more room for anything else!

[bencelest]

Transferred a kenandrian from my pergola plat to an open ground because it is growing so big and fast. besides the heiight might be a problem come wintertime. I read it can grow over 12 feet.

[bencelest]

Yesterday,
I cut a good size pups of a dwarf orinoco and Sweetheart and transferred them to two 25 gallon pots.

[bencelest]

And 3 days ago I have 3 super dwarf cavendish that I transferred from the grounds of my pergola plat to 3 15gallon pots thinking that it is overcrowding each other there.

[bencelest]

And today I cut a pup from my Sweetheart and will ship it to Richard.
And also today, I transplanted 2 Thai pepper plants to a wine barrel.

[Richard]

Planted 1 "Solo" Papaya in the ground, then transplanted to larger pots 2 more Solos, 2 japanese eggplants, 2 Poblano chilis, and 1 Cayenne pepper plant.

[harveyc]

Today, besides some bananas, I planted three white sapote ('McDill', 'Santa Cruz', 'Vernon'). Also planted a 'Tango' mandarin, 'Big Jim' loquat, a 'Genesis' feijoa, and a 'Kohala' longan. By the way, my 'Sweetheart' lychee planted about three weeks ago is starting to push out new growth like crazy! It was an expensive plant and I was getting anxious for a bit but it is now doing better than I had hoped.

[bencelest]

I re transferred my viente cohol to a better soil medium and cut the umbilical chord of a Sweetheart pup from its mom and transferred to a 7 gallon pot.

[Richard]

Today, besides some bananas, I planted three white sapote ('McDill', 'Santa Cruz', 'Vernon') ...

Yum ... it will be raining fruit at Harvey's

[harveyc]

Harvey, how big is your jaboticaba? I put two jaboticaba trees in our yard over 40 years ago. The trees were 7 feet tall when I bought them. They both produce large crops, heavy in the spring and off and on in the summer. My wife makes jelly from the fruit. Since it's not sterilized we fill up the frig with the jelly. It's the only jelly that we eat. It also makes good wine.

Jordon, sorry I missed your post. This thread moves too quick!

My jaboticaba is about 7 feet tall and the trunk near the ground is about 2 inches in diameter. My friend Jeff Earl is an hour away and his 10 year old seedlings are quite a bit larger and they have never fruited for him yet. Someone in Australia indicated he was able to induce fruiting by ring barking them so Jeff has just tried that, though we found out later maybe he should have waited for a few months. Another thing a grower there in Florida has reported is that he sits his potted jaboticaba in saucers with water and they will fruit much quicker that way. Mine is in the ground and getting watered daily and I've got my fingers crossed!

[harveyc]

Yum ... it will be raining fruit at Harvey's

Hi Richard, I have more to go! I want to build a collection of about 10 named varieties to try out. I will probably try to maintain these as smaller trees and will probably cut these trees down completely in 5-10 years when I've decided which ones I really want to grow. By then, I should have a permanent location picked out for them. I don't think I'll have them so close to my house as they can be quite a mess when you can't keep up with the fruit, though I doubt I will ever come close to the record production of 6,000 pounds of fruit from one white sapote tree in one year!!!

[jnstropic]

Harvey, your white sapote can be very good. I only ate one that I liked, but I didn't like it enough to give it room in the garden. But I do have a fantastic sapote it's a Mamey sapote. It's ripening now and we are filling up the freezer. Then we can have home made Mamey ice cream all year around. Just ask any Cuban and they will tell you that the Mamey is the best of all fruit. If a reader of the note happens to be the one Cuban that doesn't like Mamey please don't fuss at me. We are still eating our mangoes and that's my favorite. Gee and I wrote this on the banana site.
Both of my jabotacaba trees are 70+ years. I bought them 50 years ago. They were planted in my parents home and moved to our yard about 1970. They give us large crops in winter and spring and small crops the rest of the year. We have a fair amount of ripe fruit on one tree at this time, but it is too high up to bother. They like a lot of water. In Brazil they grow naturally by rivers and streams.

