TRex (Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex') Sasa Palmata in disguise

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simon
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Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by simon »

Dave, I looked at my Carolpz one with the rotted tops and they have little buds all over the old wood like in your pic. no sign of buds on last years growth yet though.
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Dave Brown
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Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by Dave Brown »

Seems to be a common thing then where the side branches appear from ripe wood then Simon.

In answer to my original question .... TRex, or Sasa palmata in disguise? It looks like if the pups are left in place serious roots link the plants together, but if the pups are removed they just form normal Aralia roots.

If I way up the effort in digging a trench 3 feet deep around a 4 foot diameter area..... a circumference of 12.6 feet to install a barrier, compared to removing 20 pups per year, and if being lazy just snapping the tops off. Removing pups wins hands down. icon_thumright

Also if Sasa palmata had looked as good as TRex maybe I'd have persevered with it :wink:
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weve

Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by weve »

I certainly wouldn't attempt to barrier an existing Rex, which although possible would certainly be too much work for me!. Done at planting time tho,' it wasn't too bad. In my case i had to dig quite a wide and deep hole anyway to remove old shrub and rose tree roots, so digging a little deeper around the perimeter for the barrier wasn't too much extra work.

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metalhammer

Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by metalhammer »

I've just lifted a 15month old sucker on my 'crinkly' leaf T.'Rex',but no sign of the wood rhizome on your's Dave,actually couldn't find any obvious attachment to the parent plant,which is 9 feet away.I have another to lift later that is 30months old,will see if that's exhibiting the woody rhizome.




metalhammer.
Nick

Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by Nick »

This is all very interesting, Dave what a root wow, my transplanted 3 yr T-Rex stands at 17in tall and 5 in around about the size of a large chicken egg I would say, but mine has shoots in last yrs trunk that has not barked over yet and a few in the barked over oldest part of the trunk, I had 3 suckers from where I dug it up from but only one survived thank goodness as I really want one to grow on that side of that garden to fill some space up,would it be alright to rub off the side shoots as I an going for a strait trunk of some height before it branches out, so will removing the side shoots cause it to pup? or will it produce more side shoots to replace the ones I wish to remove.My two pups that got frosted and rotted due to me leaving the leafs and stalks on all over winter look like they ate goners, no sign of life from anywhere on near or around them, now there trunks were only 4 inches tall no thicker than your thumb so could they be goners or is there still time yet? also the new growth on my big one out front seems very slow to grow, it has one leaf on a short stalk but the leaf is still all screwed up in a ball, and I've given it lots of water to make them unfurl to open but nothing seems to make it want to open it's leafs out just yet, where the pup has a open leaf of about 3 in across and a second well on it's way, and one of my T-Rex plants is in a corner where it gets the sun last but gets the heat from the fence is on it's second open leaf, if anyone knows about taking the side shoots off I would be very interested to hear about it.

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metalhammer

Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by metalhammer »

Bit of 'umble pie being eaten here,I said,'oh my T.'Rex' hasn't got a woody rhizome,ooops,it has.15month old pups aren't exhibiting this traint,but a 30month old pup has a woody rhizome about 1cm in diameter.I haven't actually lifted the plant yet,but the rhizome was about 2cms below the surface.




metalhammer.
weve

Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by weve »

Hiya Nick
When I rubbed off my sideshoots nothing untoward happened and no pups either. As long as one strong growing point remains, this should be enough to suppress any excessive branching/pupping. Once any sideshoot is rubbed off I would think it is unlikely to branch from that particular node again.

Mine is really slow this year with a few small "embryonic" leaves produced so far, which have "stalled" and seemingly refusing to develop further, so you are in good company. I was slightly concerned, but am putting it down to the many cold nights we are still having. (went just below 2c here last night!)

BTW 17" seems very short for a 3 yr old rex! :shock:

best
weve
Nick

Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by Nick »

Hay Weve it's good to know I am in such good company, it could be the cold nights, I've rubbed the side shoots off about 8 in total,I am trying to get height to the trunk as it shades out everything that's growing around in the same bed, I've seen that one rotted off T-Rex has a small green ball forming on the trunk so I am hoping it's a new shoot to replace the head that's no more due to the cold.

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daz
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Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by daz »

I got one from carol and its flying up just now :D I want as manny suckers as posible because i want to plant them over the other side of the stream.Pics to follow :D
Nick

Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by Nick »

Daz your the one with the stream at the bottom of your garden if I remember rightly :?: Yes your right they will look bloody good planted there with there big leafs and the sound of running water add some sunshine and your have heaven in a few years time, Yes please post some more lovely photo's of your wonderful garden, your find as you want it to sucker it just wont now, a Guerra would also look great there giving it that real stream through the jungle theme, I can't wait to see when it's planted up Daz icon_thumleft


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Dave Brown
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Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by Dave Brown »

metalhammer wrote:Bit of 'umble pie being eaten here,I said,'oh my T.'Rex' hasn't got a woody rhizome,ooops,it has.15month old pups aren't exhibiting this traint,but a 30month old pup has a woody rhizome about 1cm in diameter.I haven't actually lifted the plant yet,but the rhizome was about 2cms below the surface.




metalhammer.
I don't think they are rhizomes in the true sense of the word, more a tree root. I think it is just where the pup emerges the root gets thicker over a period of time. Maybe we have to think of these as an exotic Prunus :wink:
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becky

Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by becky »

Dave , i think you have all the luck :lol: were still waiting for ours to pup, we have brought 3 t Rex, s and the only one that grown too a half decent size last year, i think has died now, chance would be a fine thing to get pups :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by Dave Brown »

Found 3 more pups this morning. :wink:

All small first leaf pups. Not a very good pic but here are two new ones, circled, now with the two older ones forming a cluster of 4 pups. The other was away on its own :wink:

I wonder it this is the plant's response to losing it main growth point on the mother plant icon_scratch Ensete maurelii style pupping :lol:
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20100420 TRex pups 01.jpg
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DiCasS
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Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by DiCasS »

This is the first year I have lost my growing points since the first year of planting and never had a sucker up until now. Found a sucker the weekend only a couple of inches tall, so this may be one of more to come. It looks like I have lost about 1ft of the main stems and have noticed numerous green shoots just starting to grow further down.

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simon
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Re: TRex, or Sasa Palmata in disguise :-o

Post by simon »

I think ultimately Di, what you loose is anything above you highest bud, as that is where this years growth will have to take off from. I have had plenty of buds on old wood (summer '08 growth) but no movement on last years growth so I bit the bullet and have sawn off last years growth and rubbed off all buds except one on each stem. I hope I did the right thing, all the old embryonic buds on last years leaf axils where dessicated.
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