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View Full Version : My Jurassic Ginkgo Biloba Tree Project


Eric
09-19-2009, 08:21 PM
Just a few notes & hoping to attract (& learn more from) other Ginkgo Biloba Tree enthusiasts :).
I planted my 2-3" Ginkgo seedling April 24, 2006. This is how it looks today, September 19, 2009:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23380&size=1

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=23381&size=1

About Ginkgo Biloba trees (aka Maidenhair trees) & why I'm so enthused:
The only known-&-current "wild" location of this species is in the Tian Mu Shan reserve in Zhejiang province in eastern China. There is, however, an over 3,000 year old living specimen in Shandong Province, China.
Kingdom Plantae, Division Ginkgophyta, Class Ginkgoopsida, Order Ginkgoales, Family Ginkgoaceae, Genus Ginkgo, & Species Ginkgo Biloba.
The tree fossils date back 199.6 million years ago (mya) & the leaf fossils date back 270 mya. The first fossils appear in the early Jurassic period. It is a Very unique species having no close living relatives. The leaf's vein structure is very simple & primitive so the tree loses water quickly & must be watered regularly.
The name was derived from the Chinese word for "silver apricot", Ginkyo. Apart from human cultivation, it has been considered endangered for centuries. It prefers a deep, sandy loam but is adaptable to even hard, clay type soils. It is immune to the effects of radioactivity, as well. In 1945 Hiroshima Japan, 1.5 Km from the center of ground zero, numerous specimens survived the blast & are still alive, healthy, & growing to this day.
It is also immune to all known plant viral & bacteria infections, insects, sulfur dioxide pollutants, ozone, & snow and ice storms. Ideal growing climates are temperate to sub-tropical.
Initial transplant shock is very long-term. Mine appeared yellow, sickly, & wilted for over a month before any green began to return to the leaves. When planting, keep the trunk clear of weeds & do not use mulch cause respiration occurs around the trunk. In the winter of 2007/2008, mine sat encased in 1/4"-1/2" ice for about a week and actually showed accelerated growth the following spring & summer! Apparently, mulching does not hurt it during the cold months.
For the first 10-12 years, growth is irratic. Under identical conditions, it may grow as much as 30 cm (1 foot) during one summer & show no growth at all the next (identical) summer, despite identical care & conditions. Once it has reached 20 feet in height, it is no longer considered an adolescent tree. At that point, it begins to develop a rounded top. The final dimensions are 66-115 feet tall with a 25 foot wide trunk. There are, however, specimens in China over 164 feet tall! While still adolescent, it can exhibit angular growth & may need to be staked to straighten the trunk. Also, any pruning should be done only in early spring.
The Ginkgo is dioecious (male/female). The yellow fruits, of the female tree, are abundant & can get quite smelly after they've been on the ground a while. However, the nuts in the seeds are considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine & are highly prized. They are used in numerous recipes but must, like saffron, be used sparingly. MPN levels in the seeds can be poisonous for children if more than 5 seed nuts, per day, are consumed over a long period. Also, for some people, contact with the seeds can cause allergic reactions similar to poison ivy. But the seeds are also considered to have medicinal effects & are also considered an aphrodisiac.
I started my 2-3" seedling 3 years 5 months ago. It's now (the woody part) 30.5 inches tall with a 1/2" thick trunk! Since it is immune to just about everything known to mankind (except lack of water), it will very likely live thousands of years after I'm gone!
It's one of the oldest known trees on Earth & one of the most resistant. That's why I'm so enthused & would like to see others enthused, as well, for the sake of it's survival as a (very unique) species!

Jananas Bananas
09-19-2009, 09:48 PM
Very, very interesting, Eric! I tried seeds a few years ago and never got a sprout. Yours looks healthy. Do you just have one? ~JaNan

Bananaman88
09-19-2009, 10:35 PM
I sure hope for your sake that it turns out to be a male tree. Ginkgos are dioecious (separate male and female plants) and the females produce the most horrible-smelling fruit I've ever encountered. Of course, on the positive side, if it does turn out to be a female, you probably have about 15-20 years before it fruits!

