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Post by richardw on Dec 12, 2013 15:41:41 GMT -5
THERE ARE TWO! Oops. (There are two!) |
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Post by billw on Dec 20, 2013 22:51:12 GMT -5
Good news, Steev! Any luck yet Richard? Our oca harvest is done and it came out pretty well:  |
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Post by richardw on Dec 20, 2013 23:53:01 GMT -5
No nothing Bill,dam it all.
That is a wonderful collection you have there,well done
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Post by steev on Dec 21, 2013 0:33:38 GMT -5
Wow! That's gorgeous. Nevertheless, I shall try to catch up, having THREE sprouts!
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Post by ferdzy on Dec 22, 2013 8:01:08 GMT -5
Bill, those are really lovely. I am sure they would be very unhappy here, or they would tempt me to try them.
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Post by steev on Jan 17, 2014 23:12:04 GMT -5
The three sprouts I've gotten from billw's seed are persevering, not burgeoning, but I am hopeful. Teeny plants, but full of promise!
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Post by rowan on Jan 18, 2014 1:04:55 GMT -5
After a few very hot days and keeping the pots moist I have 14 seedlings.
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Post by billw on Jan 18, 2014 1:39:02 GMT -5
A lot of seedlings are sluggish. In a batch, I get a few that grow really fast, but the rest stay small for a long time. From my earliest sowing in August, I have a bunch of seedlings that are just getting to the magical 2" height, at which they seem to start growing a lot faster.
Even if you only have a few, the odds of getting an acceptable variety look pretty good - maybe 50%.
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Post by billw on Jan 21, 2014 0:28:28 GMT -5
I got an order for 0.5g (about 1500) oca seeds today.
@monsanto.com email address.
Anyone for some Roundup Ready oca?
(I suspect that it is just a private order based on other things, but that was certainly a surprise.)
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Post by steev on Jan 21, 2014 1:37:01 GMT -5
I almost hate to ask; did you fill the order?
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Post by billw on Jan 21, 2014 2:11:58 GMT -5
Not yet. I have been limiting purchases to no more than 0.2g so that more gets spread around, so I refused the 0.5 and offered the 0.2. And I inquired whether it's business or pleasure as well.
If the answer comes back "business" I'm not sure what my response will be.
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Post by cesarz on Jan 22, 2014 3:26:49 GMT -5
Hi Bill,
We had a cold snap in the middle of summer here in Wellington and then a week later I noticed new seedlings (about 6) emerging from the pot I sowed the oca seeds in a few months back. I think the cold initiated this new set of germination.
By the way, only one plant survived from the first set of germination (nine germinated) and that plant is now one foot tall and sending out tuber stolons.
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Post by billw on Jan 22, 2014 12:56:36 GMT -5
Awesome! I'm thrilled that you guys are getting good seedlings. At the same time, I'm a bit dismayed by the low germination and survival.
In our current batch of 2400 seeds, we have a 68% germination at 5 weeks and negligible loss of seedlings.
I presume that the big difference is lower temperatures and high humidity here.
Of course, the encouraging part about a low success rate is that the plants that you do get are likely to be superior for your conditions.
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Post by steev on Jan 30, 2014 23:53:25 GMT -5
Superior to those that don't germinate, for sure!
Finally got the tubers billw sent me planted, in separate pots by variety (I think); still watching the three seedlings, impatiently, but with resignation. I screened the pots immediately, suspecting the squirrels would really enjoy oca.
The neighbor chef said he'd seen oca at the produce market he shops (not my usual), but he'd had no idea what it was. I would suspect it wasn't commercial production, but something someone had played with and brought in for trade on spec; first I've heard of it being sold. That store had yacon a year or so ago; same deal, I think.
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Post by billw on Jan 31, 2014 0:48:39 GMT -5
It seems that most oca in markets in the US until recently has been imported from NZ, so you might want to check it out. Whole Foods was reportedly selling imported oca for a while.
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