[harveyc]

Jordon, I've heard from others in Florida that the white sapote in Florida are not nearly as good as the ones from California. I'm not sure why. I've seen photos of some really awful-looking white sapote in Florida. I've also heard some people that like mamey sapote and others that don't. I guess it's good that we don't all like exactly the same things! I may still try mamey sapote some day, though. Sapodilla is one I also want to try some day but I'm not sure it will make it here.

Here is a photo of a grower in Brazil: http://www.montosogardens.com/carlos_brasil_small.jpg. He suggests watering 2-3 times/day!

Yours sound great! How many times a year do you get a crop?

[jnstropic]

Here are some jpgs of by jabotacaba
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n399/jnstropic/jabotacabaflowers.jpg
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n399/jnstropic/Jabotacaba-ripeMarch1204.jpg

[mskitty38583]

today i planted a brug from kylie(thank you!!)the other day i planted a babaco and night blooming cereus from jb001(thank you!!)

[linda-lu]

I am trying my hand at growing a donut peach from seed. Picked some up at an ethnic shop and got excited about its scent and taste. So I have planted two seeds, one cracked, one as is. I was really excited to learn about the crfg.org - I am interested in growing fruit different from the same old, same old sold down in supermarkets! And I like the idea of having a peach tree that gives peaches that you can get seed from to grow new trees with (I guess the Dutch reputation for being stingy is well-earned :rolleyes:...)

Then there is a coconut that I have planted. Don't know if it will do anything - they need heat to germinate and lately it has been a cool summer here. But, it's worth a shot.

Finally, I have just sown some aristochlia elegans (Dutchman's Pipe).

[Richard]

I am trying my hand at growing a donut peach from seed. Picked some up at an ethnic shop and got excited about its scent and taste. So I have planted two seeds, one cracked, one as is. I was really excited to learn about the crfg.org - I am interested in growing fruit different from the same old, same old sold down in supermarkets! ...

Keep in mind that most pit fruits (including peaches) do not come true from seed. You are more likely to get a plant similar to the rootstock.

[linda-lu]

Yeah, I know. Some heirloom varieties do come true from seed though. There is one here called Wassenberger that does, and it is one my list to acquire. It is a local variety, so it can handle our climate well.
But the Wassenberger isn't a donut peach and I have yet to find a heirloom donut peach that comes true from seed. Still, there is a good chance one is out there, since donut peaches are older than the round ones we have today. That's why sites like the California Rare Fruit Growers (http://www.crfg.org) are so exciting. Somebody out there must have this info!

[Richard]

Yeah, I know. Some heirloom varieties do come true from seed though. There is one here called Wassenberger that does, and it is one my list to acquire.


An heirloom plant, as established by case law means: A variety that is off-patent and comes true from seed. Sometimes unscrupulous sellers would like you to believe it means more, or less, but that is the definition established in a U.S. court case years ago.



...
That's why sites like the California Rare Fruit Growers (http://www.crfg.org) are so exciting. Somebody out there must have this info!

Well, thanks! Now if you'd join you'll also receive our exciting magazine: Fruit Gardener (http://www.crfg.org/fg/). And don't forget that the 2008 Festival Of Fruit is coming up in the 3rd week of September: Festival of Fruit 2008 (http://festivaloffruit.org/).

[mskitty38583]

i got some organic peaches and naval oranges im gonna put in the dirt in a few days.... i tried putting organic nanas in the ground....and im still waiting.:ha:http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7538 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7393)

[harveyc]

Here are some jpgs of by jabotacaba
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n399/jnstropic/jabotacabaflowers.jpg
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n399/jnstropic/Jabotacaba-ripeMarch1204.jpg

Jordon, you have some very nice jaboticaba, and I envy you. Maybe mine will be half the size in 50 years from now!!! Thanks for sharing!

