Belated, post-growing season updates

[Silas_Sancona]

@Fusca@Hillizard@Austinpalm@mike-coral gables@Josue Diaz@Tracy Playing catch up, figured it was time for some updates to a thread id started at the start of the summer.  While hotter and much drier than desired, especially compared to last year,  some good movement on seedlings and other rare stuff regardless.  Starting off with some of the bigger things,


Lonchocarpus hermanii,  Rare, medium sized tree from the Tropical Deciduous Forest Region of Sonora. While this summers heat whittled what seedlings i'd started down to one, the larger, older plant put on some good growth.  pic. #1 is from June. 2nd pic. taken in October.


Conzattia multiflora, 'Nother rarity from the same region of Sonora. Stepped this one up early on and responded well.  Same thing that occurred with the Lonchocarpus seedlings happened w/ these this year.
Pic.#1, where it started in June. How it finished out the season in October ( Pic. #2)


Largest Kopsia arborea in October, after steadily growth all summer. Smaller one ( not pictured ) is... still catching up, steadily. It was repotted this year.


Buttercup Tree, Cochlospermum vitifolium in October. Hoping i'm nearing flowering age. Supposedly starts flowering once over 2ft in height. Close, but we'll see.. I need seed.


Older Cebia rubriflora seedlings before, and after stepping up.  Took off like rockets all summer and were looking great until i brought them out of the shade house a bit early, while it was still hot.  I'd used cut sections of some Pool Noodles to protect the trunks from any possible sun damage at the time but noticed that both suffered damage just above where the noodles covered one day while inspecting everything. After cutting off the tops, dusting the cuts with powdered Sulfur ...and putting the plants back in the shade house, i decided to experiment with rooting the tops. As is the case w/ most stuff i've tried to start cuttings of here, i fully expected them to dry up rapidly. Well, i guess if something is going to surprise me, doesn't hurt that it's the rarest of everything i'm currently growing.

Seedlings in June, before repotting, in late May


Growth before repotting, set on either side of the Buttercup Tree in the shade house. August.


After being damaged, cut, and put back in the shade house.


Signs of regrowth


Cut tops thrown in a pot to try and save 'em,  about a month later.. Still green atm.  A big deal since our heat +  - humidity, most of the summer, typically ends all attempts at rooting cuttings ..no matter if placed inside, or outside the shade house, in total bright shade. For me, so far at least..  Also, being quite rare,  there isn't much info on growing these,  yet. As far as i'm aware of.  Interesting that such young growth will root, or so it seems so far.



Desert native Desert Hackberry, Celtis ehrenbergiana/ pallida. Growing these both for the fruit ( small but sweet ), and utilizing them for mounting Orchids on later, a fun future experiment anyway.. Pic. #1, Where they started in June, before separating. Where the two smaller seedlings ended the season, in October ( pic. #2)

Edited December 5, 2019 by Silas_Sancona
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[Silas_Sancona]

'Couple bigger things, and some of the seedlings..

Bursera laxiflora, or a cross.. Sonoran/Sinaloan TDF native. Perhaps one of the most  "particular" of the Bursera sp. i'm currently growing..  Somewhat slow, compared to the rest, leafs out very late ( around mid-June ) and has a habit of annual branch tip dieback when it goes dormant (usually by early November ) Finally putting on some size this year. Hopefully it won't continue the bad habit explained prior, or, hopefully any dieback isn't as pronounced as in years past ( died back to essentially it's trunk last year ). Beautiful foliage pattern regardless.  In late June ( Pic. #1) end of summer growth ( Pic. #2, end of August )


Sesamonthus lugardii, Madagascar. Sesame family. Didn't take a picture before repotting but was about half the size it is atm. Tried to flower last year, no buds/flowers this year. Should be big enough to hold any future flowers next year.  Also have S. rivae which is much slower growth-wise.


A few of the older Bombax ceiba / malabaricum seedlings. Another good year for these. Seed collected off the specimens at the old Bradenton Herald location near downtown Bradenton, Fl.


