Hello to sci.bio.botany,
I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to botany however I
do take care of the plants in my garden without much
trouble.

This year however I have been puzzling over the identity of
two plants that appeared in my patio pots. ...........

In the new year I planted up two new terracotta troughs with
some daffodil bulbs from last year, in new peat based
compost.
The daffs came through OK and also these two little plants!!
one in each trough.
When the daffs had finished I replaced them and potted these
two separately- see Flikr links below for photographs - and
brought them into my conservatory.
The brown woody stem continues as a single root for about
4/6 inches without any side roots (just a few white root
hairs) and ends in a white growing tip about a quarter of an
inch long.
The "leaves" are narrow, fleshy and smooth, about one &
a-half inches long.
Since first coming through and achieving the size in the
pictures ( taken in early June ), their growth has been
fairly static showing only slow progress .

I wondered if you could throw any light on what they might
be, having drawn a blank at two local nurseries/garden
centres.

They don't seem to be of local origin and my suspicion is
that they have originated in the peat as I don't see any
other way for them to have arrived!!

www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858369261/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858330849/

regards
Jake Wade
East Yorkshire
ENGLAND

Question...

I tried posting a new topic to this newsgroup yesterday and it had not appeared. Is there a secret handshake or something I need to know?

Thanks!

Same

"Jake Wade" wrote in message ...
Hello to sci.bio.botany,
I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to botany however I
do take care of the plants in my garden without much
trouble.

This year however I have been puzzling over the identity of
two plants that appeared in my patio pots. ...........

In the new year I planted up two new terracotta troughs with
some daffodil bulbs from last year, in new peat based
compost.
The daffs came through OK and also these two little plants!!
one in each trough.
When the daffs had finished I replaced them and potted these
two separately- see Flikr links below for photographs - and
brought them into my conservatory.
The brown woody stem continues as a single root for about
4/6 inches without any side roots (just a few white root
hairs) and ends in a white growing tip about a quarter of an
inch long.
The "leaves" are narrow, fleshy and smooth, about one &
a-half inches long.
Since first coming through and achieving the size in the
pictures ( taken in early June ), their growth has been
fairly static showing only slow progress .

I wondered if you could throw any light on what they might
be, having drawn a blank at two local nurseries/garden
centres.

They don't seem to be of local origin and my suspicion is
that they have originated in the peat as I don't see any
other way for them to have arrived!!

www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858369261/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858330849/

regards
Jake Wade
East Yorkshire
ENGLAND

I wonder whether the 'peat' contains pine chips. The plants look like
pine seedlings:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Im...edlings_kz.jpg

Does a crushed leaf smell resinous?


On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 17:54:06 -0000, "Jake Wade"
wrote:

Hello to sci.bio.botany,
I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to botany however I
do take care of the plants in my garden without much
trouble.

This year however I have been puzzling over the identity of
two plants that appeared in my patio pots. ...........

In the new year I planted up two new terracotta troughs with
some daffodil bulbs from last year, in new peat based
compost.
The daffs came through OK and also these two little plants!!
one in each trough.
When the daffs had finished I replaced them and potted these
two separately- see Flikr links below for photographs - and
brought them into my conservatory.
The brown woody stem continues as a single root for about
4/6 inches without any side roots (just a few white root
hairs) and ends in a white growing tip about a quarter of an
inch long.
The "leaves" are narrow, fleshy and smooth, about one &
a-half inches long.
Since first coming through and achieving the size in the
pictures ( taken in early June ), their growth has been
fairly static showing only slow progress .

I wondered if you could throw any light on what they might
be, having drawn a blank at two local nurseries/garden
centres.

They don't seem to be of local origin and my suspicion is
that they have originated in the peat as I don't see any
other way for them to have arrived!!

www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858369261/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858330849/

regards
Jake Wade
East Yorkshire
ENGLAND

Jake Wade wrote:
Hello to sci.bio.botany,
I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to botany however I
do take care of the plants in my garden without much
trouble.

This year however I have been puzzling over the identity of
two plants that appeared in my patio pots. ...........

