Heliconia bihai brought inside 1st Nov
- Dave Brown
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Heliconia bihai brought inside 1st Nov
The Heliconia bihai has stayed in the consevatory all year until this year, but it struggles and sufferes badly from Red Spider Mite in the dry heat. This year I decided to try it planted out. I thought these liked quite warm temps but it has done resonably well in shady part of the new bed planted up in June. It has not been fed at all, as once planted right in a back corner, it was a pain to get to
When it came to digging it out at the wekend it had numerous roots in all directions about an inch below the surface. These went out for several feet so had to be cut off.
I am pleased with it's growth over summer. and although a bit wind scarred is generally in better condition than when baked in the conservatory. It has grown 3 new stems and is now about 8 feet tall from about 3.5ft in June.
What do you rekon of my chances of getting it to flower
When it came to digging it out at the wekend it had numerous roots in all directions about an inch below the surface. These went out for several feet so had to be cut off.
I am pleased with it's growth over summer. and although a bit wind scarred is generally in better condition than when baked in the conservatory. It has grown 3 new stems and is now about 8 feet tall from about 3.5ft in June.
What do you rekon of my chances of getting it to flower
Best regards
Dave
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Dave
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
nice looking plant dave i have been tempted to buy some seed of Heliconia schiedeana
described as hardy it will die down inthe frost and re appear in the spring..is this worth a go??
described as hardy it will die down inthe frost and re appear in the spring..is this worth a go??
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
I managed to get hold of a Heliconia psittacorum in the spring & planted it out too, it has flowered all summer (it's a dwarf flowering variety) infact it has only just stopped flowering. I'm going to take a risk & leave it outside during winter as it's reportedly quite cold hardy & can grow outside in northern California & Melbourne, so can take light frost... I'll let you know if that's true next spring...
- Dave Brown
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Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
It will be interesting to know if it comes back to flowering size from being cut to ground level Nathan
Best regards
Dave
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Dave
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
It should do Dave (if it survives) as it's only around 18 inches tall!Dave Brown wrote:It will be interesting to know if it comes back to flowering size from being cut to ground level Nathan
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
Dave how do you look after these during Winter. Will you put it back in your conservatory and let it carry on growing or will it have a dormant period somewhere cooler (can they do this). Great growth this year and wouldn't it be great if it rewarded you with flowers next year. Hope it does
Di
Di
I'm at an age where my back goes out more than I do.
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- Dave Brown
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Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
My impression is they are quite tough, although they are not fast growing like Canna or Ginger, so I would not let this one get frosted to the ground. Although I may divide it in spring and give a piece a go in the garden next year
Nathan's one sounds different in that it is a small one that may get to flowering size from ground level every year.
Nathan's one sounds different in that it is a small one that may get to flowering size from ground level every year.
Best regards
Dave
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Dave
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
I didn't realise they grew such big leaves. I often see Heliconias at the market or GC here, usually with flowers, but the leaves are much smaller or perhaps they're just different varieties.
I take it they don't like full sun, just heat.
I take it they don't like full sun, just heat.
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
How many coldtolerant Heliconias are there by the way? Those wich can overwinter arround 10 degrees during daytime and arround 2 during the night, but not warmer. Most need more heat wich is a propblem financily when heating a greenhouse.
Alexander
Alexander
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Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
im learning so much lately.if you hadnt named it dave,i would have thought'just another nana' and not read on. looks like something else to look out for next year.
mars ROVER broken down. headgasket faillure
- Dave Brown
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Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
I just hope it flowers Darren I'm just learning about these plants buton the web it says they are root hardy to zone 8. Which should mean in a warm sunny spot it may be suitable for outside growing.
Has anyone got these growing outside
Has anyone got these growing outside
Best regards
Dave
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Dave
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
I had thought about giving this a try a while ago Bobby. From reading the experiences of a few people on the forums at the time, I came to the conclusion that schiedeana could possibly survive in warmer areas, but even then would only flower indoors if at all.bobbyd44 wrote:nice looking plant dave i have been tempted to buy some seed of Heliconia schiedeana
described as hardy it will die down inthe frost and re appear in the spring..is this worth a go??
I gave up on the idea so can't offer any advice from personal experience.
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
cheers mick seeds seem pretty cheap so worth a try!!
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
Where are you getting them from Bobby?
Re: Helicania bihai brought inside 1st Nov
http://seedrack.com/05.html
goin to do a large order for xmas!! keep me quiet forthe first few months of the year!! according to the mrs!!
goin to do a large order for xmas!! keep me quiet forthe first few months of the year!! according to the mrs!!