Lion's Claw, Chlorodendron mangense var. leucospermum. Overall appearance is similar to any # of Acacia or Albizia sp. w/ puffball, white flowers/ ferny foliage. Growing this Sonoran native for the bark pattern on older specimens. Older bark peels in shades of Black, dark Brown, and/or an Olive Green to reveal smooth, chalky White new bark.  Nice pair of established seedlings ( Pic.#2 ), after a couple failed attempts. Com pot of White flowering Caesalpinia pulcherrima seedlings  ( seed sent by @mike-coral gables ) in picture #2, to the left.



Not the best picture, thought i had separated them before taking.. but both seedlings of the Ceiba crosses @Loxahatchee Adam had sent, ( pot up front ) and Seedlings of Ceiba insignis @mike-coral gables had sent( pot in back ).



This years Ceiba rubriflora seedlings. Already nearing time for them to be separated into their own pots ( pic. #2, October ).



Caesalpinia platyloba. June ( pic. #1) October ( pic.#2)

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Older Cebia rubriflora seedlings before, and after stepping up.  Took off like rockets all summer and were looking great until i brought them out of the shade house a bit early, while it was still hot.  I'd used cut sections of some Pool Noodles to protect the trunks from any possible sun damage at the time but noticed that both suffered damage just above where the noodles covered one day while inspecting everything. After cutting off the tops, dusting the cuts with powdered Sulfur ...and putting the plants back in the shade house, i decided to experiment with rooting the tops. As is the case w/ most stuff i've tried to start cuttings of here, i fully expected them to dry up rapidly. Well, i guess if something is going to surprise me, doesn't hurt that it's the rarest of everything i'm currently growing.

It should be an interesting experiment with the tops... unfortunate that you are having to do it though.  Just when we think the weather is "safe", it can always throw us for a loop!

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, Tracy said:

It should be an interesting experiment with the tops... unfortunate that you are having to do it though.  Just when we think the weather is "safe", it can always throw us for a loop!

Thats for sure..  Had just taken down the shade cloth i hang on the back side of the shade house for the Plumeria through the summer and put them out figuring sun angle was low enough that i would avoid any damage.. After removing the tops and dusting the cuts to avoid any further desiccation, like what can happen w/ plumeria when you try and take cuttings from younger green wood, i almost tossed the tops then thought perhaps i should hang on to them and try and root. Definitely wouldn't hurt to try.  Didn't wilt or dry out, just sat for a couple weeks, then resumed putting out new leaves.. Will see what happens once spring comes but seem pretty solid in the pot atm, a good sign they're doing something..

[Josue Diaz]

Very cool, you've been very busy this summer. You know, I recently saw seed for the cochlospermum and was tempted to try them out. I can't remember where I saw them offered though. Perhaps RPS?... The conzattia looks like a very elegant tree. Will you be growing all/any of these in the ground? 

Nice tephrocactus btw! I peeked one in the background in one of your pics. 

I've had some successes this summer. Just yesterday, I got around to cleaning the greenhouse and rearranging some things. I'll take pictures and post them tomorrow. 

[Silas_Sancona]

25 minutes ago, Josue Diaz said:

Very cool, you've been very busy this summer. You know, I recently saw seed for the cochlospermum and was tempted to try them out. I can't remember where I saw them offered though. Perhaps RPS?... The conzattia looks like a very elegant tree. Will you be growing all/any of these in the ground? 

Nice tephrocactus btw! I peeked one in the background in one of your pics. 

I've had some successes this summer. Just yesterday, I got around to cleaning the greenhouse and rearranging some things. I'll take pictures and post them tomorrow. 

Saw seed offered on RPS and Ebay, though not sure how legit the Ebay offer is. Might pursue it though.  There's also a listing for hard to find  Delonix elata seed on Ebay atm also..  Take a look at Inaturalist ( if you haven't yet ) for pictures of what the Conzattia, and Lonchocarpus hermanii look like when more mature/ with flowers.

Yes, Plan is to get them in the ground, ( or much larger pots ) until settled and not renting once out of here. Idea, at least with the extra rare stuff is to use specimens i keep as seed/ cutting sources. Some may end up donated somewhere like the Huntington, Balboa, or the Wild Animal Park in time. 

