Tropaeolum

[Lesley Cox]

That hybrid is brilliant Emiko. What a great bunch of flowers. Like yours too Tony.

[tonyg]

Thanks!  Yours is a stunner.

[Regelian]

Wow, Emiko, what a wonderful hybrid.  Like sunshine in a flaming chalice.  I still haven't managed to germinate a single Tropaeolum seed.  Patience, patience.

Jamie

[Tony Willis]

What a beautiful hybrid,lovely to see.

Apart from one bracyceras all my tropaeolums have been killed by the cold this winter.

[Eric Locke]

T. tuberosum 'Ken Aslet' has germinated.

Hi Emiko

Pleased to hear that these have started to germinate for you.

Best Wishes from UK

Eric

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Emiko,
As usual you've posted an extraordinary pic of one of your hybrids. Congratulations for the 1rst germination on Tr Tuberosum " Ken Aslet". I'm still waiting...

Jaimie: have your exposed your seeds to cold? ( fridge? outside? ). I personnally let the seed pots of all the chilean species outdoors ( with protection from very cold spells so that temperatures never fall under 0°). The andean ones seem to benefit from a layer of snow on the surface of the compost. I've had a few germinations with Tr Polyphyllum this year doing like that. If no seed has germinated by now it might be too late for this year but be patient and many will certainly germinate at the end of this year. Remember that seeds may take 1-2 years ( or more ) to germinate. Last autumn I've got rid of "old" seed pots, putting everything on the surface of big containers. 4 seeds have raised amidst the other plants...( why don't you try some september onwards? )
I've had personnally this year approximately 30% germination rate ( for the chilean ones ).But placed outside the seedlings are growing slowly...
J-P

[Eric Locke]

T. tuberosum 'Ken Aslet' has germinated.

I still have spare seed and also tubers if anyone is interested in an exchange.

Eric

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hi,
Time has probably come to "resurrect" Tropaeolum species which are beginning to bloom.
I intend to post from time to time some pics of the plants settled in LYON's BG / France. The plants grew to incredible heights in the ideal "nest" of a big glasshouse. The first pics are of Tr FINTELMANNII ssp OLMOSENSE, a species from Equator. The plants were put at the base of ladder-like supports for them to climb. All of them didn't succeed for this first year but there's still hope for the future.
Best wihes
J-P

[DORA]

Hi, everyone. Thanks for your kind messages.

There are many hybrids appeared this year in my place.
But today's pic is T.tenuirostre. The seeds came from SRGC seeds exchange.
Only 1 seed germinated. It has begun to flower from a few days ago.
I'm happy to see this plant blooming, because for me it's the first flower of this species.

As Jean-Patrick says, it's the time for Tropaeolum to "resurrect".
I hope all of your seeds begin to germinate and tubers begin to sprout sooner or later.

Jean-Patrick, your T.fintelmannii is wonderful.  It's a interesting project "Tropaeolum ladder".
I am interested in to how much height it grows up.

Best wishes,
DORA

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hi Emiko,
You always post such wonderful photos...Your Tr x Tenuirostre si quite different from the one I've raised from the same seed exchange. But being a hybrid this species can offer many flower combinations.
The plants in Lyon's BG are reaching the top of the glasshouse ( 2 - 3 metres ) and I've bent most of the shoots; So maybe they would have grown up to 4 - 5 meters ( that's the case with Tr x brachyceras and Tr Azureum ). Tr Smithii & Tr Moritzianum would have reached even more because they are more vigorous. Tr Smithii produces dozens of basal shoots and will become "invading". Tr Moritzianum sends stout lateral flowering shoots trying to twine on the other plants...
Her's a pic of the "very beginning" with bare supports and little plants at their base.
Best wishes
J-P

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Another one from Lyon's BG which we already have seen pictures of: Tr SMITHII
It is becoming a "weed" and seems to flower in "waves". The plant sends many stems form its base.

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hi Everybody,
2 more pics of Tropaeolum. This is Tr MORITZIANUM a species which seems easier reproduced by cuttings than by sowing seeds. The first one is a cutting established last autumn in Lyon's BG. It is now a huge plant covered in flowers...The 2nd one is a cutting I managed to keep at home and survived from last winter. This is a much more diminutive plant!!! and I don't have any glasshouse....but it's alive!
J-P

[Steven McFarlane]

Hi
Just a quick update.  This winter has been the coldest in western Scotland for thirty or forty years and I have lost a large number of plants in my unheated greenhouse.  Thank goodness I have a fair number of seeds, but it will take some time to build up my collection again.  On a brighter note I have seedlings of the following tender species T. peltophorum, T. peregrinum, T. argentinum, T. moritzianum, T. smithii "Cally" and most pleasingly (and most surprisingly) T. smithii "Cotswold Garden Flowers".  This last from seed sown in April 2009 and left outside all winter in the cold greenhouse.  This leads me to a possible new germination technique. Let some seeds fall into the sand plunge, freeze them all winter and they come up like cress in the spring.  The only problem is knowing what species you have (I think T. smithii "Cally").   


Tropaeolum seedlings in plunge

Finally for now if anyone is interested In large amounts of information on Mashua (T. tuberosum) here is the site for you.  Go to Google Books and type in                                      Mashua: Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruíz & Pav.                  into the search box
The first book to come up should be the one you are looking for.  Sorry its so roundabout but I cant find an easier way

Best of luck
Steven



   

[Maggi Young]

Try this link: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IX38rY6s6PYC&pg=PA29&dq=Mashua:+Tropaeolum+tuberosum+Ru%C3%ADz+%26+Pav.&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hi,
Following Steven's report I can write on Tr SMITHII " Cally". Last year I've had great concerns on its germination. So I've tried to sow seeds everywhere. Some I planted in a container along with a mix of different plants. I forgot about it and in Autumn the container was moved out of my balcony to my car parking place. There it stayed for 3 months, had the snow cover & the cold. I brought it back to my protected balcony in January. In March one Tr SMITHII  seed germinated.( It took me some time to remember which species it might be ). That's very interesting and I think I'll go on experimenting this way with some other ones ( especially Tr ARGENTINUM which seems as tricky to me as Tr SMITHII is ). Hope this report will be of some help to all Tr growers on this forum.
J-P