Allotments 4 All

...cos the Bird of Paradise is out!



Three spikes this year!

moonbells

Wonder what they're saying to each other?

Moonbells. I really like them. Are they difficult to grow?

Ooo lovely MB!  I only have 2 spikes this year, but of course mumma was split in half back in the summer so she has been in shock.  Mine are still a good 2 or 3 weeks away from opening - later for me also this year!

Quote from: lorna on December 18, 2006, 13:11:18
Moonbells. I really like them. Are they difficult to grow?

They are utter toads to get to germinate, but once going, they're pretty foolproof. Want some seeds? pm me your address... tho won't send till after Christmas due to postchaos. I find roughly 1 in 4 grow. They can take anything between 6 and 18 months to germinate - if you pot up in a perlite/compost/sand mix, enclose in a ziplock bag and pop in a warm place, you can forget about them for a few months.

Unfortunately they take years to get to a decent size and to flower.
With consistently warm conditions, you can get one from seed to flower in about 4 years if you're lucky. Often it's nearer 10.

Here's the story of mine, which I popped up because practical info on growing is hard to find, like pot sizes etc. Mine's only in a 10" pot even now, as they like being potbound in order to flower.
http://www.moonbells.com/strelitzia/strelitzia.html

moonbells

Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on December 18, 2006, 13:17:25
Ooo lovely MB!  I only have 2 spikes this year, but of course mumma was split in half back in the summer so she has been in shock.  Mine are still a good 2 or 3 weeks away from opening - later for me also this year!

I was wondering how yours were faring after the surgery! Glad to hear you've got flowers! I've only ever had single stems before, so watching it split the crown into three and grow matching stems was amazing.

I guess yours will grow *very* well now it's got a lovely planter to settle into :) :) :) ;D

moonbells

Moonbells, Many thanks, will PM you when I am back from taking the dog to the vets!! Want to ask you some questions
Lorna.

Mine hasn't flowered yet - I bought it as a small plant - but live in hope!  What do you feed your with??

Louise

Fabulous, they really look as if they should squawk! :)

Moonbells. Hope it is OK have just printed the five pages as per your link. PM on it's way to you.
Lorna.

Quote from: louise stella on December 18, 2006, 17:29:52
Mine hasn't flowered yet - I bought it as a small plant - but live in hope!  What do you feed your with??

tomato food!

moonbells

Wow! Those are certainly plants to be proud of!

Wow I'm proud of you ;)
It's amazing plant! Lucky you!
Last time 2 year ago when I went to Holland to the flowers market ,forgot to get some seeds back with me!

They are amazing Moonbells & I loved the web diary thing - you must be very patient but defiantly worth it. MM

They look like this now:



I'm pollinating two of the spikes, to see if there is any difference in flower longevity if they are or aren't pollinated, but given the number of seeds in a pod, there ought to be plenty for swaps come August. Sadly there's none left at the moment...

moonbells