Tropaeolum

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi
Fermi, your T.tricolor is beautiful! Maybe it has a huge tuber, isn't it?
How do you treat this in winter? Do you dig your tubers up? Or leave them alone?
Kind regards from Japan,
DORA

Hi Dora,
I have no idea what the tuber looks like now as I planted it outabout 3 years ago. We get frosts down to -7^oC and this doesn't affect the top growth - they start into growth in late autumn I think. I leave them alone but if I wanted to dig them up I guess it would be in late spring, early summer as they are going dormant. Growing within the euonymus bushes means that the tubers are kept relatively dry by the roots of the bushes I think.
cheers
fermi

[DORA]

Hi
Fermi, thanks for your message about growing tricolor environment.
It's wonderful to hear that tricolor can tolerate up to the -7C. 
As you say, the euonymus bushes maybe help them.
If you would dig the tubers up, you would get huge tubers and many child tubers, I think.

Today I came back to Osaka from Nagano. I found a germination of (probably) T. smithii. I sowed old seeds in a big pot.
There's no secret procedure, I only left them alone with automatic watering system. I'm sorry, I wrote a wrong thing of
sowing date. It's not last year, it's 29th May 2009. So it took 4 months for germination.

[Steven McFarlane]

Hi Dora

It's great to hear that you have some germination of T. smithii.  My single plant is still healthy, flowering well and producing seed.  All further attempts with seed from my own and bought seed have been unsuccessful.  I am continuing to experiment - most recently with very fresh (green) seed and I have also taken some cuttings.  I willl report on these if they bring success.   As always seems to be the case I have noticed a seedling in a pot of T. hookerianum ssp. hookerianum tubers which from its leaf shape can only  be T. smithii or T. peregrinum.  I will see how this develops but it will eventually have to be repoted as winter and summer flowering species need such different conditions. I will try and bring it through my cold scottish winter and see which species I have when it flowers in the spring.  Although I love them dearly Tropaeolum growing is rarely straightforward.   

Steven

[Paul T]

Wow, even more new species that I've never heard of.  The T. argentinum is another that I would never have guessed was a Tropaeolum.  I assume that it and peregrinum are fairly closely allied?

Emiko,

Welcome to the forum, and thank you for your wonderful pics of some fascinating species and hybrids.  I grow only a couple myself, but can vouch for Tr. tricolor outside here as well, and down to -9'C in previous years in 8 inch black plastic pots (so the tubers would be far colder than in the ground) without any problems with the plants at all.  The same for Tr. brachyceras in the same conditions, although I have only had it a few years from seed. Interestingly, it has set seed this year, which was a bit of a surprise as I haven't had Trop seed before.  I am now wondering whether it is a hybrid with the tricolor within a couple of metres of it (some of our nectar feeding native birds visit them regularly) or whether brachyceras is self-fertile?  I just love your wonderful azureum hybrids, so I am not averse to the idea of my brachyceras seed being of a hybrid nature.  I think more likely though it is just self-pollinated.

Thanks everyone for the excellent photos.  I am going to have to start collecting more Trops I see, now that I see how many species and hybrids there are.  Now to find them of course!  

[DORA]

Hi
Steven, it's great that your T.smithii is still healthy and producing a lot of seeds.
Is it yellow flower plant, or red one? I planted my smithii into a 15cm pot.

I wonder why your own seeds couldn't germinate. I have a similar experience,
it's about T.sessilifolium. A few years ago I got some seeds from sessilifolium,
but they had never germinated.
I'm very interested in your experiment. I hope to hear your success story,
but I'd like to know the result whether it work well or not.

I sowed some seeds of T.hookerianum var.hookerianum about 10 days ago.
Some of them seem to begin germinating. I'll report their growing on my web site.
I bought the seeds from Chile flora.

I agree with your opinion that Tropaeolum growing is rarely straightforward.
And so, it's very interesting and challenging.

Paul T, thanks for your welcome message. I'm glad to hear more
information of T.tricolor from you.
Your tricolor in pot can tolerate cold winter! What a surprise!

