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#1
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Avocado reached the roof.
A friend of ours lives in Exeter, they have an Avocado they have grown
for about 5 years in their conservatory, and it has now reached the roof. It has been suggested that they try it outside - but I reckon Exeter will be too cold in the winter. I think it would need to be somewhere very mild with no real frosts to have a chance of making it. Though I'm not sure how bothered they are about it surviving. any experience with this? My though is to just cut it back and hopefully it will re-sprout -- Chris French |
#2
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Avocado reached the roof.
On Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:45:42 +0100, chris French
wrote: A friend of ours lives in Exeter, they have an Avocado they have grown for about 5 years in their conservatory, and it has now reached the roof. It has been suggested that they try it outside - but I reckon Exeter will be too cold in the winter. I think it would need to be somewhere very mild with no real frosts to have a chance of making it. Though I'm not sure how bothered they are about it surviving. any experience with this? My though is to just cut it back and hopefully it will re-sprout I had an Avocado that reached the roof and then started to grow at a angle along the roof. It was a major job to move it so I just let it grow. Eventually three of us managed to move it out to the garden. It did very well until Winter when it died which wasn't surprising for a warm climate tree. Steve -- EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. www.easynn.com SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. www.swingnn.com JustNN. Just Neural Networks. www.justnn.com Neural Planner Software Ltd www.NPSL1.com Twitter http://twitter.com/npsl1 |
#3
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Avocado reached the roof.
"chris French" wrote in message
A friend of ours lives in Exeter, they have an Avocado they have grown for about 5 years in their conservatory, and it has now reached the roof. It has been suggested that they try it outside - but I reckon Exeter will be too cold in the winter. I think it would need to be somewhere very mild with no real frosts to have a chance of making it. Though I'm not sure how bothered they are about it surviving. Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C: http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html |
#4
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Avocado reached the roof.
In article , newspost-c-
says... A friend of ours lives in Exeter, they have an Avocado they have grown for about 5 years in their conservatory, and it has now reached the roof. It has been suggested that they try it outside - but I reckon Exeter will be too cold in the winter. I think it would need to be somewhere very mild with no real frosts to have a chance of making it. Though I'm not sure how bothered they are about it surviving. any experience with this? My though is to just cut it back and hopefully it will re-sprout Clive at Hardy Exotics tells me that several of his customers in London are cropping theirs!, you really need an extreme coastal or city garden but it can be done -- Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall www.roselandhouse.co.uk Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and Lapageria rosea |
#5
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Avocado reached the roof.
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C: http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html Here is a series of pics of the garden of the author I mentioned above with a pic of an avocado with fruit. I do know that the area she lives in gets as cold as she claims it does. http://www.jackiefrench.com/garden.html |
#6
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Avocado reached the roof.
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message u... "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C: http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html Here is a series of pics of the garden of the author I mentioned above with a pic of an avocado with fruit. I do know that the area she lives in gets as cold as she claims it does. So what? She knows nothing of growing plants in a cold climate. She grows plants in a warm temperate climate with occasional frosts. This is a quote from her "The Magic Grove" page: How To Start a Grove Step 1. Start your grove with a single, very hardy tree that you will survive severe frost, hellish winds, summers over 45C and drought...a bunya, loquat, macadamia... So Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii) is "very hardy", is it?! It may grow on Tresco (I can't remember if there is one there) but is there a plant surviving anywhere on the UK mainland? I doubt it. To quote from the Wikipedia entry "Once established Bunyas are quite hardy and can be grown as far south as Hobart in Australia (42° S) and Christchurch in New Zealand (43° S) and (at least) as far north as Sacramento in California (38° N) and Lisbon (in the botanical garden)." Even the extreme south of the British mainland (50°N) is 10° north of these areas. And as for macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia of tetraphylla), no chance! Another quote from Wikipedia "Macadamias prefer ... temperatures not falling below 10 °C (although once established they can withstand light frosts)...". She has got a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) right. That will withstand heavy frosts. But if you are waiting for a good crop of fruit in the UK, you'd be better off looking in your local supermarket. -- Jeff |
#7
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Avocado reached the roof.
