Miketropics blog -- Spring is FINALLY here

[miketropic]

Could you put a cardoon out there?

I could and I would also love to have one for my own garden..I ordered one in the spring when they sent the order it was missing..haven't been able to find another for sale since only seed.

[Kristen]

Could you put a cardoon out there?

I could and I would also love to have one for my own garden..I ordered one in the spring when they sent the order it was missing..haven't been able to find another for sale since only seed.

I grew mine from seed, they were pretty much "full size" in year one ... dirt cheap too, of course.

[miketropic]

Could you put a cardoon out there?

I could and I would also love to have one for my own garden..I ordered one in the spring when they sent the order it was missing..haven't been able to find another for sale since only seed.

I grew mine from seed, they were pretty much "full size" in year one ... dirt cheap too, of course.

Wonder if the seed stores well? might wait till fall and get some seed from this years batch sent to me and give them a try next year. Wish they were hardy..since im not real good with seed if I get it right once I don't want to have to keep doing it every year

[Kristen]

Wish they were hardy..since im not real good with seed if I get it right once I don't want to have to keep doing it every year

Mine survived last winter. We had a couple of nights at -10C

[flounder]

I grow from seed as well. Germinate easily and they do keep for quite a few months

[miketropic]

Last night at 2 am it was 23c with 97% hum..could hardly work in it but it sure it making the plants grow..currently 33C so I might go out in awhile and take a few ics if anything has grown.

[miketropic]

Had to go out and cut off some burnt leaves..this hot sun is really doing some damage..

New Thai leaf comming out looks more like an Alo leaf right now

[miketropic]

This has been an awful week for gardening here in KY. Our usual sunny and 32C days have gone and we had near record lows last night at 12C. The day are only getting around 26C and this is suppose to be the start of our hottest time of summer. The plants don't seem to mind much I guess they like a little break from the extreme heat. I also don't have to water as much which helps out some. I did manage to go out and snap a few pics this morning since I have not updated in awhile.

Almost got a 100% yellow leaf on my yellow splash


and a day later


First real flower I have had this year..from a white lava


Largest I have ever gotten a mojito



cactus pads rooting in well


San Pedros have put on impressive growth this year


Dragon fruit making its way up the stand


New leaf on the fox tail comming out


Some late season cannas are moving finally, red stripe and the hybrids



Canna Omega flowering out at about 12 ft


If there was ever a debate on tetrapanix this will solve it..2 plants..same age and leaf size.nothing alike

Cornish groove from the UK


Steroidial Giant


castor beans around 10 ft now. If I only got 1 seed per pod I would still have to many



Paulowina showing good growth keeping up with the castors and putting on big leaves


Phorm I got from the UK recently starting to put on some new leaves..really likeing this


Cooperi attempting to put ot new fronds..when that rabbit dosent chew them off.


My favorite danger fruit setting plenty of flowers but no fruit


Nancy starting to get some color seperated alot of pups off this already


mammoths comming in around 7 ft


Electric blue gecko..BY FAR the darkest leaf I have ever seen on a colocasia



Violet stem amass with runners


Since my thai tried to put out the double leaf it has been very strange..it decided to put out a leaf from the aborted leaf and it went monstrose. now the largest leaf isnt growing any



My wife got this for me for £13


Newly planted mekong raising from the back

[The Codfather]

Wow....look at the size of them already.....and that electric blue is unreal....never heard or seen it....

[miketropic]

Wow....look at the size of them already.....and that electric blue is unreal....never heard or seen it....

I wish the camera could do that one justice..when the sun hits it the veins are just awash in blue and the leaf is so black its unreal..Mine is a bit slow and it has not pupped or put out runners but other than that its one of my personal favs..

[The Codfather]

[miketropic]

The other interesting thing about it is that when the leaf comes out it is already as black as coal. usually on black types there green and go black in a day or 2..this one is black from the start. the spots are from the hose water. when the next leaf comes out I will wash it off good and take a pic in the sun. it really is a beautiful plant.

[cordyman]

Mike some crazy growth on all your specimens there! those ricinus and cannas

[miketropic]

Mike some crazy growth on all your specimens there! those ricinus and cannas

3 types of ricinus back there..seems the type we call "red" over here has the best growth but the others are not far behind..might go get a measurement in a few to see how big they really are.

those canna are "omega" tallest type I know of. I have seen them bigger but mine did not get sun all day so they topped out a bit small.

Not entirely accurate since I can't reach them but the "omega" seems to be flowering out at 8'2" and the largest ricinus is 7'6" with a 24" leaf

[Kristen]

Lots to want in your garden Mike Loved the annotated photos, thanks.

3 types of ricinus back there..seems the type we call "red" over here has the best growth but the others are not far behind

For me the New Zealand Purple I grow is 20% smaller than the R. zanzibarensis. I'll send you some seed this Winter once I've got my new stock in and you can try / compared. They'll probably turn out to be the same as yours