Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Seedy Subjects! => Seeds Wanted => Topic started by: heinz tessner on May 28, 2007, 12:49:24 PM
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Hello everybody,
I am looking for seeds (actually bulbs would also be welcom ;) ) as written above.
My main interest of Haemanthus is on the ones with habitus like Massonia.
Anybody know a source? :)
regards from Germany
Heinz
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Hello Heinz - I'm not sure what he has in this line but you may like to contact Dawie Human in Africa, who has a very long list of African plants as live material and as seeds. If he can't help, he'll surely know who could. His address is djhuman@mweb.co.za (Is that Zanzibar?)
There's also a seed firm in South Africa called Silverhill Seeds but I have no address for them. Try Googling maybe?
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I think he lives in the Orange Free State in South Africa?
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@ Lesley and adarby
.co.za is (as adarby wrote) South Africa , in Africaans (I think) Zuid Afrika. Like in the Netherlands. If I am right it comes from the Buren in South Africa. "Buren" means (like our slang speak hear, Platt-Deutsch) farmer.
Also of course thanks for this address. I know silverhill, but have had no success with the seeds (tried every Massonia and daubenya, without germination). Of course my fault.
If you like to take a look, I post some pics of my small Massonia collection here
http://picasaweb.google.de/shimaha/Massonia
it ist the onlinewebalbum from google.
AS you can see, some small plants which MUST have some more sisters ;D
Sorry fro my bad english, but I try not to make too much mistakes
best wishes from Germany
Heinz
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Hi Heinz
Whenever I've got Amaryllid seed from Silverhill they arrive having already germinated in the packet! Especially things like Haemanthus. They had a service where they would notify you by e-mail as soon as the seed was ready to sow and that might give you better results. Try them again.
I'm still waiting for my seedlings to flower but that may be a few years yet!
cheers
fermi
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Hi Fermi. Brilliant to see your smiling face on the Aberdeen report. ;D Sorry I was unable to see you in person. :( I have some Haemanthus seeds germinating. Maybe you or Hans J. could tell me how best to grow them on and how long it will take for them to flower. Should I separate them or leave it until they need potted on?
Cheers
Anthony.
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( I have some Haemanthus seeds germinating. Maybe you or Hans J. could tell me how best to grow them on and how long it will take for them to flower. Should I separate them or leave it until they need potted on? )
Hi Anthony ,
You should let them in the sowing pot for the first year - I'm not able to say you how long it need from germination to flowering -but I think there is a minimum of 5 -8 years ( depending which species ) Some needs more than 15 years .....sorry :P
Greetings
Hans
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Hi Anthony
I'd agree with Hans and say keep them in the same pot for at least 1 year; I tend to sow the seed into a 5" pot and let them bulk up for a couple of years then tease them apart (they have thick roots so it's not difficult to separate them) and either pot them up individually or in small groups in a large pot. I know some of the growers who sow a large number use those large foam boxes from the green-grocers ( like the fish troughs, but with ample drainage!) using a free draining potting mix. Feeding witha "tomato fertilizer" would probably help during the growing season. I think one problem you may have is that the growing season is usually the winter when you may find the ground may be a bit too cold to activate the slow-release-type fertilizers.
cheers
fermi
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(like the fish troughs, but with ample drainage!)
I'm a bit concerned that anyone should think the fish box troughs do NOT have ample drainage......it is, of course, VITAL to have appropriate drainage holes in the base of any trough... unless you're making a small pond, that is!!
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....I think one problem you may have is that the growing season is usually the winter when you may find the ground
Hi Fermi and Anthony ,
Here I have listet the growing times of Haemanthus :
evergreen ( summergrowing ) :albiflos ,deformis ,pauculifolius ;
wintergrowing :amarylloides and ssp.,barkerae, canaliculatus, coccineus , crispus, dasyphyllus ,graniticus ,lanceifolius ,namaquesis ,norteri ,pubescens and ssp.,pumilio ,sanguineus ,tristis ,unifoliatus ;
summergrowing :avasmontanus ,carneus ,humilis and ssp. ,montanus ;
Greetings
Hans
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Those interested in Haemanthus may find this of use:-
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Learning/publications/plantsman/1205/Haemanthus.pdf
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David,
Thank you, thank you for the Haemanthus article. I know of the great value of the Plantsman (but can't afford to subscribe to EVERYTHING...).