"Sacha" wrote in message
On 2010-08-26 14:31:50 +0100, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given said: "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C: http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html Here is a series of pics of the garden of the author I mentioned above with a pic of an avocado with fruit. I do know that the area she lives in gets as cold as she claims it does. http://www.jackiefrench.com/garden.html In Australia? This is UK.rec.gardening! Plants don't know the difference between the UK and a cold climate area of Oz. There are many plants that grow in the UK that I can't grow because it's too cold here. In Cornwall last year it went to -11C in some areas and that's the balmy south west. ;-( We can grow stuff here that will take down to -5C but not for prolonged periods of icy days *and* nights. Yes and you were complaining about the weather because it was worse than normal. The max and min winter temps in Exeter are about the same as where that Author lives if Wikipedia can be relied upon. |
#8
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#10
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Avocado reached the roof.
"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C: http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html Here is a series of pics of the garden of the author I mentioned above with a pic of an avocado with fruit. I do know that the area she lives in gets as cold as she claims it does. So what? She knows nothing of growing plants in a cold climate. She grows plants in a warm temperate climate with occasional frosts. This is a quote from her "The Magic Grove" page: How To Start a Grove Step 1. Start your grove with a single, very hardy tree that you will survive severe frost, hellish winds, summers over 45C and drought...a bunya, loquat, macadamia... So Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii) is "very hardy", is it?! It may grow on Tresco (I can't remember if there is one there) but is there a plant surviving anywhere on the UK mainland? I doubt it. To quote from the Wikipedia entry "Once established Bunyas are quite hardy and can be grown as far south as Hobart in Australia (42° S) and Christchurch in New Zealand (43° S) and (at least) as far north as Sacramento in California (38° N) and Lisbon (in the botanical garden)." Even the extreme south of the British mainland (50°N) is 10° north of these areas. And as for macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia of tetraphylla), no chance! Another quote from Wikipedia "Macadamias prefer ... temperatures not falling below 10 °C (although once established they can withstand light frosts)...". She has got a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) right. That will withstand heavy frosts. But if you are waiting for a good crop of fruit in the UK, you'd be better off looking in your local supermarket. You've raised some interesting questions. She's a top grower of all sorts of things weird and wonderful and she does things that most people say just can't be done and that no mere mortal should be able to do in her climate. Growing coffee and many of the other things she does should be absolutley impossible where she lives but apparently she does it. I wouldn't even consider a A. bidwillii or a macadamia if I wanted to plant a hardy tree, I'd use a radiata pine Or failign that, a realy big rose. However, since the question was about growing an avocado in Exeter which must be one of the mildest climes in the UK that is what we should concentrate on and since Charlie Pridham says that avacodo can grow in London and I can't see why it wouldn't be worth a try. But yougot me interested about A. bidwilliii so I did a quick google. Apparently they have been grown in Cornwall at places called Glendurgan, Penjarrick and Mount Edgecumbe. Never heard of any of these place, but I imagine that they'd have to be quite big gardens. No-one with less than 3 or 4 acres should consider growing an A. Bidwillii if they were smart (and even then I'd wonder why). The are as ugly as sin, have bark like an elephant's bottom once mature, grow way too big on anything less than major acreage and the nuts on those things are lethal. |
#11
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Avocado reached the roof.
