Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Cultivation => Cultivation Problems => Topic started by: Margaret on March 27, 2019, 12:51:24 AM
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This is my third attempt to grow Mutisia from SRGC seed (very gratefully received). There is no problem with the germination but when the seedlings reach about 50mm the leaves start going brown and the plants eventually die. What am I doing wrong? I would love to have a flowering plant.
Photo of this years seedlings
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Margaret,
I have grown the same seeds as you from this year's exchange and my seedlings are at the same stage as yours. I do hope someone is able to offer advice, as I have had the same problem as you. Some of last year's plants are still just alive, but do not look well at all.
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I should stress that I am no expert in growing Mutisia and have also experienced the same problems that you have described with seedlings.
In July 2017 a very kind member of the forum sent me some fresh seed of M. decurrens. There were 11 seeds of which 9 looked plump. I sowed them immediately on a compost comprised mainly of crushed lava and pumice with about 20% coarse very gritty sand and 10% JI3.
7 seedlings germinated but a humid muggy autumn resulted in two dampening off whilst two more succumbed to a micro-slug commando raid. Three plants remained of which two had become heavily intertwined.
I gingerly re-potted the three plants into two pots using the same mix in very deep "palm seedling" pots. The intertwined plants were easier to re-pot and sustained absolutely no root damage -one or both romped off.
The remaining seedling was more awkward to transplant and it sulked for a while. I re-potted both the "twin" plant and the single plant again in Spring 2018 using large deep glazed earthenware pots whilst inserting support frames to help them climb. Both pots have done well with the larger of the two having flowered last year. Both have come through the Winter well and are currently looking fine.
I have tried a similar potting mix in long tom pots for a couple of seedlings of M. spinosa and again this seems to be working well.
With such a lean mix it is important to provide some additional feeding. I use a 1:0:2 feed diluted to 1/4 strength about every 2 weeks during the growing season. I’m sure I have read that many South American plants native to volcanic soils are intolerant of high phosphate feeds but I can’t find the reference to this anywhere (perhaps I have this wrong).
I’m convinced that Mutisia, even as seedlings, hate any root disturbance and that they demand a free-draining very lean compost in a deep pot.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1837/44214640691_daba6003a9_o_d.jpg)
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1846/44214641651_680d4168c7_b_d.jpg)
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Well I am pleased to see that it’s just not me . I have tried 5 times and have now given up . I get to the same stage as Margaret. Maybe will try again ::)
Angie :)
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Thank you so much for the information, Steve. I've not used lava or pumice before and have just been reading about them. Sounds as if they will also be useful for a recent new interest of growing succulents. Can anyone recommend a good source?
I've not used a phosphorus free fertiliser either. Can anyone recommend a source for that? It seems to be used as a lawn fertiliser.
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Thanks for this useful advice, Steve. It seems that pumice is stocked by garden centres for bonsai. I have never noticed it before. I also see that Ikea stocks it (my nearest one is 100 miles away....)
I have just pricked out my seedlings, so I guess that further root disturbance would not be a good idea. I will look out for pumice and pot on into some long toms, if the plants survive long enough.
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I use a mixture of two different types of pumice. One is a clean, white, 3-8mm pumice gravel that is best bought in bulk in view of cost. It can be purchased here: https://www.specialistaggregates.com/pumice-crush-p-6097.html (https://www.specialistaggregates.com/pumice-crush-p-6097.html)
The second type of pumice is “dirty” and though supposedly 3-10mm it consists mainly of particles at the smaller end of this range: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25-kg-crushed-pumice-stone-3-10-mm-planting-granules-substrate/362484871469?hash=item5465c8312d:g:hUcAAOSw~k9b6TGP (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25-kg-crushed-pumice-stone-3-10-mm-planting-granules-substrate/362484871469?hash=item5465c8312d:g:hUcAAOSw~k9b6TGP)
When mixed together with the addition of perlite (about 20% by volume) this makes a great substrate for dryland plants and bulbs.
As regards the low phosphate feed I use Vitax Vitafeed Multi 1-0-2 which has added trace elements and magnesium: https://www.bhgsltd.co.uk/vitax-vitafeed-multi-102-1kg-p-1559.html (https://www.bhgsltd.co.uk/vitax-vitafeed-multi-102-1kg-p-1559.html)
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Thank you again Steve. Great information. It's amazing how much there is to learn trying to grow just one plant.!!!
Good luck with your plants, Carolyn.
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I was lucky enough with collected seeds of Mutisia spinosa and planted the resulting plantlets
directly in the garden. They grew and flowered vigorously and set many seeds which germinated
very well. Most of these seedlings grew up to 10 cm and died, only few of them survived, so I have
the same problems. Self sown seedlings grow sometimes without any problems, so it is probably
better to sow directly in the garden. The flowers and plants in seed are very showy and can be
highly recommended, but need much space.