In the new year I planted up two new terracotta troughs with
some daffodil bulbs from last year, in new peat based
compost.
The daffs came through OK and also these two little plants!!
one in each trough.
When the daffs had finished I replaced them and potted these
two separately- see Flikr links below for photographs - and
brought them into my conservatory.
The brown woody stem continues as a single root for about
4/6 inches without any side roots (just a few white root
hairs) and ends in a white growing tip about a quarter of an
inch long.
The "leaves" are narrow, fleshy and smooth, about one &
a-half inches long.
Since first coming through and achieving the size in the
pictures ( taken in early June ), their growth has been
fairly static showing only slow progress .

I wondered if you could throw any light on what they might
be, having drawn a blank at two local nurseries/garden
centres.

They don't seem to be of local origin and my suspicion is
that they have originated in the peat as I don't see any
other way for them to have arrived!!

www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858369261/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858330849/

regards
Jake Wade
East Yorkshire
ENGLAND


Almost certainly a pine seedling. Are there pine trees in the
viscinity? The wind may have blown the seed to you.

"Jake Wade" wrote in message
...
Hello to sci.bio.botany,
I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to botany however I do take care
of the plants in my garden without much trouble.

This year however I have been puzzling over the identity of two plants
that appeared in my patio pots. ...........
[snip]
They don't seem to be of local origin and my suspicion is that they have
originated in the peat as I don't see any other way for them to have
arrived!!

www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858369261/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858330849/

I agree that pine seedlings are likely, but seedlings
of related plants such as deodar cedars [_Cedrus deodara_]
are also similar-looking at this stage. The conifer seeds
could have been in the peat, or they could have arrived
by wind. Are any large conifers growing nearby?

cheers

I think they are seedlings of pine trees.

On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 17:54:06 -0000, "Jake Wade"
wrote:

Hello to sci.bio.botany,
I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to botany however I
do take care of the plants in my garden without much
trouble.

This year however I have been puzzling over the identity of
two plants that appeared in my patio pots. ...........

In the new year I planted up two new terracotta troughs with
some daffodil bulbs from last year, in new peat based
compost.
The daffs came through OK and also these two little plants!!
one in each trough.
When the daffs had finished I replaced them and potted these
two separately- see Flikr links below for photographs - and
brought them into my conservatory.
The brown woody stem continues as a single root for about
4/6 inches without any side roots (just a few white root
hairs) and ends in a white growing tip about a quarter of an
inch long.
The "leaves" are narrow, fleshy and smooth, about one &
a-half inches long.
Since first coming through and achieving the size in the
pictures ( taken in early June ), their growth has been
fairly static showing only slow progress .

I wondered if you could throw any light on what they might
be, having drawn a blank at two local nurseries/garden
centres.

They don't seem to be of local origin and my suspicion is
that they have originated in the peat as I don't see any
other way for them to have arrived!!

www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858369261/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858330849/

regards
Jake Wade
East Yorkshire
ENGLAND

In article , "Jake Wade" wrote:

In the new year I planted up two new terracotta troughs with
some daffodil bulbs from last year, in new peat based compost.
The daffs came through OK and also these two little plants!!
one in each trough.
When the daffs had finished I replaced them and potted these
two separately- see Flikr links below for photographs - and
brought them into my conservatory.

[Snip]

I wondered if you could throw any light on what they might
be, having drawn a blank at two local nurseries/garden centres.

They don't seem to be of local origin and my suspicion is
that they have originated in the peat as I don't see any
other way for them to have arrived!!

www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858369261/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/
www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1858330849/

I'm not familiar with plants from your latitude, nor am I familiar
with the potting stuff you've used. What is it, please? TIA

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

"Sammy bin Snoozin" wrote
in message news:r7oXi.16178$Rg1.10277@trnddc05...
Question...

I tried posting a new topic to this newsgroup yesterday and
it had not appeared. Is there a secret handshake or
something I need to know?

Thanks!