Eric
09-20-2009, 09:40 AM
Very, very interesting, Eric! I tried seeds a few years ago and never got a sprout. Yours looks healthy. Do you just have one? ~JaNan

Hi JaNan :), You tried from seed? Awesome! Gotta try that some time. I started by having dad order 3 seedlings but I planted them where our old pine tree had died. Didn't find out, till it was too late, that pine trees leave stuff in the soil that other plants dont like. Anyway, two of them died but this one made it!! Wish I did have more than one.
Thanx for the seed idea! Gonna try that too!


I sure hope for your sake that it turns out to be a male tree. Ginkgos are dioecious (separate male and female plants) and the females produce the most horrible-smelling fruit I've ever encountered. Of course, on the positive side, if it does turn out to be a female, you probably have about 15-20 years before it fruits!

Was a little too young and a little too excited so I forgot to find out if they were male or female :eek: !! And thanx for the extra info about the smell! What I'd read said the female fruits had a bad smell.... Didn't say HOW Bad, though. Sounds a little scary since it also said they make lots of those fruits!
Yeah, will be 15-20 years before it matures enough to tell which gender it is. Guess if it IS female, I'll just have to make sure & visit my parents every spring to pick up the fruits!
Still be worth it to have a tree like this, though :) !

Jack Daw
09-20-2009, 10:20 AM
Smell is bad, but it also repulses insect such as mosquitos. ;)
Nice project, nice idea. When I have a field one day, as a part of recultivation I will plant out 3 and 3 ginkgos as well. Nice tree. Growing wildly in our parks.

Eric
09-20-2009, 12:48 PM
Smell is bad, but it also repulses insect such as mosquitos. ;)
Nice project, nice idea. When I have a field one day, as a part of recultivation I will plant out 3 and 3 ginkgos as well. Nice tree. Growing wildly in our parks.

Wow! Didnt know about the mosquitos thing, Thanx!! Would sure Luv to see your parks :) !! BTW, the nuts in the seeds are supposed to be good for cooking with and are also supposed to be medicinal and an aphrodisiac.
Also, if you start out with 3, in good soil, they should all survive & do great :) !!

Jack Daw
09-20-2009, 01:13 PM
Wow! Didnt know about the mosquitos thing, Thanx!! Would sure Luv to see your parks :) !! BTW, the nuts in the seeds are supposed to be good for cooking with and are also supposed to be medicinal and an aphrodisiac.
Also, if you start out with 3, in good soil, they should all survive & do great :) !!
It's like eating small hatching birds. :D Parks here are beautiful, especially those 600 years old. If you are in the region sometime, give me a call, PM... we can manage a tour. Green like England thanks to our summer rains and good temps.

damaclese
09-20-2009, 03:55 PM
in the house i grow up in we had a male Ginko it was possibly the most perfect tree we had it had the most amazingly symmetrical branching turned a beautiful bright gold in the fall and best part no fruit down in the Village shopping center the streets were lined with female Ginko they looked nice but the fruit smells like vomit to me not kidding who ever ordered those trees really messed up i never understood why they didn't replace them but they were over 100 years old and i guess people liked them or were use to them

Jack Daw
09-20-2009, 05:16 PM
in the house i grow up in we had a male Ginko it was possibly the most perfect tree we had it had the most amazingly symmetrical branching turned a beautiful bright gold in the fall and best part no fruit down in the Village shopping center the streets were lined with female Ginko they looked nice but the fruit smells like vomit to me not kidding who ever ordered those trees really messed up i never understood why they didn't replace them but they were over 100 years old and i guess people liked them or were use to them
That's why only male trees are allowed in European parks. :D Female only for 5 males.

Eric
09-20-2009, 06:43 PM
It's like eating small hatching birds. :D Parks here are beautiful, especially those 600 years old. If you are in the region sometime, give me a call, PM... we can manage a tour. Green like England thanks to our summer rains and good temps.

Thanx :) !! Definitely plan on visiting Slovakia someday if just to look you up :) !! Should be a Really Awesome tour, too!!

LilRaverBoi
09-21-2009, 02:41 PM
Yeah, the fruits are NASTY smelling! It's like a combination of vomit, dirty feet and cat poop. Very odoriferous and disgusting! Anywho...what is the 'jurassic' part of the thread name all about? Is this a special TYPE of gingko?

