HumanJHawkins Wrote:
> I think it is a variety of F. nitida after all... I spoke to an expert
> today about it and he said that in fact some F. nitida can get quite
> dark. Also, they are known to be flowering around the world now.
>
> As far as seed, it will probably be August or September. Bamboos have
> relatively low germanation rates, so it is im****tant to let them get
> as
> fertile as possible. The best way to do this is to wait until you can
> shake them off the culms... Put a tarp below the plant in august or so
> to catch the seeds. It may be late September or even a little later
> before they shake easily off the culm. But if you wait, you will have
> better luck when it comes time to plant them.
>
> Once gathered, they should be kept dry and just above freezing until
> ready to plant. If you have a really nice greenhouse (i.e. on the
> level
> of a pro), you can plant them pretty early... January even. But if
> not,
> you might have to wait until April or even May of the following year.
> They are going to need warmth (which a seedling mat can help with if
> you want to invest in one) and sunlight.
>
> I have never grown F. nitida, but with other bamboos, I have had the
> best success by following these steps:
>
> 1. Soak the seeds for 24 hours in warm water... About 32 degrees C.
> (Put a large jar of water on a weak coffee warmer and check the
> temp...
> For me it held it just right.)
>
> 2. Plant in peat pellets in a seedling tray with a clear dome lid.
> Again, it will cost about 15-20 pounds for a seedling warming mat,
> but
> this will really help. (and can be used again and again, or given to a
> gardening friend when done)
>
> FYI, I have tried germinating in sand, seedling mix soil, peat
> pellets,
> and rock wool. Nothing came close to the peat pellets for success rate
> both during germination and at transplant time.
>
> 3. Once they get a couple of good leaves, transplant to 1 liter or so
> plastic containers. The ones I left in the pellets (or soil or rock
> wool, etc,) really grew slowly right from the first few weeks. But
> those that I transplanted early really took off.
>
> Or, you can always sell your seeds on eBay. They go for quite a price
> due to being very rare.
>
> Cheers!
>
Thanks again for the tips & information !
The only thing that suprises me is that I'll have to wait till 2007 to
plant them !
Some of the web pages I have come accross say that germination rates
drop sharply if the seed is stored for any length of time, and recomend
to plant when the seed is as fresh as possible. I can see why you say to
wait, though - it's imitating nature I suppose.
I'll have to find somewhere that sells peat pellets now !
I should have plenty of seeds to play with, so I'll try germinating a
few as soon as I collect them, as an experiment, and pop the rest in
the fridge till early spring. If I can get any to germinate straight
after collection, I'll put them under artificial light indoors over
winter until I can get them in the greenhouse.
I did this as an experiment this year to try and get some early
tomatoes. I planted some gardeners delight just before Christmas, grew
them under artificial light till early Feb, (20W energy saver bulb)
then grew them on the windowsill and I've just released them into
growbags in the greenhouse this weekend. They already have their first
flowers and some very small fruit. It will be intresting to see how
they go on.
If I can raise 10 - 12 bamboo plants I'll be happy, I'll keep 3 or 4
myself and give the rest to friends. I'll try selling the remainder of
the seeds on ebay, but only once I've had germination sucess. I'll only
sell them if I'm happy they are viable. I've got my feedback to think
about !
I have a warming mat - but it's intended for homebrew wine! . It's
about the same size as a small seed tray, and I expect the temprature
will be pretty close.
As for the parent, I'm dosing it with 2 litres of lawn fertiliser every
2 weeks. If it dies - it dies. It's only a small plant but it would be
nice if I could save it.
--
Mr Whippy
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