THE "OTHER" FILES

[ahayastani]

I'm focused on a relocation myself. Five years if things go as planned. Subtropics in the Andes though.

Anything less than 20º feels too cold...

Areca catechu

Not a rare species here... Although it took some time for me to recognize it. I remember this species from my travels in SE Asia. The palms from my memories are loaded with fruit, but here locally, these palms bear little fruit. I don't know whether this is due to bad managment or inferior genetics. Seeds are not consumed here, so there is little interest in obtaining high seed yields. I have six plantlets now but haven't found betel yet. Perhaps I should just make another trip to Sri Lanka...

Some images from the last few months. I had watched some youtube videos from Indian commercial betel palm growers. They planted the whole seed, with flesh and all, which felt somewhat counterintuitive but I decided to follow their advise. And guess what... I worked

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[Pr0digal_son]

Anything less than 20º feels too cold...



Not a rare species here... Although it took some time for me to recognize it. I remember this species from my travels in SE Asia. The palms from my memories are loaded with fruit, but here locally, these palms bear little fruit. I don't know whether this is due to bad managment or inferior genetics. Seeds are not consumed here, so there is little interest in obtaining high seed yields. I have six plantlets now but haven't found betel yet. Perhaps I should just make another trip to Sri Lanka...

Some images from the last few months. I had watched some youtube videos from Indian commercial betel palm growers. They planted the whole seed, with flesh and all, which felt somewhat counterintuitive but I decided to follow their advise. And guess what... I worked

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9-22C all year is my kind of climate. Political climate is good also. I guess not really subtropics but equatorial zone.

 

[ahayastani]

I bought these tomatoes on a recent trip to Oaxaca. They are a local heirloom variety and go by the name Riñón (because of their shape). Exquisite taste, the best tomatoes I've tried in a long time... The first seedling has popped up after three days, and another hook is already visible. Working with fresh seed does have its advantages

 

[CaneDog]

Nice! At that rate, ripe tomatoes in what, about a month?

 

[ahayastani]

I purchased seeds of Polynesian arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides) earlier this year. I had no previous experience with this plant, but the internet had shown me a few interesting details. Seeds were cleaned with diluted bleach and "soaked" in water, which is when I found out that the seeds of this species won't sink to the bottom. Seeds can be dispersed by the sea and float for several months.

After 6 weeks, one seed germinated and was transplanted.

Today, I noticed its third leaf is unfolding.

 

[ahayastani]

Somewhere in 2022, I purchased a rhizome of the ornamental turmeric cultivar "Sweet Memory". The rhizome quickly developed some leaves, but sadly, the plant died back for no apparent reason. When I wanted to throw away the soil and clean the container for reuse, I noticed that a volunteer pepper had appeared. I decided to keep the plant

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It survived a mite attack and set fruit.

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A classical habanero, I thought.... But as the plant was setting fruit, there also appeared very turmeric-like leaves from below the pepper plant's stem (bamboo torture-style ). The turmeric slowly pushed the pepper plant sideways. The pepper's fate was definitely sealed when I stopped watering and a red spider mite colony wrecked the remains.

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The turmeric produced its first flower stalk when I was in Oaxaca Luckily, I could still enjoy its beauty for a few days when I came back. Here she is, basking in the morning sun.

 

[ahayastani]

Cycas debaoensis, a multi-pinnate cycad endemic to Guangxi, China. I germinated 5 seeds in March earlier this year; four seeds sprouted rather quickly, but there was one seed that wasn't showing much activity... I kept it aside and noticed last weekend that it had finally sprouted. Its brethren and sistren are currently unfurling their fifth frond already. Quite impressive...

 

[ahayastani]

Alpinia calcicola, a ginger described in 2000 (PDF link to publication) from Vietnam. Germination has been easy, but I've had bad luck with transplanting the sprouted seeds. Of ~20 sprouted seeds, I've got 2 plantlets so far. Perhaps I should add more perlite or pumice, to imitate its natural habitat.

The largest plantlet is developing additional stems - I assume it will start to grow quickly now.

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[ahayastani]

Zingiber chrysanthum is a ginger from the Himalaya. As so many zingiberaceous plants, it is ascribed beneficial medicinal properties, and I also read a (somewhat poorly documented) report of its rhizome being used as a spice.