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message ... "Jeff Layman" wrote in message "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C: http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html Here is a series of pics of the garden of the author I mentioned above with a pic of an avocado with fruit. I do know that the area she lives in gets as cold as she claims it does. So what? She knows nothing of growing plants in a cold climate. She grows plants in a warm temperate climate with occasional frosts. This is a quote from her "The Magic Grove" page: How To Start a Grove Step 1. Start your grove with a single, very hardy tree that you will survive severe frost, hellish winds, summers over 45C and drought...a bunya, loquat, macadamia... So Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii) is "very hardy", is it?! It may grow on Tresco (I can't remember if there is one there) but is there a plant surviving anywhere on the UK mainland? I doubt it. To quote from the Wikipedia entry "Once established Bunyas are quite hardy and can be grown as far south as Hobart in Australia (42° S) and Christchurch in New Zealand (43° S) and (at least) as far north as Sacramento in California (38° N) and Lisbon (in the botanical garden)." Even the extreme south of the British mainland (50°N) is 10° north of these areas. And as for macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia of tetraphylla), no chance! Another quote from Wikipedia "Macadamias prefer ... temperatures not falling below 10 °C (although once established they can withstand light frosts)...". She has got a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) right. That will withstand heavy frosts. But if you are waiting for a good crop of fruit in the UK, you'd be better off looking in your local supermarket. You've raised some interesting questions. She's a top grower of all sorts of things weird and wonderful and she does things that most people say just can't be done and that no mere mortal should be able to do in her climate. Growing coffee and many of the other things she does should be absolutley impossible where she lives but apparently she does it. I wouldn't even consider a A. bidwillii or a macadamia if I wanted to plant a hardy tree, I'd use a radiata pine Or failign that, a realy big rose. However, since the question was about growing an avocado in Exeter which must be one of the mildest climes in the UK that is what we should concentrate on and since Charlie Pridham says that avacodo can grow in London and I can't see why it wouldn't be worth a try. But yougot me interested about A. bidwilliii so I did a quick google. Apparently they have been grown in Cornwall at places called Glendurgan, Penjarrick and Mount Edgecumbe. Never heard of any of these place, but I imagine that they'd have to be quite big gardens. No-one with less than 3 or 4 acres should consider growing an A. Bidwillii if they were smart (and even then I'd wonder why). The are as ugly as sin, have bark like an elephant's bottom once mature, grow way too big on anything less than major acreage and the nuts on those things are lethal. London has a microclimate all of its own. I doubt there are many true frosts in central London which are prolonged into the day. There are many plants which could be grown there which would probably not survive in even south-west Cornwall, and with the added bonus of a large, south-facing wall to act as a storage heater, I am sure quite a few "tropical" fruits are in reach. It would be interesting to see a photo of an Avocado tree fruiting in Exeter, although I doubt it could be done outside of glass protection! I remain unconvinced about A. bidwillii. The photo here http://teegee8.smugmug.com/Nature/Gl...04556979_afj3B looks very much like A. araucana to me. If you compare it with http://anpsa.org.au/a-bid.html or http://www.maltawildplants.com/ARAU/...idwillii_t.jpg you will se what I mean. I have emailed Glendurgan to see if they have - or had - A. bidwillii there. The ref here http://www.growingontheedge.net/view...e024c 7a8e2ac to A. bidwillii actually has a photo of A. araucana at Penjerrick! The page does refer to bidwillii, but growing on Madeira. -- Jeff |
#12
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Avocado reached the roof.