[harveyc]

Today I planted a Miracle Fruit shrub. Their is a big crazy going on with them right now, somewhat due to articles that came out after The Fruit Hunters book came out (the book also has an entire chapter on Miracle Fruit). I paid a heft price for a plant that is 35 inches tall, but the rate they are getting snatched up I figure all of large plants of this slow-growing plant will be unavailable for a few years. I've potted mine in a 7 gallon pot and it's in my greenhouse which has misters for heat control and humidity.

I killed a couple of small seedlings of Miracle Fruit before but have read more about them this time. They can handle more water than claimed by some people and they also can take plenty of sun. However, low pH means really low like 4.5 or lower. I'll plan to fertilize a few times a month with Miracid.

http://www.chestnuts.us/MF20080711e.jpg

[Dean W.]

Finally planted my Chocalate Persimmon tree.

[saltydad]

I just rec'd a Steroidal Giant tetrapanex from PDN, as well as cannas Red Stripe, Australia, and a new one to me, Phaison. When the temps go down ( 89 now) I'll plant them.

[Richard]

I just rec'd a Steroidal Giant tetrapanex from PDN, as well as cannas Red Stripe, Australia, and a new one to me, Phaison. When the temps go down ( 89 now) I'll plant them.

Giant Rice Paper Plant! Here's the photo from PDN ... looks great!

PDN -- Tetrapanax papyrifera 'Steroidal Giant' (http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/04634.html)

[Dean W.]

Great buys! There nice! The Giant Rice Paper plant is suppose to be invasive though!

[saltydad]

I saw the tetrapanex growing at a member's home at my local club, DCTropics, last plant swap. It was around 12 ft. tall. Just had to have it.:-) I understand the suckers are rather easy to pull out. Wish the tradescantia in my garden came out as easy; it's a back breaker!

[island cassie]

That tetrapanex is a gorgeous plant - now that I know what it looks like, I can see why you want it Saltydad.

Cassie

[saltydad]

Today I planted a beautiful Trachycarpus fortunei that I received from Ryan Fuller at Collectorpalms, and a Colocasia nancyana from Stokes. Looks great next to bananas and elephant ears around the pond.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/2683001341_015ea58cdb.jpg?v=0

[Dean W.]

Look great, Saltydad!

[mskitty38583]

there is that awesome pond pic again! i could look at that pic all day long

[jewelbaby1224]

Gorgeous pond and plantings!

Yest I planted a Mona Lisa on our lakeside in full SE Texas sun. Put Pisang Ceylon in a huge pot for now.

Bought them at Maas Nursery in Seabrook. The owner had given me a list of fruiting varieties that he carries and said that his fruiting varieties grow only up to 7' tall for better fruit yield. He wasn't there the day that I shopped.

What I've read about the Pisang is that they get very tall. I have a call into him to verify size. Does anyone know if these varieties come in dwarf/semi dwarf??

[Richard]

...
What I've read about the Pisang is that they get very tall. I have a call into him to verify size. Does anyone know if these varieties come in dwarf/semi dwarf??

Pisang = Banana.

Pisang Ceylon's typical height is 15', but reportedly 9' to 12' in some subtropical areas.

Pisang Klutek's typical height is 9.5'.

Height is usually measured from base to top of pseudostem, not the top of leafs. A shorter variety does not mean that it bears more fruit, although many short varieties do bear a lot of fruit.

[jewelbaby1224]

Thanks Richard. I am in zone 9a, on the edge of tropical which I love because 2 of my Orinocos are bearing fruit right now.

I was told that smaller plants were better assured of producing fruit. Fruit is what I want.

I've potted the Pisang while I scout out a protected area. From what I've read the stem is more slender and more given to wind damage.