It'll be a great pleasure to see your flowers from your new seeds.
I think there would appear many hybrids if you grow Tropaeolum in a small place.
Please enjoy hybrid world  and let us show your new born hybrids! 

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hello Everybody,
May I just precise one  point which I think could help on the germination of the Chilean species. This mustn't be taken as a rule but I recently realized that a better germination rate could be in following the seasonal conditions which leads to the seed  germination in the wild. That is let the seeds exposed to elements when set off on the ground at ripening time. Putting the seeds in the fridge after collecting might be one of the reasons why they don't germinate when sown afterwards in autumn. And they sometimes take one year-or more-to germinate. Am I right? I really don't know but I'm now experimenting this way whenever I can.
Emiko, have you let the Tr sessilifolium seeds exposed to the summer weather like they are in their native Chile?
I also have 3 seedlings from chile flora's TR hookerianum seeds sown recently.
Any contribution on this germination problem?

[DORA]

Hi
Jean-Patrick, I didn't do anything to T.sessilifolium seeds.
As the same way I always treat with T.azureum seeds, I sowed T.sessilifolium ones.
As you think, there may be some keys to start germinating.
Or it might be impossible to germinate if self-pollination.
I don't know the truth, but I hope your experiment make this mystery clear.
I'd like to hear some opinions from Steven about this matter, too.

Now, at last, one seed of T.hookerianum germinated!
Seeing germination is always exciting. I love this time.

DORA

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hi Dora,
Self-pollination must lead to success for the seeds you get through the exchanges, seed companies and Tropaeolum growers do not come-I think-from the wild. And if you can raise a plant from these seeds then you'll be able to do it with your own ones. We agree that the main point is how to treat the seeds from collection right to germination. And Chilean Tropaeolum are not from the same areas in the wild. There are the high altitude species mainly on rocky slopes ( Tr Polyphyllum, Incisum, Leptophyllum, Sessilifolium, and maybe Tr Rhomboideum ) and those from lower altitudes ( Tr Azureum, Hookerianum, Brachyceras, Ciliatum, Speciosum... ). I'm quite sure they won't need the same sowing conditions. Steven's comments? Or anybody's on this forum?

[Eric Locke]

Have had my best ever display this year from Tropaeolum Tuberosum "Ken Aslet" from 5 bulbs.

Eric

[Paul T]

Wow.  That looks like a beautiful Trop.

[Ragged Robin]

Wonderful growth covering the fence and a terrific amount of flower, Eric, no wonder you're pleased it does you proud 

[Jupiter]

Eric, congratulations on your tuberosum. What a stunning plant! I can't get that one here in Australia for the simple reason that; everyone sells TUBERS, and our quarantine people don't allow tubers into Australia. I continue to search for a supplier who will send me a few humble seeds of T. tuberosum.

[DORA]

Hi
Jean-Patrick, I can understand your opinion. I also think the environment where they live is important.
Now, except using fridge, how do you try to achieve the environment of higher mountain?
Is there any nice idea? Oh, but we don't have a hard time if we come up with the method!

Eric, what a wonderful sight!
I wonder how many flowers there were.
Your 5 bulbs might have become more and more bigger than before.

As Jupiter said, I also couldn't find their seeds in all nurseries where I have checked.
Is T.tuberosum a type that doesn't make fruits?
Did you get any seeds from your plants, Eric?

DORA

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hi Eric,
What an incredible "wave" of leaves & flowers!
Someone once offered Tr Tuberosum seeds through the exchange. I think they were just a few. People really don't want to bother with seeds for it produces offset tubers just like potatoes ( ...I've been told... because I've always failed in growing this one! )
And does it has time to produce  mature seeds outdoors? Before beeing killed by frosts? could it be grown  successfully in a glasshouse?
Regards
Jean-Patrick

[Eric Locke]

Hi

These plants are producing many seeds for anyone interested,perhaps an exchange.

I have estimated that the flower count is around two thousand. .

Tubers planted this year were very large after a reasonable summer last year and I expect they have multiplied greatly this year.

 I understand the tubers are eaten in S America.

Main difference in cultivation this year is that they have had a daily supply of water via an automatic watering system.

Eric