Eric
09-21-2009, 03:49 PM
Yeah, the fruits are NASTY smelling! It's like a combination of vomit, dirty feet and cat poop. Very odoriferous and disgusting! Anywho...what is the 'jurassic' part of the thread name all about? Is this a special TYPE of gingko?

Hi Bryan :), It's the only species of ginkgo. There is another ginkgo-like tree but it's not related to this one. In fact, there are no close relatives to this tree, in scientific terms. The Ginkgo (after the Chinese "ginkyo" for "silver apricot") dates back 270 million years in the fossil records. It first showed-up in the early Jurassic period. It is actually a Jurassic period tree :) !
I call it a "project" because it has been mostly due to human cultivation that it still exists today. It's been on the endangered list for hundreds of years.
Oh well, still on the lookout for dinos to propogate! Let me know if ya see one!!

LilRaverBoi
09-21-2009, 05:12 PM
Makes me wonder if the dinosaurs ate the nasty berries! :ha: Yeah, I didn't think there were any other varieties...which is why I was kinda confused. They are very cool trees though. I like the pattern on their bark once they get old. There was a row of nice old ones at my undergraduate college that were very nice. Best of luck with yours!!

Eric
09-22-2009, 03:29 PM
Makes me wonder if the dinosaurs ate the nasty berries! :ha: Yeah, I didn't think there were any other varieties...which is why I was kinda confused. They are very cool trees though. I like the pattern on their bark once they get old. There was a row of nice old ones at my undergraduate college that were very nice. Best of luck with yours!!

Thanx :) !! Always wondered why dinos had such nasty tempers. Who wouldn't after eating something like that!?!?!?!?! :ha: Been adding extra water & fertilizer over the past 2 days. Really hoping it's a female & will fruit - today would be Great!! Might help persuade my cousin to leave so I can have my privacy back :) ! Oh well, back to looking for skunks :).

Dalmatiansoap
09-22-2009, 03:34 PM
Neeh, leave skunks.
Hunt for girls:ha::ha::ha:!
Enjoy:nanadrink:
:woohoonaner:

Jack Daw
09-22-2009, 03:54 PM
Neeh, leave skunks.
Hunt for girls:ha::ha::ha:!
Enjoy:nanadrink:
:woohoonaner:
I do, but only on lunch-breaks, there are not many at my school (and even those that are there, are definitely not... my type), damn Technology University. :ha:

Eric
09-22-2009, 04:39 PM
Neeh, leave skunks.
Hunt for girls:ha::ha::ha:!
Enjoy:nanadrink:
:woohoonaner:

Always working on that :) but, unfortunately, last girl that was chasing me drove the skunks away :eek: !! Oh well :(, back to looking for skunks. At least they're soft & cuddly :).
Hey Jack :),
You're in the wrong school! Me? I'm going to major in anatomy studies at Ty Ty University :) !!

Jack Daw
09-22-2009, 05:07 PM
Always working on that :) but, unfortunately, last girl that was chasing me drove the skunks away :eek: !! Oh well :(, back to looking for skunks. At least they're soft & cuddly :).
Hey Jack :),
You're in the wrong school! Me? I'm going to major in anatomy studies at Ty Ty University :) !!
Nice. Bodybuilding and fitness.

Eric
09-23-2009, 04:45 PM
Thanx Jack :) !! Exactly my whole point! People work so hard to preserve prehistoric fossils and stuff BUT what about prehistoric attitudes? Plants & animals are great in museums but I like to see live specimens too! I think Ty Ty should be preserved in the interest (Lots Of Interest) of keeping people Happy & Healthy :) :p !!!!!!

LilRaverBoi
09-23-2009, 04:54 PM
Really hoping it's a female & will fruit

You actually WANT it to fruit!? EWWWW! And anyway, I doubt it would do that till it's much older anyway. But if it were me I'd prefer it NOT to at ALL!

Eric
09-23-2009, 05:04 PM
You actually WANT it to fruit!? EWWWW! And anyway, I doubt it would do that till it's much older anyway. But if it were me I'd prefer it NOT to at ALL!

You may be right :). Besides, I've already got 3 or 4 pet skunks anyway and I really dont wanna drive them off, especially Flower :) !! She's beautiful and has big, wide stripes.... very friendly :) !! Makes lotsa babies too!!