[island cassie]

Took out a lot of the wild ferns growing in semi-shade and just left the maidenhair, and took the machete to the passiflora. In their places I planted a huge number of impatiens seedlings and angel-wing begonias. Saved some impatiens for my Russian neighbour Tatiana who gets tired of shades of green and wants flowers. I never get tired of shades of green and contrasting leaf shapes! Now I have to find a place for the asparagus fern (sprengerii) - one of my favourites!

Got the best sort of friends - Charlie came by with 5 huge bags of concentrated matured cow manure, and Jerry came by with 2 even bigger bags of stable bedding and horse manure. Just had time to drag them under cover before the rain!! The children will dine well and there is plenty for everyone. haha!

Cassie

[paradisi]

Planted out a seedling of a longan (Euphoria longana) and a cutting I've struck of a peanut butter tree (Bunchosia argentea)

I don't know if these count, but I potted up for my step-daughter who has just moved into a new town house - mother in laws tongue, diffenbachia, several varieties of fern (boston, king, unknown), basil, chives, oregano and mondo grass.

The mother in laws tongue, diffenbachia and some of the ferns were wild weeds in a little creek near home. So I was helping the environment as I got some free gifts for my step daughter.

[Dean W.]

That's amazing that there weeds where you live. Here people pay good money for them.:ha:

[Richard]

That's amazing that there weeds where you live. Here people pay good money for them.:ha:

I understand that on the opposite coast in Perth, Kangaroo Paws are considered a weed but western U.S. Sage varieties are sold at a premium. Here in San Diego, the opposite is true!

[Dean W.]

It's pretty amazing what in one part of the world is a weed in others is a rariety. I remember going to the tropics and seeing house plants growing as huge trees, plants, etc..:ha:

[mskitty38583]

double blooming peach brug, mystique brug( it was in a pot now its in the ground) and the coveted royal queen! all came from kylie!!! thanks you kylie! its funny now everytime i go into the garden dept at walley world the guy ask me how many bags of dirt do you need? i just giggle at him. this morning it was 2 bags of potting mix and a bag of organic compost and cow poop. he was suprised. usually i get 20 bags of both and in my little car yod be suprised how much dirt you can fit in it.

[saltydad]

Potted up "Avalanche", a white/light blue tropical water lily. Can't wait for the blooming to begin!

http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/checklist/avalanche/avalanche.jpg

[Dean W.]

Way to go you all. I usually try to stock pile soil and manure if possible.

[Richard]

Potted up "Avalanche", a white/light blue tropical water lily. Can't wait for the blooming to begin!


It's gorgeous!

[mskitty38583]

12 foxtail palm seeds. and finally got my castor bean plants in the ground before it started raining.

[mskitty38583]

Way to go you all. I usually try to stock pile soil and manure if possible.

i do the same. the reason if i get a hankering to plant something and its in the middle of december....nobody has dirt(well the kind that any serious gardner would want) so i try to keep a "bunch" at hand. the end of august ill be loading up on it and will be getting (hopefully) 2 truckloads of mulch.

[saltydad]

Put in another Chinese Windmill Palm just rec'd from Collectorpalms.com. Hope there's enough time for it to stabilize before the cold weather.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2715205082_5a34943a83.jpg?v=0

[Richard]

1 Sugarloaf Pineapple that I received from sunfish (http://www.bananas.org/member-sunfish.html).

:woohoonaner:

[enigma99a]

Put in some Areca palms. Can't wait for them to get big:)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=12030&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=12030)

[Richard]

Tony (sunfish) and Mason came by the other morning and left cuttings from 1 unknown fig and two unknown passifloras -- one of which bears orange-skinned fruits with cherry red filling around the seeds. This evening I potted them up as semi-hardwood cuttings, using Dyna-Gro Root Gel and some peat pots filled with wet Jiffy Seed Starting Mix. They are now sitting in my herbarium waiting to take off!

[saltydad]

Planted a Butia eriospatha...keep your fingers crossed for me this winter! Randy- you made me do it:ha:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3040/2745214198_c78fc63f0e_m.jpg

[Dean W.]

