I have managed to obtain 10 seeds of this plant. I have chipped the seeds and soaked them for two days, and, they are in a ziplock bag with compost, sitting on a heated mat which is thermosatically controlled. Phew! Has anyone in Euroland tried this species of Stelitzia? I believe it's seed is a bit erratic in germinating.
Strelitzia parvifolia juncea - FOUND!!
Hi prophetfive. Welcome to DG, hope you have a lot of fun here.
Your seed sounds good - and should be happy with all the pamperng! Sorry, it's not one I've tried, so can't make any further comment......
I'm sure someone else will be along soon
Hi philomel
I've tried the seed before, but, with no success. Problem seemed to be temperature fluctuation i.e. warm days, cold nights, hence the heating. According to various sources temperature needs to be 75F to 90F, so I've installed the thermostat to keep within those parameters. Should know either way in four to six weeks.
Good luck with that then, I hope they sprout for you :)
I'm still struggling to get used to the soil and climate here in the SW of France since moving out 2 years ago. The winters go if anything slightly colder than in Kent where I was before, but despite this some things will grow and fruit ripen etc because of the higher daylight/sunshine levels. So now we have persimmons, peaches, apricots and so on. I even have lemons and kumquats which are delicious eaten while warm from the sun. Those last two I overwintered inside by some glass doors though, as the fruit wouldn't set at low temperatures. Now they are outside and putting on new growth.
Anyway, enough wittering. It's fascinating to get to know the needs of each plant and try to provide it - even against the odds. Hope your strelitzias thrive....
Peaches and apricots, my favourites. Do you have almonds as well?
Strelitzias? I've taken advice from 'rarepalmseeds.com', they reckon 4 to 6 weeks for germination of most seeds. Time will tell.
I've managed to germinate Strelitzia (the black form) before, I just potted them in a pot of ordinary compost and shoved them in the propogator, and if I remember rightly, they came through pretty quickly.
I must admit when I planted them I wasn't sure wether to cut off the little ufty bit or not, so I just left it.
Yes prophet, there is an almond.
I'm battling with that red leaf thing with this family (some are fine) The others I'm planning to plant garlic around as that is said to ward it off.......
How are your strelitzias doing now Sue?
Five weeks and counting, and, no sign of any germination yet. This could be a long wait.
Temperature is nice and stable at 75-80F, compost is moist, but, nothing.
Well, at least it's raining, so I get a night off from the watering.
I wonder if the little tufty bit is the key. I cut mine off!!
Hilary, I don't know how large the almond tree is, but I have a small one which gets peach leaf curl every year. Two years running I have removed all of the deformed leaves then sprayed the tree with liquid seaweed - diluted as on the bottle and also fed it with the seaweed mixture once a week for the next three weeks and it has grown lovely new leaves and losing all those leaves hasn't affected the crop of almonds. The same treatment has also revived a very badly affected peach tree. They say you should cover the tree with polythene in winter to keep the rain borne spores off it. I must say I haven't managed to work out how to do this, as the wind resistance of a large sheet of polythene would probably demolish the fence the peach is growing up, and the almond is free standing so that would be even more difficult, but it would probably work in a sheltered spot. I know it isn't anything to do with strelitzias - but our threads do seem to flow into other things don't they.
Pat
I've grown three lots of Strelitzia, both S.reiginae and S nicolai. The occasional one or two will germinate in close on 30 days, the rest will either germinate in a years time or rot.
I also tried S. r. Mandela's Gold direct form the protea suppliers in SA, the seed looked small and I chipped them (which I hadn't done before), soaked them in a smoke paper solution. All 10 eventually rotted. I'm not sure if the seed weren't viable, or chipping and soaking did the harm. I think most seed does not need chipping, the seed will take in water when it's ready and germinate when it's ready. Too much water at the incorrect time may rot them. There is on most seed, in particular palm seed, a place where the root will emerge which is thinner than the rest of the shell, and it isn't necessarily at the end.
The first lot I grew was S reginae, 7 seeds. Two germinated in 30 or so days but one was weak and rotted. the rest rotted over time. I placed mine in water for a few days then in a propogator just below the surface, they will often push to the surface and I found it's probably best to leave them there. The next lot I germinated was S. nicolai, sown in January 3 years ago I think. The following Jan. I thought they weren't going to germinate so ordered more from B&T (others were T&M), within a week of placing the order they started to germinate in a mild spell late January, I had left them a little drier over winter and when warming up I watered them. That must have triggered them. I think I had 4 germinate up until late May, the last one was smaller and remained the runt but I have kept it, you never know what it might be.
The last lot I had 2 germinate again in 30 days and over, the second one looked healthy but was on the surface and I buried it a little, but it rotted. I think the shoot sometimes first grows from the seed and until the root forms properly it lives off the seed, and burying it may have made the young stem too wet to cope as the root wasn't supporting it. I had a few seeds remaining, they were still sound up to at least 1.5 years after and beyond, one finally threw up a root in the air, and tried to grow but it just didn't happen. As it was autumn perhaps it was the wrong time, or just a poor seed. The rest eventually rotted.
Good luck with the juncea!
Thanks for your thoughts on the leaf curl Pat. As you say, not following the theme of the thread, but very welcome thank you. I'll follow your suggestions (apart from the polythene LOL) and see how they go.
Bad luck with your seeds wallaby. That time after germination is just so critical in many species. Better luck if you try again - and good luck with yours prophet...
