Tropaeolum/Welcome

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Tue, 06 Dec 2005 10:26:43 PST
Dear Jamus,

Welcome to our PBS list and thanks for introducing yourself. I'll be eager 
to hear what people will say about germinating Tropaeolum seed. So far I've 
had no luck with T. azureum. I had heard that fresh sown seeds were most 
likely to germinate so have tried seed from the southern hemisphere at the 
wrong time of the year, but have had mixed results. Some I got to come up, 
but later lost. Seed I held over for fall sowing I've not been successful 
getting to germinate. Last year two seeds out of a batch I got from the 
NARGS seed exchange and started in winter came up. Why I was successful 
with those I do not know. The shoots when they do come up are so delicate 
that the seed pots need careful monitoring.

While we are speaking of Tropaeolum, does anyone have any suggestions for 
getting the tubers to come up? Do I need to grow all of them (except for T. 
tricolor which I can usually get to grow outside) in the greenhouse? Harry 
Hay had a lot of plants that were successfully growing and blooming in his 
UK greenhouses and David Victor and Ian Young were growing plants in 
greenhouses too. I remember Bill Dijk had his sheltered a bit from the 
elements as well. Last year T. brachyceras did not come up at all and three 
species including it have not started into growth. I've moved them into the 
greenhouse, but so far no signs of activity.

Since moving Canarina canariensis into my greenhouse and leaving it there 
year round it is doing much better and I have two HUGE plants in bloom 
right now and taking up a lot of room. My greenhouse is getting very 
crowded now as so many of the South African plants seems to do better with 
some protection from my excessive winter wet conditions even if it doesn't 
get very cold where I live in winter.

Mary Sue

Mary Sue Ittner
California's North Coast
Wet mild winters with occasional frost
Dry mild summers 


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