Howard, that's a nice one. Mine are still only one-gallon sized.

[saltydad]

Dean- thanks. I got it from a fellow in College Station "collectorpalms.com". He has very nice palms and yucca.

[Dean W.]

That's not far from me. I'll have to check out his website.

[enigma99a]

Also Lowe's has a great selection. Maybe they just have them in my zone, but I've seen beautiful Yucca, and nice palms such as the foxtail.

[Dean W.]

enigma, I have seen some nice palms at Lowe's only problem is alot of them are not hardy in my zone. :ha:

[enigma99a]

enigma, I have seen some nice palms at Lowe's only problem is alot of them are not hardy in my zone. :ha:

Wow that's crazy.. why would they sell trees that wouldn't be hardy to the zone? They expect you to have a greenhouse? :ha:

Also to they have bananas and tropical hibiscus? oh btw, I got some tropical hibiscus for only $4.50 for 1G there.. really cheap!

[saltydad]

Just brought Mom back from hitting the August sales at local nurseries. Now I have a hardy Bletilla striata "Pink", a Stokesia "Purple Parasols", another maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum, and a Euphorbia X "Martinii" to plant. Also brought a nice big hardy magenta hibiscus for my sister-in-law, and dropped it off for my brother to plant. He didn't look happy.:ha:

[Dean W.]

enigma, yes, I guess they truck them in from Florida or South Texas. I guess they think there is a market for plant conniseurs. Poor people buy them to find out they freeze.:ha:

[Richard]

enigma, yes, I guess they truck them in from Florida or South Texas. I guess they think there is a market for plant conniseurs. Poor people buy them to find out they freeze.:ha:

San Diego County, CA is a large supplier, and staging area for palms shipped from Hawaii.

Today I planted a pineapple top from a suspected Hilo pineapple.

[Dean W.]

Potted up from a community pot 10 Sabal causariums.:woohoonaner:

[island cassie]

The plant man came around yesterday with his truck and I decided that I needed a treat, especially when I saw he had a Blc.Waikiki Gold Tea x C. downiana hybrid. A big full plant and the flower is clear yellow with a red flush on the lip, and scented too. I paid more than I wanted to but I had to have it!
Cassie

[paradisi]

This piece copmes from my blog - It's life Jim, but not as we know it (http://opinonated-bastard.blogspot.com/) under the chook poo tea article.

I don't have a degree in chemistry or agriculture so I may be picked to pieces about the way I use chook poo, but it works for me.

We have four hens. In their coop are nest boxes and a perch. And in and around and under these is the nightly deposited chook poo.

Each morning I pick the poo in a handfull of straw and put poo and straw into a bucket and fill this with water. I use the straw because I don't like the feel or smell of fresh chook poo and I'm too unorganised or lazy to go to the kitchen to get some rubber gloves for the job. Anyway, I reckon the straw is an essential part of the mix.

The bucket of chook poo and straw is my chook poo tea.

It sits in the sun for a day, or longer if you want to, and then I pour about a litre or so into a watering can and top the watering can up with fresh water. This is then spread around the plants you have in your garden. The only plant I seem to have had a bad reaction from is our goji - it's developed a fungus on its leaves since I started giving it chook poo tea.

After the bucket of tea is finished you can either dump the straw and left over chook poo near a tree as well fertilised mulch or fill the bucket of water and use again as a weaker tea tomorrow.

Eventually you will get to a stage where too much chook poo tea is being made. All your plants are healthy, well fed and don't really need some more chook poo until next week.

When it gets to this stage I tip the bucket - poo, straw and water around a plant. I water this in as the stuff going into the soil is very strong.

Another thing to do is to tip it all onto an empty part of the garden, open up a little pocket, put in some compost or potting mix and plant a seedling. I don't know how successful this will be, I've only been doing this with chook poo tea for a couple of days. I've planted Queensland blue pumpkin, gramma pumpkin, Lebanese zucchini, black zucchini, button squash and watermelon this way. The first to go in - the blue - seems very healthy.