Have a couple different Tephorocactus, Long spined form in the picture, ( might be a bit stretched in the shade house ) Piece of another, wider spined form, and the spineless, "Pine Cone" type.  Keep them out of our sun here after seeing some displayed at Desert Botanical.. Looked awful. 

In anticipation of the move,  been slowly getting rid of stuff that either looks sketchy or i have too much of, mostly a ton of nice sized Echinopsis pups.  Traded a couple dozen with a local nursery for a 5 gal Yucca pallida and larger Erythrina flabelliformis.. Little one is doing fine but had to grab one of the larger ones at the nursery when i saw them displayed. Hoping it's closer to flowering size.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Silas_Sancona
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[Hillizard]

 You are certainly a master propagator of natives and exotics!  So nice to see your collections... thanks for posting those images. I wish I had the room to try more genera and species. Will be very interested in seeing how your Ceiba rubriflora develops over time.

[Fusca]

Impressive collection Nathan!  I see a couple of palm seedlings in there too - photos #9 and #23 - maybe Brahea?  It's great that you have sufficient room to grow all of this especially considering the heat/sun challenges you (and I) have.

Jon

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Impressive collection Nathan!  I see a couple of palm seedlings in there too - photos #9 and #23 - maybe Brahea?  It's great that you have sufficient room to grow all of this especially considering the heat/sun challenges you (and I) have.

Jon

 

13 hours ago, Hillizard said:

 You are certainly a master propagator of natives and exotics!  So nice to see your collections... thanks for posting those images. I wish I had the room to try more genera and species. Will be very interested in seeing how your Ceiba rubriflora develops over time.

Thanks gentlemen.. yes, no doubt i've had my fare share of challenges here. Have had service techs here working on the air conditioner and internet comment asking how i'd managed to keep stuff alive since everything is in containers. Not easy keeping a container ranch compared to when living in both Florida and San Jose.. Especially lacking much tree canopy in most of the yard. but, i have managed to make it work as best as possible.. No doubt there will be less challenges once back in California.. For now though, its all about making sure stuff that can't take it, is placed out of the sun through the summer, and setting small batches of seed so that, if i loose them, i don't totally wipe out what seed i have of X species..  Especially stuff that is harder to obtain, shared by fellow members here..

As i'm sure i have mentioned in the past, Yard size isn't bad, more long than wide.. ( somewhat small compared to others in our neighborhood though )  Biggest challenge has been the lack of tree canopy to buffer the sun, primarily during the summer since that side of the property faces west and there is no additional tree canopy in the neighborhood behind us to throw any extra shade, esp. on the block wall there. There are times you walk out into the yard  about an hour after sunset during July and August and you can feel the heat still radiating off the wall,  standing at the edge of the patio, roughly 50ft away.. Been spraying it down occasionally the last two summers to try and cool it faster on such evenings. Southwest corner, where the burly Mesquite sits, is the best spot in the yard.. very few issues w/ anything placed there.

As far as palms, yes.. there are some mixed in w/ everything else.. That said, after loosing lots of seedlings the first summer here, let alone all the other bigger things i'd been growing, been very reluctant to work with anything else palm-wise until later.. So no, lol..  for anyone curious, i haven't stopped growing palms, just playing it smart and working with other stuff for now.

That said, Seedlings in the background of some pics. include older Sabal mauritiiformis ( Lighter green ) and some Everglades, ( Acoelorrhape wrightii, Bluish looking seedlings ). Also have the Sabal "Lisa" batches / older specimen coming along nicely.. A few Copernicia baileyana /  1 C. hospita left, Coccothrinax com pots, pair of Arenga engleri, some Livistonia decora, and two L. saribus that came up in a pot with what i think is a Chamaedorea... maybe microspadix, the only Pinnate-leaved palm i have left.  These were all seed collected from Kopsick/ around Bradenton and started before i left Florida...