Unbelievably, whilst we've been chatting away, four Strelitzia juncea plants passed through my local cash and carry plant centre (ex plant auctions) about five days ago. In the words of the great V. Meldrew........."I don't believe it!!".
Did you nab 'em??
Prophetfive,
I bought a juncea from a place in LA, mailorder. They are unusual but not rare in LA basin. LA city flower is reginea.
I am concerned about it because it is showing no signs of growth in 2 1/2 months. Any tips? It is supposed to grow during the warm months, and with our night bottoming out at 24C I would assume that is now. It came with a huge root ball and sound, healthy looking roots. I have fed it modestly, watering mostly from the bottom with saved rainwater or tap water left overnight. Should I just whack the pot with stick or what?
dalethegardener.com or as I like to think of myself profit4one :0
Hi dale, mine seem to slow down at this time of year, I don't think the heat is absolutely necessary. Mine tend to grow early in the year in a spare bedroom, slow down for summer and pick up again in late summer to autumn. The temps are probably 16-18C. they are in a semi-shaded greenhouse now. Just hang around and it will probably move when you least expect it to!
Of course mine are reginae and nicolai, but I should think they behave much the same. But I do admit that I keep looking at mine and wondering why they are not growing! Perhaps in their native country the summers are too hot and dry, so they reserve their growing spells for rainy seasons? Just a thought! Perhaps it day length related?
It did arrive bare root and the reginae that they are associated with are not growing this time of year, just flowering. I will have to learn patience (me? patience?) and see what happens this Oct when the days start to cool.
I am so glad the soltice has passed and the days will be getting shorter. I really prefer the winter months and everything grows better without the heat stress, me included.
The nicholai do fine in this weather, they grow really fast this time of year, not many flowers tho.
Wall paper..
Hi philomel,
No, I missed the plants, but, they were not for sale. Already purchased by someone at a plant auction.
Hi Dale,
If your Strelitzia was barerooted it might take a while to get going. I've just undercut the roots on my reginae and nicholai, both plants were pushing out of their pots. I keep them well potbound as it seems to encourage flowering.
Hi wallaby1,
Just been reading up on Strelitzias at www.plantzafrica.com. Worth a look. They use growth hormone stimulants (ethrel) to germinate their seed, but, seed has to be fresh.
That is a good reference site isn't it, I often use it. Hormones are not my cup of tea, but I have enough, mind I wouldn't mind trying Mandela's Gold again. The true MG have to be hand pollinated, as they are bred in captivity and there is a species of moth needed to pollinate them which is not available in the growing/breeding regions. Sometimes the seed is just not viable, but yes, it has to be fresh and viability drops quickly. The new seed is normally available by early February, but you are not always guaranteed to get new!
I got mine from finebushpeople, the protea growers, at 40p per seed, but it was small, and I chipped it, I soaked it in their smoke primers, and it rotted!
Week seven and all seeds have rotted away! So...........too hot, shouldn't have chipped the seeds, wrong compost? Answers on a postcard please.
Back to the drawing board!! Maybe I should stick to moths!!
More research or ask Wallaby.
With seeds from such a different climate I usually try to find out when they sprout at home. What temps, day length, rainfall patterns. Some seeds have to go through a digestive tract to sprout.
I used to try fuchsia from seed, the never would sprout well. Then I heard that they were edible. I would pop a berry in my mouth, squish it with my tounge and spit it out onto the soil. They sprouted very well that way.
For your seeds you might want to get some fresh cow dung and push them into that, without chipping them. And let them set for awhile outside. I would ask the seed seller if the seed has a dormancy period, that might be a factor.
I am so lucky to have a whole continent of garden centers to draw on. Every climate for garden treasures. We have thousands of plant collectors and sellers looking to make a buck or two.
Good luck.
Here is a ginger, Globba, that is hardy anywhere the ground doesn't freeze (winter dormant).
Ask away!
I have grown fuchsia from seed, F boliviana alba. The seed pods of that and some others are edible. I haven't really looked after mine very well, they need to be grown fresh every year from midsummer (a short new growth) in order to get flowers, they are very late to flower here. I do keep some going, I left most of my young plants in the greenhouse over winter and most didn't survive, but the older plants do get through, they are late to grow though.
The pods I had I left on the top of the pot (indoors), and any leaves that fell off I left them there too. the seeds dried, and in spring started to grow. Many of this type of seed in fleshy pods are best left whole as I think the flesh acts on the seed. Once they started to grow I took some seed out of other dried pods and put in a propogator, they grew like weeds. Most people selling them will remove them from pods for obvious reasons. I do the same with calla seed, leave them on the top of the pot over winter in the greenhouse, they start to germinate in early summer the next year. They can be taken out when ready to grow and put in pots and they will grow as they have had the fleshy fruit around the seed acting on it, they dry to a hard seed with sticky dried flesh around them.
I try to think how it would be in nature too, and that for some seeds would be the way they grow, drop off the plant whole, dry in the dry period, rains germinate them.
Strelitzia seed is said to be helped by using the smoke papers as you would for protea, which I did with Mandela's Gold, but I shouldn't have chipped them.
The correct smoke papers are the ones as sold by www.finebushpeople.co.za , they are cheap if buying seed also. I paid about £0.40 a disc, if you can buy them here they charge many £s.
Fruit juice is another dormancy breaker for some seed, it's probably the acids that break the coating down or provide something the seeds need.
Yes, time for some research I suspect. There's more to this Strelizia caper than meets the eye.