[Westwood]

3 Yrs Ago I started some palms from SEED ,
today I planted them with my Avacodo i started from Seed and Grafted .
IM hyped they are looking good small but Looking good .
Pouting i am moving to Idaho and Its Zone 6... Right now im in Zone 9 so Ill have to put one of the 6 bed rooms as a Banana plant Winter room. Tammy :woohoonaner:

[mskitty38583]

tiger ginger.....meow.....thanks scot!!!!!!!

[Westwood]

MRS Kitty , I have a great giger plant they love water .
i put mine in a small pond and she is doing extremely well. Mine is the hawaiian white . can you send photos of yours ?

[mskitty38583]

i just got her today shes a little wilty, give her a few days to start looking her best and ill post one for you.

[mskitty38583]

4 types of ee's from randy. and another plant ( i forgot the name). thank you so much randy!

[saltydad]

Rooted Plumeria cuttings - Kohala (Scott Pratt), Kimi Moragne, "Mystery". Awaiting Iolite (purple-red) and Mai Thai (purple) from Thailand.

[mskitty38583]

varigated monstera!!!!(wahoo finally!) vanilla bean vine, and a yellow ginger!

[saltydad]

Cleopatra canna..and I blame it on this forum. Otherwise I would never have gone on eBay after I read about it here.:ha:

The variegated monstera looks amazing!

[bepah]

Wow that's crazy.. why would they sell trees that wouldn't be hardy to the zone? They expect you to have a greenhouse? :ha:

Also to they have bananas and tropical hibiscus? oh btw, I got some tropical hibiscus for only $4.50 for 1G there.. really cheap!

It's not crazy,..its retail. Lowe's provides a 1 year guarantee on thier plants. If you can prove you bought the plant from them and have the receipt, you will get a replacement (not a refund).

But its a great deal for them. Few people keep their receipts and those that get replacements also buy more. Palms are special.....you probably won't notice that the plant is failing as it dies slowly. By the time it dies, the year is up.

In our area, many garden 'professionals' treat hibiscus as an annual. It dies to the wood in the winter but returns the following spring providing some tremendous color in the fall...

[damaclese]

OK think of next spring: i started Elephant head in pots also more Passiflora Red giant Musa Helen's White Bat Plant
and more Bird of Paradise tree not the plant this ones a tree called "Pride of Barbados" more of a shrub beautiful Orange and pink iridescent flowers looks a bit like Catala Orchids still no white orchid trees which i planted 2 months ago
Nun of my Rock Bananas as of yes and nun of the other passiflora about 8 different kinds but I'm trying a new system instead of that Germination station thing just regular pots raped in plastic to keep them moist all post when i get some plants the Burgamasea cam up sorry don't know if i spelled that right its a big red one giant French red double hollyhocks have also germinated the red and green garden is going to be fabo next year

[damaclese]

It's not crazy,..its retail. Lowe's provides a 1 year guarantee on thier plants. If you can prove you bought the plant from them and have the receipt, you will get a replacement (not a refund).

But its a great deal for them. Few people keep their receipts and those that get replacements also buy more. Palms are special.....you probably won't notice that the plant is failing as it dies slowly. By the time it dies, the year is up.

In our area, many garden 'professionals' treat hibiscus as an annual. It dies to the wood in the winter but returns the following spring providing some tremendous color in the fall...Star nursery give a two year guaranty i always put the recites in a file folder with notes as to what they are for.

[damaclese]

varigated monstera!!!!(wahoo finally!) vanilla bean vine, and a yellow ginger!
is the Vanilla bean vine a Vanilla Orchid? vary hard to get to fruit have to be hand pollinated

[damaclese]

i just got her today shes a little wilty, give her a few days to start looking her best and ill post one for you.
did that ginger perk up ?