Same

****************************************
No.
No passwords or handshakes, just post away!!
Your reply to my topic came thru OK.

regards
Jake

"Richard Wright" wrote in
message ...
I wonder whether the 'peat' contains pine chips. The plants
look like
pine seedlings:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Im...edlings_kz.jpg

Does a crushed leaf smell resinous?
*****************************************
Richard, Malcolm, Mel and Ringthing??
Aha!!! Thanks a million!!
The picture in the link looks just like the plants I have
growing.
So "Pinus" or "Cedrus" it is then. I don't think that
anything like that is growing close by, though there may of
course be isolated specimens near by.
Of course that scenario would require a method to transport
just two seeds to two pots and nowhere else in my garden.
As I said in my original post, I think the seeds were in the
compost

regards
Jake

"Phred" wrote in message
...
I'm not familiar with plants from your latitude, nor am I
familiar
with the potting stuff you've used. What is it, please?
TIA

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID
************************************************** *********
The potting material is PEAT based compost.
Derived from dried out boglands. When cut out and dried it
may be burnt as fuel like wood and coal.

See here for example :-
www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/peat.htm
or here :-
www.waverley.gov.uk/recycling/peat.asp#what

regards
Jake

In article , "Jake Wade" wrote:

"Phred" wrote in message
...
I'm not familiar with plants from your latitude, nor am I
familiar with the potting stuff you've used. What is it, please?

The potting material is PEAT based compost.
Derived from dried out boglands. When cut out and dried it
may be burnt as fuel like wood and coal.

See here for example :-
www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/peat.htm
or here :-
www.waverley.gov.uk/recycling/peat.asp#what

Thanks for the reply, Jake. I must say your peat looks quite
different to the stuff available here. The "German peat" is a brown
fibrous material and our local "peat" is a black rather crumbly
product that caused us much grief when potting lots of plants years
ago. (You can assume from that we much preferred the imported German
product, and hang the expense! :-)

Your material is surprisingly pale, and I assume the "pebble" shape is
the result of pelletisation? See this image of yours for example:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/in/photostream/

Thanks for the links. But I see that you really shouldn't be using
the stuff. :-)

quoting http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/peat.htm
What you can do to help save peat bogs Peat bogs desperately need
your help. You can help save them by:
* Refusing to buy peat or plants grown in peat. [...]
Details of where to buy peat-free products are available from The
Wildlife Trusts.
* Stop using peat in your garden; start a compost heap that will
provide an alternative.
* Find out if your local authority has signed the peatland
protection charter (details from your local wildlife trust).
* Visit a peatland reserve near to you and see its wildlife.
Your local wildlife trust can help you. Once you have, you'll
never want to buy peat again.
/quoting

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

"Phred" wrote in message
...

SNIP SNIP

Thanks for the reply, Jake. I must say your peat looks
quite
different to the stuff available here. The "German peat"
is a brown
fibrous material and our local "peat" is a black rather
crumbly
product that caused us much grief when potting lots of
plants years
ago. (You can assume from that we much preferred the
imported German
product, and hang the expense! :-)

Your material is surprisingly pale, and I assume the
"pebble" shape is
the result of pelletisation? See this image of yours for
example:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/in/photostream/

Thanks for the links. But I see that you really shouldn't
be using
the stuff. :-)

SNIP SNIP

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID
************************************************** ****************
Hi Phred,

Ah, well, the peat we have in the UK is also, generally, a
dark brown fibrous material.
What you see in my pictures is a top layer of pumice
pebbles, used to retain moisture/reduce evaporation.
Bit of a red herring perhaps, didn't intend to decieve
anyone!!!

regards
Jake

In article , "Jake Wade" wrote:
"Phred" wrote in message
[Snip]
Your material is surprisingly pale, and I assume the "pebble" shape is
the result of pelletisation? See this image of yours for example:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17895095@N02/1859173644/in/photostream/

SNIP SNIP

Ah, well, the peat we have in the UK is also, generally, a
dark brown fibrous material.
What you see in my pictures is a top layer of pumice
pebbles, used to retain moisture/reduce evaporation.
Bit of a red herring perhaps, didn't intend to decieve
anyone!!!

All is now revealed. :-) Thank you.

[Addendum: 'I' before 'E' except after 'C'. 8-) ]


Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

The wildlife trust article referenced below gives reasons for not using peat
based products. Basically in its natural state, in peat bogs, it forms a
unique habitat that is now under threat and is seriouly depleted. There are
substitutes avaivable. Please try to use these instead.

Peter


The potting material is PEAT based compost.
Derived from dried out boglands. When cut out and dried it may be burnt as
fuel like wood and coal.

See here for example :- www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/peat.htm
or here :- www.waverley.gov.uk/recycling/peat.asp#what

regards
Jake