Hardy Tropicals Forum

Sago winter

2010-09-09T04:56:57Z

Hey I have a young sago (about 5 years old) and I just read on this site that sagos are hardy to zone 5a. Is this a mistake? Most of the time you see these as hardy to 20 degree F. I live in southern Michigan (zone 6a) and plan to experiment keeping the sago outside this winter in a pot. Am I an idiot for trying this? Should I wrap it?

so what palms are you all growing?

2010-06-19T21:38:56Z

as per title,over there you have so much more scope for growing these plants,here in the uk,we are quite limited as to what we can rely on to survive our winters,in some cases even the ‘bone hardy’ trachycarpus fortuneis have been battered

List of Hardy Bananas

2010-05-14T20:00:03Z

Here is our current Plantabase index of Hardy Bananas

Two can be grown in especially cold climates - Musa Basjoo and Musa Sikkimensis.

Hardy Bamboo List

2010-05-14T19:57:13Z

Currently we have a variety of Hardy Bamboo listed in Plantabase. Below are what we have to date.

Giant Vivax Bamboo, Running Bamboo (Phyllostachys Vivax)

Alphonse Karr, Hedge Bamboo (Bambusa Multiplex)

Giant Japanese Timber Bamboo, Madake (Phyllostachys Bambusoides)

Giant Gray Bamboo, Henon Bamboo, Bullet Proof Bamboo, Ghost Bamboo (Phyllostachys Nigra)

Yellow Groove Bamboo, Spectabilis Bamboo (Phyllostachys Aureosulcata)

Koi Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea)

Phyllostachys nuda, Nuda Bamboo, Nude Sheath bamboo (Phyllostachys Nuda)

Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys Nigra)

Fishpole Bamboo, Golden Bamboo, Yellow Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea)

Colocasia Gigantea - Thialand Giant Strain

2010-04-25T02:30:55Z

This plant will produce seed pods pretty regularly as it grows large enough. Gigantea can commonly self pollinate, though it seems to not breed with others such like Fallax and Affinis. Once mature, beneath the spath (bloom), you should see the pod. In fact, many will have 5 or so spath flowers, each with a pod beneath it, all from a single leaf node. It will likely take several weeks for the pod to ripen and burst - but when it bursts open it’s ready (it will look like it has exploded from the inside out). You can extract the seeds by squeezing them out of the berries, then soak them overnight in water for planting the next day. The seeds, which are very small (tomato seed size) can also be stored in a dry cool place for sometime if you’re not looking to plant immediately. On a side note, you may notice how the inside of each ripened pod smelled like muscodines… interesting.

If you are looking to plant immediately, have your seed tray ready with fine mix (preferably with a soil-less mix to avoid contamination; fungus can spread rapidly amongst seedlings). Spread them out on the surface and don’t cover them with any soil. Mist them or keep them moist (a tray or container with a clear or translucent top will work to retain humidity, but you need to check them frequently to be sure they don’t dry out - remember, they really like to be wet). They should germinate quickly.

The following photos show how to harvest and sow seeds of a Colocasia Gigantea.

More information available in the Plantabase

Basjoo growth progress over 2.5 years

2010-04-24T04:34:22Z

From potting to it’s first bloom, check out the transition of this Musa Basjoo from 2007 until 2010. A beautiful ornamental banana.

Check out the gallery at Flickr

Getting the Bird of Paradise to bloom in a pot

2010-04-23T13:46:04Z

Anyone who love the blooms of the Bird of Paradise, which I suspect is all of us, can rest assured they CAN get this beautiful flower to appear where they live - even in a pot. The key to this success is a lot of sunlight during the summer, water, and neglect ... yes, neglect. The Bird likes to bloom when it’s a bit stressed - so ignoring it or forgetting to water it might work in your favor for a change. That’s not to say don’t water it for a month, but you get the point. Be sure to take them outside as soon as it’s warm enough to do so, the more direct sun these guys can get, the better. By the end of September of October you will see the first buds appear and by mid-December you should have your first bloom.

This can be achieved with both the Orange and Giant White Bird of Paradise - we’ve successfully gotten both to bloom, in a pot, indoors, during the winter. The key was to let them do their thing - just get plenty of sunlight.

Many BOP’s need to be at least a few years old, but they don’t need to be ancient. My first BOP bloomed at just four years old, and I have one that’s nearly 20 years old that still hasn’t bloomed - so sometimes you have to experiment. Having a good loose and well draining soil mix with vermiculite or perlite will help - the roots like the extra aeration to the soil.

Here are two photos of my Orange and White Birds respectively. They are magnificent when they bloom and prove to be quite a nice surprise in the cold of winter.

Discover your Hardiness Zone

2010-04-21T18:26:45Z

There are two primary resources available for you to look up your zone via your zip code.

First is the USDA Hardiness Zone Finder on the National Gardening Association website. A new map is currently in the works, so we’ll post an update once it’s available.

Second is the Arborday site which some people say over exaggerates warmth of select locations, but we like it for it’s simplicity.

Golden Pothos / ’Devils Ivy’ in Zone 8a

2010-04-21T18:25:33Z

I’m still waiting to see if it’s three years in a row, but I’m not holding my breath after the winter we just had. The long spells of cold sub-freezing weather combined with more than one day of snow makes me think this year might have been the last for my resilient pothos. But none the less, it actually survived planting in 2007 and came back in both 2008 and 2009. Granted it didn’t get very large either year and struggled more the second year than the first, but the very fact it survived unprotected was pretty crazy.

This past year I also had some pothos vine in a fountain in my yard. Of course I unplug it for the winter, but I noticed despite multiple freezes of the water tank, the pothos vine itself remained firm. I threw everything out in the early spring when cleaning the fountains, but I can’t help but now wonder - would it have grown back? The firm stem could have just been happenstance, but I’ll always wonder now.

Not sure this is even a true “success story,” but it was interesting getting golden pothos to survive WAY outside of its zone.