For anybody who is interested, http://www.easytropicals.com have plugs of Ensete 'Maurelli' for £6.99 & plugs of Tetrapanax 'Rex' for £7.50.

I have bought from them in the past & found the quality to be good.





metalhammer.

whats the p&p cost?

£10.





metalhammer.

It looks like I'll have to get another one this year as the one I've got doesn't look too happy. It did look as though it had started to grow two or three weeks back when we had that spell of nice weather, but since its gotten cold again, it doesn't like it one bit and the top now looks quite floppy. despite moving it to a slightly warmer position when it got cold.

Di

They also sell on ebay under Easytropicals and have the TRex plugs for £6.99 + £2.50 postage. They don't appear to be advertising the Ensete maurelii through ebay at the moment, but if you only want one £6.99 +£2.50 is cheaper than the delivery quoted on their website.

My Monster Maurelii that I lost last winter came from there back in 2006, but was only £4.99 +PP then.

Another month or so and maureliis'll be popping up in every GC and DIY store in the country
Normally for little more than a tenner for a decent sized plant

Very much a rarity around here.I went round most of the garden centres within a 20 mile radius of me last year at Spring Bank Holiday,must've visited 8 or 9 different ones,only found Maurelli in one & that is only 4 miles from me.They aren't having any this year as they only sold about 30% of what they had last year.Manager said they aren't wasting the money this year.I don't go near DIY sheds.




metalhammer.

Mine, still in the ground and still covered by my plastic "greenhouse" might be showing signs of life and growth. Firm pseudostem but still a bit mushy right at the top. But in amoungst this "mush", looks like a new roller is developing. If so, it has survived quite long periods at + 2c (the lowest, but also the "normal" inside temp during the colder nights = of which there were many!).

BTW the main object of the greenhouse was to get my Echium candicans thro'. Apart from loosing a few lower leaves it has sailed tho' with no probs The maurelli (if it makes it!) will be a bonus!

Dave (B) I think you said (in a past post) you had some wrapped ones still in the ground. Have you had a peek at those yet?

Yes I had a very fast grower last year went from a £9.98 B&Q plant to over 7 feet in the season. I cut the leaves off wrapped in fleece and covered with it's leaves. This was then covered with an upturned dustbin. I took the cover leaves and fleece off in Jan and the surface of the stump was frozen so had to uncover during a rare mild spell to thaw out. In late Feb cut the stump back hoping to see some signs of life and it was firm and white, but the surface mushed in a couple of days in contact with warmer air so I guess it is dead. I might try digging out and putting on the heated prop base to see if the corm is alive and might get some pups. In summary this should have worked, but wrong year... just too cold for too long.

I'll put a full update on the original topic saying how I intended to overwinter it

I thought these were really good plants for a tenner last year, though I didn't get the growth out of mine as you did, but at the end of the season I was pleased, as it seemed to have a sudden spurt. The jury is still out on mine, but suspect I have lost it. I'll buy another one this year regardless, if they have them.

Di

Dave, How did your dry stored Maurelli fare ? sadly mine bit the dust (rot) but i have pups from last year so may have another go at dry storage next year.

I have 2 Maurelli but 1 is much slower growing than the other Was last summer way behind the other Did any one dry store a Maurelli and how did it go? I will try some more this year

i dry stored one is potted up in the house warming up now will post pics if it has worked...

Left mine in the pot it was in,cut off the frost trashed foliage & shoved it the greenhouse.It hasn't seen any water all winter but is now beginning to move into growth as I found this morning.Can't say what temperature it got to in the greenhouse,no thermometer.But it didn't freeze for sure,geraniums are undamaged.




metalhammer.

I dry stored mine in the conserv unheated .I wanted to try the loft with edoes as i need room in conserv thanks Bobby have to see pics