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Post by rowan on Jun 18, 2014 19:07:55 GMT -5
Damn it Bill, After reading your post I went to check on the seed I collected and I really don't think it is viable. They were plump when I took them out of the dead flowers but now have dried to almost nothing. I will plant them just in case but I think they will come to nothing.
I was really excited too, after my oca seedlings and some flowers I have started growing from seed (iris and gladioli) I have been really liking getting some more unusual seedlings.
BTW, any aussies who collect seed from coloured potatoes this coming season, I would like to try some if you have spare. The packet of seeds I tried were from a pretty ordinary spud and I would like to try some coloured ones. Mine don't often set seed here.
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Post by billw on Jun 18, 2014 22:24:49 GMT -5
Sorry - the same thing happened to me last year. They looked really promising on the flower, but turned out to be hollow.
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Post by billw on Jun 19, 2014 14:21:04 GMT -5
First flower from one of my own seedlings this year.  (Looks like any other oca flower, but still makes me absurdly happy.) A few of you have this one - OC-LG-13-1x3. |
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Post by billw on Jul 2, 2014 11:13:49 GMT -5
I wonder if there might be a relationship between flower morph and earliness of flowering in oca. Of 13 varieties that have flowered so far this year, 11 have been mid-styled.
Last year I was always short of mid-styled varieties for crosses. This year, I have so many that I'm short of the other types.
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Post by kevin8715 on Jul 3, 2014 21:45:57 GMT -5
Transplanted the 2 best mauka seedlings to 5 gallon pots. I planted around 20 seeds originally but diseases from compost, heat, etc have taken their toll. Asides from the 2 transplanted, one semi wilted remains to be seen if it recovers. Tragic but hopefully this leads to Southern California adapted mauka.
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Post by billw on Jul 3, 2014 21:58:25 GMT -5
The seeds that you sent me had excellent germination and are doing very well so far:  |
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Post by kevin8715 on Jul 4, 2014 19:19:20 GMT -5
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Post by billw on Jul 7, 2014 10:17:21 GMT -5
At risk of repeating what some of you have probably seen elsewhere... Here is the method that I use for hand pollinating oca.
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Post by billw on Jul 23, 2014 21:41:39 GMT -5
So far, I've had 79 varieties of oca flower this year, 26 established varieties and 53 seedlings. It seemed like there might be a relationship between flower morph and earliness of flowering, but I think it is mostly just an artifact of small sample size.  Perhaps a slightly higher chance of early flowering with mid-styled varieties. About half of the established varieties have flowered and about 10% of the seedlings. Fun stuff! |
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Post by billw on Jul 23, 2014 21:44:32 GMT -5
A warning to mauka growers: Apparently mice or some mouse-scale varmint really likes mauka. All my mauka has been chewed to ragged little leaf stubs. I might lose a couple of the seedlings. All mauka is now caged in hardware cloth. I have never really had rodent problems before, so this was a surprise.
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Post by kevin8715 on Jul 23, 2014 23:00:56 GMT -5
A warning to mauka growers: Apparently mice or some mouse-scale varmint really likes mauka. All my mauka has been chewed to ragged little leaf stubs. I might lose a couple of the seedlings. All mauka is now caged in hardware cloth. I have never really had rodent problems before, so this was a surprise. Yikes. I need to cover my three seedlings. There aren't many rats (lots of stray cats) but bigger animals might be a problem. |
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Post by flowerweaver on Jul 24, 2014 15:24:43 GMT -5
Oh no billw how awful! We have found having a motion detection infrared wildlife (game) camera set up at night once we spot damage has helped us identify culprits and inform decisions on how to protect plants or live trap and relocate offenders. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 24, 2014 17:02:31 GMT -5
Oh no billw how awful! We have found having a motion detection infrared wildlife (game) camera set up at night once we spot damage has helped us identify culprits and inform decisions on how to protect plants or live trap and relocate offenders. That you that keeps dropping off racoons and cats at my corn patch? If yes stop by for a dinner one of these evenings. I'll feed you raccoon soup and send some cat jerky with you for the trip home... |
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 24, 2014 18:52:31 GMT -5
Joseph, don't be silly, Cat's don't eat veges. They are meatatarians. Now gopher jerky....there's something I'd eat.
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Post by steev on Jul 24, 2014 23:13:50 GMT -5
Damned jerky gophers; I swear that in the spirit of eating one's enemy to take his strength, one day I will eat a gopher, with gusto, or maybe relish!
Say, T; I never got any Tiger snakes; you think customs got 'em? Did the gophers get through? I could re-send.
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