To bring it back to the plants, how does everyone feel about forcing dormancy in these genera. Under my lights, they continue to grow, albeit slowly, and show little sign over the season that they have any interest in bed-rest. My inclination (perhaps naive) is to keep them going as long as they appear to want to grow. Comments?
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To bring it back to the plants, how does everyone feel about forcing dormancy in these genera. Under my lights, they continue to grow, albeit slowly, and show little sign over the season that they have any interest in bed-rest. My inclination (perhaps naive) is to keep them going as long as they appear to want to grow. Comments?
Carlo ,
In this article is written H. carneus as wintergrowing -but in my collection look seedlings of this species more like a summergrower - so I have asked some friends from Africa ..and they agree with me .
Greetings
Hans
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@all
seems it took quit long to get Haemanthus from seed to flowering size.
Shall I better try to get some bulbs to start with? I think so.
regards from Germany
Heinz
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Hi Heinz ,
Yes it's would be better to get adult plants .....but it is more or less impossible !
In Germany is not one nusery who sells this plants -in England sells it eralier Monocut ....but it is now closed .
Sometime you get H. albiflos ......
I have written to many german botanical gardens for this plants ....nothing !
You can buy it in Africa ....but think on changing hemispheres .
For me is still the best way with sowing....
Greetings
Hans
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Heinz,
Paul Christian has some Haemanthus avaiable at this link.http://www.rareplants.co.uk/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=164&strPageHistory=cat
Don't know if they are the kind you are after.
Regards,
Mick
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Hello Mick,
thanks for the link. I have checked it before cause of hardy orchids and Massonia, have not "seen" the Haemanthus. Thanks.
@ Hans
i got my first Massonia as a "like it? get it?" from the bot. Garten of the Ruhruni in Bochum. Lets see, if I find the old contact, maybe another "swap" is possible. Lets see.
This Massonia I got in 2000 (main interest at that time was on Dischidia) . Actually slowly but constantly I got some more. Now I am looking for Massonia habitus like Heamanthus.
Regards/beste Gruesse
Heinz
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Hello Heinz,
Not very exciting I know, but I have some seed of Massonia depressa (I think) which I wild-collected last year in September from Nieuwoudtville, Northern Cape. Even though these seeds are quite fresh they took nearly three months to germinate - so don't give up too soon! Please contact me with your postal address: roth@ukzn.ac.za
Regards
Rogan.
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Rogan, welcome to the Forum! Good to have you here. We would be very pleased to see any photos of your native plants in the wild.... she said, hopefully!! :)
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Dear Maggi and all,
It's great to be here swapping seeds with you all. As you may have guessed by my address I am a South African who's mad about growing plants of all descriptions, especially bulbs, from seed. Unfortunately, I am green with envy when I see the bulbs you can grow so well in far northern climates, my climate is too warm and humid for much of the year to grow many of the things you do (Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal). However, it's amazing what we can grow here with a little bit of trialling and experimentation.
...and habitat photographs - I have many to share with you!
I look forward to many months of chatter and seed exchanging - thanks a lot :)
Best regards
Rogan.
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As a bulbophile I would like to see bulbs. I was very bad in Kruger and left the car to take photos of bulbs. I must look them up. Unfortunately they are slides
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A really good source of South African seed is Gordon Summerfield. His latest catalogue is just out and includes a few Massonias and Daubenyas - both of which are some of my personal favorites too! I find germination is usually very good from his seed, and it also has provenance information. You can request a catalogue by emailing him: summerfields@xsinet.co.za
I think I may do the next Wisley Log about Massonias & Daubenyas so check it out - should be ready Thursday 8 Nov