[mskitty38583]

slowly she is perking up. i brought her inside and watered her again and her leaves are finally opening up. and its the vanilla bean vine.

[enigma99a]

Yesterday put in a white guava. Also got a bunch of King Palms, but they are a little too young for full sun yet, so I am letting them adapt first.

[saltydad]

Today's plantings-Ferocactus hamatacanthus Alpine Tx (barrel cactus), Zephyranthes sp. labuffarosa, Z. sp. labuffarosa 'Confection'., Z. x 'Ajax' (rain lilies), Rhodophiala bifida (oxblood lily), Plumeria 'Mai Thai' (finally arrived from Thailand).

[Richard]

Yea for the white guava! And congratulations on the Mai Thai, I'm jealous now.

:woohoonaner:

[saltydad]

Put in a Hydrangea macrophylla 'Frau Taiko' (Halo Angel Song). Richard, the Mai Thai had some roots on it already, so I'm really looking forward to it. I have about 6 Plumeria cuttings going now. Have to get more pea gravel.

[Dean W.]

Put in a Hydrangea macrophylla 'Frau Taiko' (Halo Angel Song). Richard, the Mai Thai had some roots on it already, so I'm really looking forward to it. I have about 6 Plumeria cuttings going now. Have to get more pea gravel.

Howard,

What do you need pea gravel for?:0517:

[saltydad]

I plant the plumeria cuttings dipped in rootone in a mixture of perlite (2/3) and potting mix (1/3). I then add 1 inch of pea gravel on top after potting to act as a mulch and keep the cutting upright. When the cutting is transplanted the pea gravel is no longer needed.

[saltydad]

Planted some monarda roots and potted a really pretty little snake plant (thanks Sam!).

[mskitty38583]

yur welcome howard! when your ready for some ornatas lavander lmk, i have about 8 to find a home for.

[saltydad]

Sure, I'll squeeze it in somehow. Thanks!:woohoonaner:

[Richard]

:goteam: Chilean Guava (Ugni molinae) :goteam:

[estan]

Took 6 cuttings of Babaco Papaya. Anyone else growing them successfully (fruiting) in the greenhouse? Mine only fruited once. MsKitty, I also just got white variegated Monstera ,finally ($15), saw it on Marathon Key @$75 back in 2000. Is there a yellow variegated form or is that just large Pothos? Also just bought Plumeria obtusa. Is that really the same as P. bahamaensis as one book claims. This one has shiney leaves and the one I saw in the Keys were dull.

[Tog Tan]

Just went by a friend's house and took back a bunch of stuff which he kept for me for about 2 years ago when I moved house; 1 Vanda luzonica, 2 Vanda merillii, 1 Aerides odorata, 6 hybrid orchids and he was kind enough to give me 1 comp of Hedychium coronarium and 1 Occeoclades mamorata

[cactus6103]

I just repotted several agave's(5) that were delivered in the spring. It's amazing how many roots some of them can produce. I also repotted one aloe that I picked up at Lowes on sale for $0.99. What a deal. Red

[island cassie]

Dragon fruit seeds from fruit I found in the market today - never seen them before much less tasted them! They had red skins and the flesh is an irridescent magenta color which looks amazing - they taste good too. Now I know I like them - I will rush back tomorrow to get some more.

Barbados Pride - the expensive seeds that I bought in England are doing nothing, but the locally picked seed germinates within the week, so the bought stuff must be old!! Grrr!

Also planted some pothos vine offcuts to climb up one of the fishtail palms that is flowering. I figure that if the palm is going to die in the near future, I might as well get a decorative covering going now. Of the 4 fishtail palms, one has local orchids planted on it, one has bromeliads, one has pothos and the last one has a small cut-leaved philodendron (or something similar) as well as that monster passiflora vitifolia.

[lt_eggbeater]

10 ginger plants between the bananas, 4 sagos, a replacement peach tree and a couple of giant birds of paradise.