I sowed ~100 seeds at the end of August. Seeds were not scarrified, only treated with dilute bleach (15 min) and soaked in water at ambient temperature (24 h). The first seedling popped up after one week, and after three weeks the first seedlings were already transplanted. That's fast - other gingers sometimes need months to germinate...

Today I transplanted the last seedlings, I think... I didn't count the number of seedlings I've transplanted the last three months, but certainly more than I had anticipated. I had bought 100 seeds, taking into account my bad luck and inexperience with zingiberaceous plants, and I would have been glad with one or two plants. But I've got many more... Only few seedlings didn't survive the transplantation process. Some of the flower pots below contain multiple seedlings.

To be honest, I don't have enough space to give them all a decent spot So I've placed some of the pots in palm containers, which also helps to keep out squatting cats In the image below, they accompany Chambeyronia houailouensis. Don't pay attention to the mess. We've had a lot of rain and wind the last three weeks, and I haven't had the time to clean up. To sow new species and transplant seedlings, I obviously did have time

 

[ahayastani]

My Alpinia caerulea was becoming too big for its container, so I gave it an update yesterday I started it from seed in July 2022, and I posted a picture of the only germinated seed in November of the same year. Compare size... One year apart, I'm impressed. It likes wet but can handle drought. I've given it very little care...

 

[ahayastani]

My plantlet of Alpinia calcicola was screaming for more space as well... During transplantation to a larger tub, I noticed that new shoots are in pole position and ready to go. I still have a second, smaller plantlet, but I'll wait and see how this one will react to transplantation.

The plants in the background of the bottom picture are Strelitzia reginae. I found a container with germinated seeds I'd forgotten about and transplanted everything to a large tub. Somewhere between 20-25 plants, but I'm currently out of space to provide each of them with an individual container.

 

[ahayastani]

Winter has been very hard. Normally, temperatures drop after the rainy season and begin to climb again in February-March. There is something of a "sweet spot" from November to February, when there is no rain but temperatures are relatively mild (28º to 32º). There has been no "sweet spot" this season Only very high temperatures (35º-ish and more) with hot and dry wind. Some of my plants didn't make it, sadly enough, but the good news is that now I know that all surviving plants can tolerate some abuse

I obtained some seeds of Solanum schizandrum, a solanaceous plant with origins in Brazil. I sowed three seeds; the first seed germinated at 31 days and the second at 42 days. There is some information about this species on the website of Helton, who also put a video on YT. Some information from an academic perspective, including natural distribution, can be found in the thesis by Y. Gouvêa (p. 163-172).
Personally, I don't know what to expect. Perhaps it indeed is muito saboroso, or perhaps it's just another schitzplant. I'll post an update in a year or two

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[Bou]

The description of the fruit is intriguing; I hope it will grow true!

 

[ahayastani]

The description of the fruit is intriguing; I hope it will grow true!

We´ll see I'm worried about fruit set- it might be too hot here - and pests. All solanaceous plants I've grown were pest paradises, even the frigging weeds

 

[ahayastani]

One of the vendors on a local farmer's market gave me a coffee plant (robusta) as a gift The plant was in dire need of more root space...

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I transplanted it two days after receiving it, but the root system had been colonized by ants.

Gave it some extra fertilizers

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Plant doesn't look sad anymore.

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[ahayastani]

I transplanted a second Solanum schizandrum seedling. They're not slow growers and now look more like other members of the nightshade family. The small seedling (top left) is sanhaçaiba (Psychotria carthagenensis).

 

[ahayastani]

That's right, Solanum schizandrum! At least one species that's doing well New growth shows spines on stems as well as leaves.

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[ahayastani]

Early March, I received some random mail package from Indonesia . It contained mostly palm seeds but also seeds of the aroid Amorphophallus muelleri (Müller's unsightly penis ). I have absolutely no experience with Amorphophallus species. Seeds had begun to germinate in transit and seedlings even opened the baggie...

The first images are from March 2.

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I was worried they weren't going to make it, also because of the weather we experienced at the time: hot, low humidity, hot and dry winds. So I added some leaf litter as mulch - this is an understory plant of the moist tropics - and I think they're doing fine now. The following photos are from yesterday.

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[Marturo]

Interesting.

 

[ahayastani]

Interesting.

If all goes well, that is... It takes a few years before the plants begins flowering. I'll be happy if I can taste a bulb in a year or so