[Josue Diaz]

Hey Nathan, took to the greenhouse this morning to get some pics of my trees (treelings). This time of year, we're blessed with plenty of rain and balmy, sun filled days so plants are loving the shift. (I'm sitting in the yard at the moment in shorts,  flipflops and a light sweatshirt as i type madly on my phone). 

 

First, is schotia brachypetala. Luckily i wrote the date these were sown. This one would benefit from a larger pot, or from going into the ground. Its larger sibling went to the Clovis Botanical Garden for their S Africa exhibit.  (*Siri, remind me to follow up on the garden to make sure they plant it)

 

Milettia grandis, also a smaller sibling of one that went to live at the CBG. I think i want to pot this directly into a 15 gal next spring. It's currently in a 3 gal. 

Cassia leptophylla - collected the seed for this one from the street trees lining La Jolla Ave in La Jolla. Really exciting about growing this one here. 

Caesalpinia ferrea, so far haven't kept this one inside the greenhouse but i may place it in there to play it safe. 

This is one of about 7 hymenospermum flavum. Two went to the CBG. Two went in the ground, and the rest are in 3 gal pots. Really high expectations for this species here.

 

Dais cotinifolia,  went in the ground this fall also. Putting on lots of growth with this rain. (Ruah in the back, sniffing around) *Siri, remind me to stake this one

Here is the crop of ceiba crosses from @LoxahatcheeAdam. All waiting patiently for their individual pots.

My own ceiba (unlabeled, but likely speciosa). It hasn't bloomed yet but hoping for flowers soon.

 

[Josue Diaz]

Castanospermum australe. This should do well in our climate. I'll likely pit these into 15 gallon come spring. I have 3.

A VERY SLOW quararibea funebris. This one is 3 years from seed. It would probably benefit from a larger pot and more light. And a tropical climate lol

Handroanthus umbellata, went into the ground last spring. Hasn't batted an eye at the heat or cold so far.

 Handroanthus impetigunosa - also laughing at the full sun exposure and dry soil. 

Now this one I'm very impressed, if not surprised with. I planted spathodea last year. it dropped it leaves before we even had frost, and then died to the ground. This spring, it came back and grew to 7 feet+. It's much heftier than the sapling that died back last winter. maybe it will keep doing this until there is enough wood to make it through a winter, and maybe one day it will bloom. 

Ficus roxburghii was a gift from @JEFF IN MODESTO. It remains evergreen and looks so lush all year.

New leaves are bright maroon/red

Corymbia ficifolia, no longer looking like a sad little seedling by the side of the road.

and lastly, a couple of brugmansia dooing their fall bloom. This pink one is just finishing its flowering, while the Charles Grimaldi (yellow) is a few days from full bloom. 

& some cheery aloe blooms

[Silas_Sancona]

Last group of updates, i promise, lol..  But first, for @Josue Diaz the Tephorocacti..

Spineless ( but not spine free ) "Pine/ Spruce Cone" form.


Better shot of the long spined, possibly slightly stretched  form. Forgot about the other one i had, to the left in the picture.


Piece of what i think is a wider/shorter spined form.. Segment had fallen off some we brought into the nurery i'd worked at in Gilbert. Looked different compared to the ones i already have so decided to root it instead of throwing it out. 


Last of the bigger specimens:

Lonchocarpus violaceous, kind of a rough year for it.. Was exposed to more sun than it prefers and had some die back. Repotted and moved it to under the Mesquite.


Guiaicum sanctum, after stepping up over the summer. Has formed fruit the last two years. We'll see if the seeds are fully formed this year. ( Were deformed last year )


Guaiacum officinale, ..and just for @Darold Petty included my Ceratozamia hilidae in the shot. Impressed with how this Cycad has done here, let alone how big the leaves have become. Being in shade might have something to do w/ that, but anyway, Caudex is about 3" or so in width.


Delonix pumila, second year from seed. Had purchased a big specimen from Redlands before leaving Florida.. Unfortunately it ( like 90% of my Erythrina collection ) fried the summer of 2017. Was likely close to flowering size-wise.


