Hardy Tropicals UK

unless the conditions are right,you could wait months for them to split and send a frond up.the initial root takes a fair while to get settled.As Dave said,you'd be better of with some big leafy things for the buzz factor as you wont get much of one from cycads.
i was impatient too once,it does go away after a while,when you realise things just dont happen overnight. i had a good buzz this week,i potted a parajubaea tvt and some green princeps sprouted seeds not long after xmas. just got my first shoots emerging above ground level,nearly 3 months on

Sanatic, I germinate large seeds in a bag or sealable container so you can keep an eye on your seed, looking for germination without contantly interfereing with them. Once germinated, pot up and leave alone as the roots are very delicate, and if the first root is snapped off that is normally curtains for the plant

tell me about it dave,meg sent me 2 butyagrus seeds,i broke a root on one trying to take a pic the f word was mild compared to the rest of the language i used

Congrats mate! you will have to post a pic of it so i can take a peak It was definitely worth waiting for!
I did purchase a Colocasia - black magic aroid today but won't get it till 5th of April as they don't use artificial heat on there plants and rely on the sun. Also they won't sell anything under a certain height. So roll on the 5th.

sanatic1234 wrote: i have managed to get a root on all 3 seeds that are growing! and are now about a inch in length. But still no top growth. no sprout at all. Surely i should of seen something by now.
...
I am so confused as to what to do.

Good so far. They are just the right size to pot up. You need a deep pot, I use palm sleeves 7cm wide x7 x21cm deep. Pot them in a really well draining mix. The root typically has to make it all the way to the bottom of that pot before the shoot will appear. 6 months or more is typical. During that time, avoid the temptation to poke, pry or otherwise disturb it, unless it is really obvious that the root has rotted. If you get a shoot before that, you're very, very lucky, or your name is Jan Methorst.

You're right about the broken root - that one's probably a goner.

From sowing the seed to seeting the first frond fully grown can easily be a year. Maybe more.

We are growing these plants waaaay out of their comfort zone in the UK. Check out Greg Holzman, he grows them in Hawaii, they are fast there by comparison.

redsquirrel wrote:sanatic,im not sure how old these are but ive had them a year,some have got bigger but hardly any new fronds on any.

They were all 1 year old or so, except possibly for that D. spinulosum.

I have a Ceratozamia that I bought last June with two fronds and it is now looking like it could make a third. Whoopee!

I need..no wait..want a little sid

I have finally got my first frond on one of my cycads. It was well worth the wait. What a good day its been today.

Found a site,

Guy is Dutch so should know his plants. I could buy a ready germinated seed

http://www.minorgarden.com/page7.htm At last something I can do *

That is Jan, and yes he does know his plants, but not because he is Dutch. I'm sure there are lots of Dutch people who who nothing about plants

I seem to get a lot of satisfaction from growing plants from seed as i can class the plant as being my own and not somebody elses that they didnt want. if that makes sense?
I suppose also that its my way of learning as to why I tend to choose this way. I am having a lot of success this year though which is a good thing.

just be prepared for a lot of losses next winter,the more small stuff you grow,the more plants you have at risk.spoken from experience with well over a hundred plants gone in the bin this year. its not just about growing them,you need to learn how to keep them too.this is the stage i am finding a little more difficult

Dave Brown wrote:That is Jan, and yes he does know his plants, but not because he is Dutch. I'm sure there are lots of Dutch people who who nothing about plants

we visited Jan this week,saw a truely amazing sight there.the poor bloke had a fire christmas eve in one of the greenhouses,many cycads got burnt but would you believe,some have flushed again with part of the tiny caudex burnt through
it was good to see he didnt have a total loss as the bloke is a real gem and very helpful aswell. bought a couple of zamia furfuracea 'bonsai'. a new introduction i think he said.very short stocky fronds,impressive plants. i also had a couple of chambeyronia macrocarpas to replace one i killed this winter

Hey you don't think the smoke may be had something to do with it growing again as some exotics like smoke don't they. Just a thought.
My little ones should be safe mate hopefully! i will more than likely bring them indoors as most of them will stay potted this year.

Just one quick question which is off topic, do musa basjoo mainly have thin stems? As mine has got a stem not more than an inch thick.

Don't worry,they'll thicken up,mine have been as thick as 8" in diameter at the base.How big do you think they grow then?.I saw them at Kew in the temperate house a few years back with trunks about 15-18" diameter at the base & over 30' tall.Will Giles of Norwich used to protect his trunks during the winter,they used 5 x 1 metre square pallets stacked up on edge on each side,that covered the trunks.Given a warm climate(say Overbecks Garden in South Devon)they can get enormous.




metalhammer.