Clianthus
Clarke Brunt (CLARKE@lsl.co.uk)
Tue, 18 Jan 1994 10:58:07 GMT
OK - its nothing to do with CP, but John Taylor mentioned germination
of Sturt's Desert Pea (or Clianthus formosus, or Clianthus dampieri).
Does everyone know this plant - a legume with spectacular red flowers,
but difficult to grow. The seedsmen either say sow and don't transplant,
or attempt to graft it as a small seedling onto Colutea arborescens
(Bladder Senna, another more robust legume). I have no trouble
germinating them - nick the seed coat with a knife, soak until they
swell, and away they go. In all my attempts, I have only had one plant
flower - it was on its own roots after carefully potting on into about
a 6 inch pot. I have tried the grafting technique - I can get the grafts
to take, but they hardly grow subsequently. Does anyone have any techniques
with this plant? Its root system seems to mainly be a taproot - it quickly
reaches the bottom of any pot with very little fibrous root. Someone
suggested sow in very tall pot, soak, and then don't water again!