Madre De Cacao, Glircidia sepium.. Only issue i have w/ it here is new growth likes to die back a bit at the end of winter, just as it is starting to warm up. Repotted this year and hoping to see less die back. Kind of twiggy looking atm but has been pushing more growth since stepping up.



Last of the seedlings..

Jacquina macrocarpa var. pungens. Nice busrt of growth this year. ( Pic #2 ) Included a couple pictures of the flowers/ overall form when larger, taken at Desert Botanical awhile back( pic. 3 and 4 ) Several specimens also growing around Tucson as well. Thick, Holly like, spine tipped foliage, but loves sun / heat. Fruit is supposedly edible but don't think i'd try it.  palm to the lower left is my bigger Livistonia decora.


Better shots of the Ceiba seedlings from seed Loxahatchee Adam ( pic #1 ) and Mike ( in Coral Gables, pic. #2) had sent.


Albizia sinaloensis survivor.


Thats all for now,

Enjoy!
 

[Silas_Sancona]

24 minutes ago, Josue Diaz said:

Castanospermum australe. This should do well in our climate. I'll likely pit these into 15 gallon come spring. I have 3.

A VERY SLOW quararibea funebris. This one is 3 years from seed. It would probably benefit from a larger pot and more light. And a tropical climate lol

Handroanthus umbellata, went into the ground last spring. Hasn't batted an eye at the heat or cold so far.

 Handroanthus impetigunosa - also laughing at the full sun exposure and dry soil. 

Now this one I'm very impressed, if not surprised with. I planted spathodea last year. it dropped it leaves before we even had frost, and then died to the ground. This spring, it came back and grew to 7 feet+. It's much heftier than the sapling that died back last winter. maybe it will keep doing this until there is enough wood to make it through a winter, and maybe one day it will bloom. 

Ficus roxburghii was a gift from @JEFF IN MODESTO. It remains evergreen and looks so lush all year.

New leaves are bright maroon/red

Corymbia ficifolia, no longer looking like a sad little seedling by the side of the road.

and lastly, a couple of brugmansia dooing their fall bloom. This pink one is just finishing its flowering, while the Charles Grimaldi (yellow) is a few days from full bloom. 

& some cheery aloe blooms

Excellent selection Josue!..

[Silas_Sancona]

20 hours ago, Josue Diaz said:

Hey Nathan, took to the greenhouse this morning to get some pics of my trees (treelings). This time of year, we're blessed with plenty of rain and balmy, sun filled days so plants are loving the shift. (I'm sitting in the yard at the moment in shorts,  flipflops and a light sweatshirt as i type madly on my phone). 

 

First, is schotia brachypetala. Luckily i wrote the date these were sown. This one would benefit from a larger pot, or from going into the ground. Its larger sibling went to the Clovis Botanical Garden for their S Africa exhibit.  (*Siri, remind me to follow up on the garden to make sure they plant it)

 

 

 

Cassia leptophylla - collected the seed for this one from the street trees lining La Jolla Ave in La Jolla. Really exciting about growing this one here. 

 

 

Didn't post but have a couple Schotias also.. S. afra and brachypetala. Afra is several years old but no flowers yet. Happier most of the year, not so thrilled w/ our summer heat, but has put up w/ it if i keep it in more shade. Brachypetala is about 3 yrs old from seed and goes through some weird phase each year where it grows like crazy, then sheds most leaves ( primarily about mid- summer.. ) Still green, but looks a bit ratty.. kind of sits looking like that until throwing another flush of growth in Spring.. Much like the Brunfelisa plicata i've had for 10 years does here. It starts looking good again about mid- October.

Cassia leptophylla should do fine there.. If it can grow in Santa Cruz, Capitola area to be exact.. BIG trees along Capitola Ave, on the property of a Church in Campbell ( 2 good sized specimens there ) in my grandparent's yard in a neighborhood cold pocket on the border between Blossom Hill & Almaden, & another big tree located in Willow Glen.. i don't think you'll have any issues. Was one of the first flowering trees i researched extensively.  If you can find one, still think you should try Cassia splendida there. Monrovia was supposedly offering it again under the Cassia splendida "Golden Wonder" name.