Tropaeolum smithii

[Karaba]

I'm a lucky man who get some seeds of Tropaeolum smithii from last SRGC seedex and have now 2 seedlings (out of 5 seeds) of this beautiful species. The difficult part is now starting 
I have done some google research but I found very few information about this species. It is some time said to be an annual. From thread on the SRGC forum and from the fact that it seems difficult to germinate, it also seems perennial. Does someone know the truth ?  Has it a tubercule or not ? I just know that the flower is oarange and very beutiful and the plant is climbing...

Several people on the forum grow or, at least, have grown this species. Any advice on growing conditions  : period of vegetation (winter/summer), dormant period totally dry and baked or cool and some humidity, substrate...

[Maggi Young]

Hello Yvain, perhaps this  article by Martyn Rix on Tropaeolum smithii  may be of use to you if you can source it?  It is in Curtis' Botanical Magazine 2012 - volume 29 (4) pp 314-348
( available , by paying,  here https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/747-tropaeolum-smithii-vVub29WPEP    )

Matt Matthus in the USA has written about his experiences with this plant  :
http://www.growingwithplants.com/2011/08/bored-with-everyday-nasturtium-hello.html

SRGC member  Steven McFarlane  gorws many of these species -  and  his website may also be of help: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.mcfarlane - though I cannot get it to open today - but  he allows  forumists to email him via the forum.

[Karaba]

Thank you Maggi. I've seen both link but the abstract of M. Rix paper is a bit short... and I didn't find any free pdf.
I've also read Matt Matthus's page but there is in fact very few useful information about how to grow it. I even can't be sure that it is perennial or annual !
JP Agier had a germination in january 2010 and a flowering plant in may 2014, so I suppose that it is the same plant...

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Yvain,
From what I have read, Tropaeolum smithii is an annual plant, growing in Spring and through the summer before dying away in the winter. (Although there are mentions of a perennial form, these seem to be mis-identifications of Tropaeolum ciliatum.) The confusion about whether or not it forms tubers seems to be because there are reports that it sometimes forms them in the wild, but never seems to do so in cultivation. Other than that, as you say, there seems to be little information around. The Rix paper would almost certainly be helpful, but I don't have a copy and it seems unavailable for free on the Web.

Paul

[Karaba]

Thank you Paul for these informations. It's strange that an annual species is caprious to germinate, I was hoping to be able to keep them some years. My T. Smithii have the bad idea to germinate in the beginning of fall instead of spring... It will be hard to have seeds before winter and I hope to be able to keep them alive during winter. I hope that they will be able to support some light frost because my small greenhouse has bad insolation and is kept around 0° ... Well, I was happy with these germinations, I'm not sure that there will be an happy end.

[Jon Evans]

When I grew it, it was very happy and easy to germinate where I did not want it, and I had seedlings all through the greenhouse bench, smothering the bulbs which were supposed to there.  No tubers, and severely resents disturbance.  In the end I decided it was beautiful but too much of a weed in a frost-free greenhouse.

[Karaba]

Thank you Jon. If i understand well, it's a bit like Tropaeolum canariense. I have now to keep it alive as long as possible in the greenhouse to expect that it will be able to seed before the frost. I already hope that it will flower so that I can enjoy these wonderful flowers.