"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
... "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message You've raised some interesting questions. She's a top grower of all sorts of things weird and wonderful and she does things that most people say just can't be done and that no mere mortal should be able to do in her climate. Growing coffee and many of the other things she does should be absolutley impossible where she lives but apparently she does it. I wouldn't even consider a A. bidwillii or a macadamia if I wanted to plant a hardy tree, I'd use a radiata pine Or failign that, a realy big rose. However, since the question was about growing an avocado in Exeter which must be one of the mildest climes in the UK that is what we should concentrate on and since Charlie Pridham says that avacodo can grow in London and I can't see why it wouldn't be worth a try. But yougot me interested about A. bidwilliii so I did a quick google. Apparently they have been grown in Cornwall at places called Glendurgan, Penjarrick and Mount Edgecumbe. Never heard of any of these place, but I imagine that they'd have to be quite big gardens. No-one with less than 3 or 4 acres should consider growing an A. Bidwillii if they were smart (and even then I'd wonder why). The are as ugly as sin, have bark like an elephant's bottom once mature, grow way too big on anything less than major acreage and the nuts on those things are lethal. London has a microclimate all of its own. I doubt there are many true frosts in central London which are prolonged into the day. There are many plants which could be grown there which would probably not survive in even south-west Cornwall, and with the added bonus of a large, south-facing wall to act as a storage heater, I am sure quite a few "tropical" fruits are in reach. It would be interesting to see a photo of an Avocado tree fruiting in Exeter, although I doubt it could be done outside of glass protection! I remain unconvinced about A. bidwillii. The photo here http://teegee8.smugmug.com/Nature/Gl...04556979_afj3B looks very much like A. araucana to me. If you compare it with http://anpsa.org.au/a-bid.html or http://www.maltawildplants.com/ARAU/...idwillii_t.jpg you will se what I mean. I have emailed Glendurgan to see if they have - or had - A. bidwillii there. Well, I stand corrected! I have had a very quick reply from Glendurgan: "There was an original that grew at Glendurgan many years ago and was lost in a cold winter once it had reached a reasonable size. The present tree is young but been planted now for approx 10 years and is growing well. Although it has not enjoyed the last two winters!" I hope it survives long enough for me to get down there to see it! -- Jeff |
#13
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Avocado reached the roof.
In message , chris French
writes A friend of ours lives in Exeter, they have an Avocado they have grown for about 5 years in their conservatory, and it has now reached the roof. Thanks for everyone's comments, they've decided to prune it back, so we will see how it goes. -- Chris French |
#14
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Avocado reached the roof.
"Sacha" wrote in message
On 2010-08-27 09:14:55 +0100, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given said: "Sacha" wrote in message On 2010-08-26 14:31:50 +0100, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given said: "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C: http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html Here is a series of pics of the garden of the author I mentioned above with a pic of an avocado with fruit. I do know that the area she lives in gets as cold as she claims it does. http://www.jackiefrench.com/garden.html In Australia? This is UK.rec.gardening! Plants don't know the difference between the UK and a cold climate area of Oz. There are many plants that grow in the UK that I can't grow because it's too cold here. And there are many plants that we can grow here from Oz and NZ which won't grow 3 miles away. That doesn't mean an Avocado tree *will* survive outdoors in UK but it *might* for ever or for 2 years and then get knocked down by a bad winter. Our problem this winter was not just cold but *prolonged* cold. Many things will take a brief period of frost but not several days. Cornwall, one of the very mildest areas of UK normally, has had two bad winters in succession both in terms of temps and the length of time those low temps hung around. IIRC some areas went to -11C. Only yesterday someone asked my husband if a plant would come through the winter and he said "only if you can tell me what this winter will be like"! So how different to your climate is Exeter's? In Cornwall last year it went to -11C in some areas and that's the balmy south west. ;-( We can grow stuff here that will take down to -5C but not for prolonged periods of icy days *and* nights. Yes and you were complaining about the weather because it was worse than normal. The max and min winter temps in Exeter are about the same as where that Author lives if Wikipedia can be relied upon. Exeter is probably warmer than here, being a city. We're a few miles only from Dartmoor but rarely get the snow or ice they can get there. England's climate is just too unpredictable and too varied over small distances to be absolutely sure of anything with regard to winter or summer weather. I just talked to someone in Chepstow, two hours drive from here, who is chasing wasps away while we have a pale grey and boring cloud cover. About two weeks ago temperatures varied by about 10 degrees C within two days. Well recalling the time we drove from Kings Cross station to Betwys-y-Coed and it took 4 hours, 2 hours from you would halfway across the country. It'd take me 2 days to get halfway across the country. You can just imagine what it's like here in Oz. We look at the chart of what's happening in the Tropics and wonder what the heack we're doing living where it's 6 months of winter, hard frost for most of that time and where there has been snow on Christmas day when it should be stinking hot. Anyway I still think it's worth a try to grow it outside. It certainly isn't going to do anything in a conservatory except take up space. |
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Avocado reached the roof.
