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#1
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Protea cynaroides question
I've just got back from a visit to Cornwall and I bought amongst other
things a Protea cynaroides at Hardy Exotics (a great nursery and very friendly people) Anyone on the list recommend any books on them including cultivating them in the UK I worry that the books bought on say Amazon might have been written for the US market so will be of no use here. Thanks. Ford. |
#2
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On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 14:24:39 GMT, Ford Prefect
wrote: I've just got back from a visit to Cornwall and I bought amongst other things a Protea cynaroides at Hardy Exotics (a great nursery and very friendly people) Anyone on the list recommend any books on them including cultivating them in the UK I worry that the books bought on say Amazon might have been written for the US market so will be of no use here. Thanks. Ford. There are no books on growing proteas specifically relevant to the UK, as they're difficult, and not many people grow them. Two books that I have a 'Grow Proteas' Brown, Kotze & Botha, Kirstenbosch Gardening Series 'Growing Proteas' Rob McLennan Kangaroo Press Both are soft-back booklets rather than books. I got mine from Trevena Cross Nurseries, a few miles from Hardy Exotics. IIRC they do mail order. http://www.trevenacross.co.uk/ . They do proteas as well. I also grow several proteas, but only a few are hardy, and then only in the far SW of Cornwall. P. cynaroides is among the hardiest, but I wouldn't leave it outside in winter unless where you live is very mild. Mine, outside all year in the ground, got cut back by a frost of -2C last February. Grow it in a pot, as they don't like root disturbance. As for cultural requirements, they require poor, very free draining acid soil. I make my own mix of equal parts of the following: acid soil / peat / gritty sand (or fine grit) / perlite (not vermiculite) / horticultural charcoal To this I add both hoof and horn and dried blood fertiliser, a couple of generous handfuls per barrowload of mix (but you won't need that much, so scale down accordingly). Avoid bone meal, fish meal or anything with phosphate in it. Phosphate fertilisers are poison to proteas, so don't use a 'balanced' commercial fertiliser. When I want to fertilise my plants, I use a level teaspoonful of each of sulphate of ammonia, sulphate of potash and sulphate of magnesium in a watering-can (say 1.5 gallons). Trevena Cross Nursery (see above) do a granulated slow release fertiliser specifically for proteas. They don't like being over watered. They also like a buoyant atmosphere, breezy even, so keep the greenhouse well ventilated at all times, if that's where you want to grow it. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
#3
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On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 19:34:21 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 14:24:39 GMT, Ford Prefect wrote: I've just got back from a visit to Cornwall and I bought amongst other things a Protea cynaroides at Hardy Exotics (a great nursery and very friendly people) Anyone on the list recommend any books on them including cultivating them in the UK I worry that the books bought on say Amazon might have been written for the US market so will be of no use here. Thanks. Ford. There are no books on growing proteas specifically relevant to the UK, as they're difficult, and not many people grow them. Two books that I have a 'Grow Proteas' Brown, Kotze & Botha, Kirstenbosch Gardening Series 'Growing Proteas' Rob McLennan Kangaroo Press Both are soft-back booklets rather than books. I got mine from Trevena Cross Nurseries, a few miles from Hardy Exotics. IIRC they do mail order. http://www.trevenacross.co.uk/ . They do proteas as well. I also grow several proteas, but only a few are hardy, and then only in the far SW of Cornwall. P. cynaroides is among the hardiest, but I wouldn't leave it outside in winter unless where you live is very mild. Mine, outside all year in the ground, got cut back by a frost of -2C last February. Grow it in a pot, as they don't like root disturbance. As for cultural requirements, they require poor, very free draining acid soil. I make my own mix of equal parts of the following: acid soil / peat / gritty sand (or fine grit) / perlite (not vermiculite) / horticultural charcoal To this I add both hoof and horn and dried blood fertiliser, a couple of generous handfuls per barrowload of mix (but you won't need that much, so scale down accordingly). Avoid bone meal, fish meal or anything with phosphate in it. Phosphate fertilisers are poison to proteas, so don't use a 'balanced' commercial fertiliser. When I want to fertilise my plants, I use a level teaspoonful of each of sulphate of ammonia, sulphate of potash and sulphate of magnesium in a watering-can (say 1.5 gallons). Trevena Cross Nursery (see above) do a granulated slow release fertiliser specifically for proteas. They don't like being over watered. They also like a buoyant atmosphere, breezy even, so keep the greenhouse well ventilated at all times, if that's where you want to grow it. Thanks for the info Chris, The plant is about 2ft x 2ft at the moment and in a pot along side my two large Strelitzia reginae, I'll probably bring it in to the conservatory a couple of months before them (winters aren't too severe in Portsmouth) the people at Hardy Exotics told me the secret in the winter was good air movement (should be no problem I have fans going for air circulation all year) I found a couple of web sites saying various things about growing in the UK some the same some contradictory, I was worried I'd pick out the wrong things :0) Trevena Cross was one of the nurseries on my must visit list but unfortunately I had to cut my visit short due to family illness problems, (only got to spend 3 nights of a booked 7!!) I'll look at their site and probably put in an order. Thanks again Ford |
#4
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P.S.
