Saturday, 26 September 2009

Tuesday, 15 September 2009

Monday, 7 September 2009

New washingtonia baby

Let's see whether the hormones make the difference!




MN

3 new fiddle heads!

The little one on the right has been there for 3 days now. The other 2 popped up today!



Sunday, 23 August 2009

prothali?

the larger round green bit are something else but the very faint green glow could finally be the fern prothali.



Thursday, 23 July 2009

fig roots

The fig roots are already sticking out of the pot in less than 2 weeks.




Monday, 20 July 2009

Tillandsia, or Ball Moss!






in the end it wasn't all that hard to find. the fact that it grows without pots meant it had to be an epiphyte...

and this is what it says in wiki:
The plant genus Tillandsia, a member of the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae), is found in the deserts, forests and mountains of Central and South America, and Mexico and the southern United States in North America. The thinner leafed varieties grow in rainy areas and the thick leafed varieties in areas more subject to drought. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air (dust, decaying leaves and insect matter) through structures on the leaves called trichomes. Tillandsia species are epiphytes, i.e. in nature they normally grow without soil, attached to other plants. Epiphytes are not parasitic, and depend on the host only for support. Common names for Tillandsia include air plant, Ball moss (T. recurvata) and Spanish moss, the latter referring to T. usneoides in particular.


for more images...
http://images.google.co.uk/images?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GGLJ_enES320ES320&q=tillandsia+bergeri&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=SZ5jSt62B5isjAfMuugC&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

Friday, 17 July 2009

Washingtonia Robusta

could well be our common fan palm.



Reaching the height of the balcony edge.



Thursday, 16 July 2009

the good old zip lock bag tip

A Practical Guide to Germinating Palm Seeds
http://www.palms.org/principes/1999/palmseeds.htm

result after pinching


4 peanut sized seeds, probably from the common Phoenix Canariensis
10 mini coconuts from an unidentified dwarf palm tree






floaters

Mostly floaters...
The green ones all sink nicely.
I'll try pinching.



palm tree comparison

http://www.sunpalmtrees.com/Palm-Trees-Comparison-Summary.htm

palm tree propagation tips

Palm Seed Germination, Growing Palm Trees From Seed

http://www.junglemusic.net/palmadvice/palms-seed-germination.htm

Sunday, 12 July 2009

experiments in the shade

New box hanging outside the small and cooler balcony.

Featuring the Fig, Bob Jr., some basil and meanwhile also the fern spores experiment (not yet on this pic).




fig cutting after 6 weeks in a plastic bag


At last the roots started to show through the kitchen paper.








spores and crushed brick


And now 8 weeks of patience...





Thursday, 11 June 2009

palm

I should have put them in water for some weeks first... This pic was taken on day 1 but meanwhile they have started to dry out.






tail that dropped off






Saturday, 6 June 2009

Friday, 29 May 2009

Bob's rehab - part 4

3rd generation of new leafs in 2 weeks!







Wednesday, 27 May 2009

fiddle heads on the french fern

It doesn't seem to mind the mediterranean sun and heat so far. To be named.



Sunday, 24 May 2009

Cymbalaria muralis





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbalaria_muralis

Cymbalaria muralis (Ivy-leaved toadflax or Kenilworth Ivy) is a flowering plant native to Mediterranean Europe and widely naturalised elsewhere. It spreads quickly, growing up to 5cm tall—it commonly grows in rock and wall crevices, and along footpaths. The leaves are evergreen, rounded to heart-shaped, 2.5-5cm long and wide, three-seven lobed, alternating on thin stems. The flowers are very small, similar in shape to snapdragon flowers.[1]

This plant has an unusual method of propagation. The flower stalk is initially positively phototropic and moves towards the light—after fertilization it becomes negatively phototropic and moves away from the light. This results in seed being pushed into dark crevices of rock walls, where it is more likely to germinate and where it prefers to grow.[2]

fig cutting







water landscape