"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message "Jeff Layman" wrote in message "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C: http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html Here is a series of pics of the garden of the author I mentioned above with a pic of an avocado with fruit. I do know that the area she lives in gets as cold as she claims it does. So what? She knows nothing of growing plants in a cold climate. She grows plants in a warm temperate climate with occasional frosts. This is a quote from her "The Magic Grove" page: How To Start a Grove Step 1. Start your grove with a single, very hardy tree that you will survive severe frost, hellish winds, summers over 45C and drought...a bunya, loquat, macadamia... So Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii) is "very hardy", is it?! It may grow on Tresco (I can't remember if there is one there) but is there a plant surviving anywhere on the UK mainland? I doubt it. To quote from the Wikipedia entry "Once established Bunyas are quite hardy and can be grown as far south as Hobart in Australia (42° S) and Christchurch in New Zealand (43° S) and (at least) as far north as Sacramento in California (38° N) and Lisbon (in the botanical garden)." Even the extreme south of the British mainland (50°N) is 10° north of these areas. And as for macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia of tetraphylla), no chance! Another quote from Wikipedia "Macadamias prefer ... temperatures not falling below 10 °C (although once established they can withstand light frosts)...". She has got a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) right. That will withstand heavy frosts. But if you are waiting for a good crop of fruit in the UK, you'd be better off looking in your local supermarket. You've raised some interesting questions. She's a top grower of all sorts of things weird and wonderful and she does things that most people say just can't be done and that no mere mortal should be able to do in her climate. Growing coffee and many of the other things she does should be absolutley impossible where she lives but apparently she does it. I wouldn't even consider a A. bidwillii or a macadamia if I wanted to plant a hardy tree, I'd use a radiata pine Or failign that, a realy big rose. However, since the question was about growing an avocado in Exeter which must be one of the mildest climes in the UK that is what we should concentrate on and since Charlie Pridham says that avacodo can grow in London and I can't see why it wouldn't be worth a try. But yougot me interested about A. bidwilliii so I did a quick google. Apparently they have been grown in Cornwall at places called Glendurgan, Penjarrick and Mount Edgecumbe. Never heard of any of these place, but I imagine that they'd have to be quite big gardens. No-one with less than 3 or 4 acres should consider growing an A. Bidwillii if they were smart (and even then I'd wonder why). The are as ugly as sin, have bark like an elephant's bottom once mature, grow way too big on anything less than major acreage and the nuts on those things are lethal. London has a microclimate all of its own. I doubt there are many true frosts in central London which are prolonged into the day. There are many plants which could be grown there which would probably not survive in even south-west Cornwall, and with the added bonus of a large, south-facing wall to act as a storage heater, I am sure quite a few "tropical" fruits are in reach. It would be interesting to see a photo of an Avocado tree fruiting in Exeter, although I doubt it could be done outside of glass protection! The OP didn't ask about getting it to fruit so we have no idea if this is the aim. From the qusetion asked, it seems the OP might jsut want it to live and is thus worried aobut frosts. IF they've grown it from a seed (and that would be probalbe) then it would take a long time to fruit anyway. I know that avocadoes can survive frosts. I remain unconvinced about A. bidwillii. The photo here http://teegee8.smugmug.com/Nature/Gl...04556979_afj3B looks very much like A. araucana to me. If you compare it with http://anpsa.org.au/a-bid.html or http://www.maltawildplants.com/ARAU/...idwillii_t.jpg you will se what I mean. I have emailed Glendurgan to see if they have - or had - A. bidwillii there. The ref here http://www.growingontheedge.net/view...e024c 7a8e2ac to A. bidwillii actually has a photo of A. araucana at Penjerrick! The page does refer to bidwillii, but growing on Madeira. I don't really care if A. bidwillii will grow in the UK or not. It's not a plant I like and nor is it what the OP asked about. I just did a google to see if it got a mention as growing in the UK. It did. |
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