wrote in message
...
On Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:57:34 +0100, "Spider"
wrote:

Well, I said I'd report back, so here I am.

The strelitzia was huge with three large mature growths sprouting from it.
The many flower heads had been removed. I removed the stems and some
other
dead woody growth. I soaked the plant in order to get it out of its pot,
but still needed help.

The exposed root mass was, as urglers promised, tangled beyond belief.
Around the base of the pot, the roots ceased to tangle with each other and
merely encircled the pot. Some were rotten (and stank to heaven!) thanks
to
the heavy-handed watering of my half-brother, and these I removed. That
was
the easy bit. I then used a saw to cut away one of the mature growths
but,
before I had cut through it, there was an ominous cracking noise and that
section of plant keeled over under its own weight and snapped off without
any roots :~(. Obviously, I wasn't going to be able to use the saw.

My father (whose plant it is) suggested reinforcements and a different
weapon. I engaged the help of RG and daddy's axe. I bravely allowed RG
to
wield the axe, whilst I parted the remaining two sections of plant. RG
hacked (surprisingly accurately!) down the middle of the plant for several
axe blows. The crown of the plant parted slightly. It took many more
energetic blows before it finally fell in two. I checked: I still had 8
fingers, 2 thumbs. At this point, RG took a couple of photographs on his
phone camera, which I shall ask him to add to this thread.

I potted up all three plant sections, even the one without roots, just to
see if it would die or sprout roots in time. I also decided to
experiment.
At soil level, there was what appeared to be a possible growth 'eye' with
four strong roots deep in the soil. I cut away the eye with some of the
root and potted it up. I also took another root cutting from deeper in
the
pot and set it in compost as one would for a poppy root cutting. Neither
of
these two experiments may work, but it was worth the time it took to pot
them up to explore the possibilities.

The plants are all in Yorkshire, so I will not be able to care for them
myself. I will visit them periodically and ask for reports in the
meantime.
Naturally, I will let you know how they progress. If anyone here has any
aftercare advice, I will be pleased to receive it. The three big plants
are
outside just now, but will be brought indoors when the weather turns. The
'experiment' (all tucked into one pot) is indoors in the conservatory
which
is not heated - well, it *is* in Yorkshire! :~)) Hopefully, it will be
placed somewhere warmer when temperatures drop.

Spider



Well done, Spider and thanks for the update! Your post brought back
happy memories of when I did this a few years ago. I never killed my
plants and I doubt whether you will lose yours (or rather your Dad's).


You must be an expert now!! Strelitzia operations today ..............
brain surgery tomorrow?

Best wishes

Geoff

Hi Geoff,

Thanks for coming back, and for your reassurances. I've just re-read your
response to my original question (just to refresh my mind) and nowhere
*nowhere* did you mention the need for emergency staff to mop my brow, or
councelling after the trauma of nearly decimating dear daddy's plant! :~))
Actually, he was more laid back about it than I.

Thank you for your original description of your Strelitzia division. Yours,
and others, really built up a good picture for me so that when I finally
prized the pot off daddy's plant, I almost had a sense of deja vu ... as
well as doom:~). All things considered it went quite well and, because RG
was the man with the axe, I've even got someone to blame when it all goes
wrong :~) I could hardly ask for more, could I?

Not sure about the brain surgery. I think I need a larger microscope first.

Spider