Del's Garden Blog: Summer 9-8-13

[Delboy]

Cheers both

Today I decided to remove my bare rooted rostrata from its pot, it's been about 2 year so I figured it was time to take a look. Well not a single root in sight, it has looked a bit ropey lately but pushing out new growth. I went to lift it from its pot and it practically fell out. It was in a mix of soi, sharp sand and gravel but was pretty damp

How long can these take to die? I've now shoved it in a raised bed out of the way but pretty sure its not coming back.

[karl66]

Del, I alway's thought re-rooting was better done in open ground with a winter cover if possible?, I think a lot of yucca's can still look healthy for a year or two before showing crown damage , I've only ever bought two bareroot plants, one is a dasyrillon longissom & the other a massive thick trunk rostrata about 130cm trunk!, the dasy looks lush & pristine planted out though i'm told they can look like this for 2 years living off reserves in caudex, the big rostrata which did have some root's seem's to have took a hold in the ground & is pushing new growth, however I've made a vow never to buy barerooted again as to me it's a lot of wasted time an effort. karl.

[Delboy]

This is the only bare rooted plant I've ever bought, it was cheap at less than £50 delivered with a 90cm trunk.
I've enjoyed it for 2 years so not a total loss.
Wouldn't buy another, lovely plants but it's just too wet here for them.

[karl66]

Del, when you say to wet for them here do you mean for establishing bareroot yucca's? or keeping them in your garden generally?, apart from some early damage to my large faxionia all mine in arid bed's are thriving & healthy. karl.

[Arlon Tishmarsh]

Today I decided to remove my bare rooted rostrata from its pot, it's been about 2 year so I figured it was time to take a look. Well not a single root in sight............

Del, if its any help i bought the following 4no rostrata a while back from the nursing section of Der Palmenmann as job lot for approx £30 / £40

Der P Rostrata

Rostrata.JPG (79.53 KiB) Viewed 1162 times

To get mine rooted , i let the heel of each soak in a bucket of Palmbooster for approx 10 mins. Then they were potted up in horticultural grit and the dust that came with it . I pot plunged / staked them them into a raised bed and left them to mother nature. Approx 12 months later i lifted them and the roots were coming out the drainage holes of the pots

[Yorkshire Kris]

I got two barerooted rostrata. One has rooted really well within a year to 18 months. The other hasn't done a thing root-wise but still looks healthy.

I'm led to believe Palmbooster will do nothing to promote initial rooting, rather it works to produce masses of secondary rooting. Either way I used it on the one that is now doing well.

[cordyman]

Today I decided to remove my bare rooted rostrata from its pot, it's been about 2 year so I figured it was time to take a look. Well not a single root in sight............

Del, if its any help i bought the following 4no rostrata a while back from the nursing section of Der Palmenmann as job lot for approx £30 / £40

Rostrata.JPG

To get mine rooted , i let the heel of each soak in a bucket of Palmbooster for approx 10 mins. Then they were potted up in horticultural grit and the dust that came with it . I pot plunged / staked them them into a raised bed and left them to mother nature. Approx 12 months later i lifted them and the roots were coming out the drainage holes of the pots

great technique!!

[Delboy]

Del, when you say to wet for them here do you mean for establishing bareroot yucca's? or keeping them in your garden generally?, apart from some early damage to my large faxionia all mine in arid bed's are thriving & healthy. karl.

Sorry Karl i should of been more clear.
For a bare rooted plant I think i let it get too wet last year what with all the rain we had. My mixture wasn't as free draining as I thought it would be, infact quite the opposite!!
I'd have a rooted one, but they are a lot more expensive for obvious reasons.

Mark, those were cheap! Some nice chunky specimens.
So just pure grit,Nothing else? I have a bag of pea gravel here would that be ok or too big?
I may as well try your method as ive got nothing to loose. I don't have any palm booster tho I do have palm focus not sure if it's the same.

[Arlon Tishmarsh]

So just pure grit,Nothing else? I have a bag of pea gravel here would that be ok or too big?
I may as well try your method as ive got nothing to loose. I don't have any palm booster tho I do have palm focus not sure if it's the same.

I would think pea gravel would do fine Del. I went the way of small grit because i wanted it to be ultra free draining to prevent heel rot. Also i didn't want the weight of moist / wet compost etc snapping the fragile roots when i lifted the plants out of their pots. I find small grit will tend to fall away from the roots , preventing damage whereas compost will cling to the root and if there's not sufficient root to support the weight of planting material, the roots snap off
I had Palmbooster here at the time. Obviously i can't say 100% thats what did the trick but as its a root stimulant i didn't think it would do any harm, so i used it. I've used the same method on a bare root ,2ft trunk revoluta and thats now starting to send out roots as well. I've never used Palm Focus so i honestly couldn't say. I think its seaweed based , so on that basis i would think it would be ok

[karl66]

Del, palmfocus is a balanced feed for potted palm's yucca's etc & I've used it in the past & found it a good product. Palmbooster is a totally different product as it's not a feed but a root enhancer, I use it on all transplant's & new plantings!!, if your planning coming my way give me a bell & I will sell it to you cost at what I buy it off nigel for, I currently have 15 bottles in stock believe it or not!!. karl.

[Delboy]

I was going to buy some slow release fert from nigel so may pick up a palmbooster at the same time....possibly a Trachycarpus too lol.

Im more a plant it and let it fend for itself type of guy so i have never used palmbooster.
However after seeing how green Nigels palms are i fancy treating them to his fert, my garden does get chicken pellets and some miracle grow but thats it.

I will repot the yucca in pea gravel and sink the pot where it is now. I'd love to save it tbh, such a nice feature plant.

[karl66]

Del, don't underestimate palmbooster!! & especially the slow realise 15-5-15 fert, chicken pellets are ok every now & then as a top up but do not offer a balanced feed for most palm's, there also very high in nitrogen which you don't want late into the growing season as new growth wont harden off. karl.

[Delboy]

Del, don't underestimate palmbooster!! & especially the slow realise 15-5-15 fert, chicken pellets are ok every now & then as a top up but do not offer a balanced feed for most palm's, there also very high in nitrogen which you don't want late into the growing season as new growth wont harden off. karl.

I tend to use the chicken pellets more for around my ferns. I'l have to get some fert, my palm leaves arent as green as i'd like.

[Delboy]

1st summer pics taken this morning, everything is looking really healthy and will hopefully grow a lot this year.

[Delboy]

think that enough now