My proteas, especially young ones in the greenhouse, suffer from a fungal disease that blackens the leaves from the tips back, in spite of the door, roof and wall ventilators always being open. Even plants outside get this fungus occasionally, although P.cynaroides seems less susceptible than others. If not checked, it spreads rapidly and will kill the plant in a few weeks. After considerable trial and error with a variety of fungicides, the only effective control I've found is Dithane 945. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
#5
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On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 18:08:37 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:
P.S. My proteas, especially young ones in the greenhouse, suffer from a fungal disease that blackens the leaves from the tips back, in spite of the door, roof and wall ventilators always being open. Even plants outside get this fungus occasionally, although P.cynaroides seems less susceptible than others. If not checked, it spreads rapidly and will kill the plant in a few weeks. After considerable trial and error with a variety of fungicides, the only effective control I've found is Dithane 945. Thanks I'll keep an eye on it. I did a quick search on Amazon for the books you mentioned one is not stocked/out of print they had the Rob McLennan one for £69.95!! I did find the second edition of 'Grow Proteas' at SAflora Plant Nursery £13.99. Thanks again for the advice. Ford |
#6
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On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 17:58:16 GMT, Ford Prefect
wrote: Thanks I'll keep an eye on it. I did a quick search on Amazon for the books you mentioned one is not stocked/out of print they had the Rob McLennan one for £69.95!! Can't be the same. Either that, or it's a misprint. I don't remember what I paid for mine, but Trevena Cross' 2004 catalogue lists 'Grow Proteas' from Kirstenbosch at GBP 4.95, and I doubt if I paid much more for the McLennan one. E-mail them, they may still have a few of both. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
#7
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On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 18:19:41 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 17:58:16 GMT, Ford Prefect wrote: Thanks I'll keep an eye on it. I did a quick search on Amazon for the books you mentioned one is not stocked/out of print they had the Rob McLennan one for £69.95!! Can't be the same. Either that, or it's a misprint. I don't remember what I paid for mine, but Trevena Cross' 2004 catalogue lists 'Grow Proteas' from Kirstenbosch at GBP 4.95, and I doubt if I paid much more for the McLennan one. E-mail them, they may still have a few of both. I must admit I was surprised especially as you described it as a pamphlet, I'll email the nursery and see what they have to say, in the mean time here's a link to the Amazon page.. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...698708-5670008 Ford |
#8
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On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 17:29:34 GMT, Ford Prefect
wrote: Can't be the same. Either that, or it's a misprint. I don't remember what I paid for mine, but Trevena Cross' 2004 catalogue lists 'Grow Proteas' from Kirstenbosch at GBP 4.95, and I doubt if I paid much more for the McLennan one. E-mail them, they may still have a few of both. I must admit I was surprised especially as you described it as a pamphlet, I'll email the nursery and see what they have to say, in the mean time here's a link to the Amazon page.. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...698708-5670008 Ford Yes, it's the same book AFAICT. Can't believe the price though! -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
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