Geoff S Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Earlier in the year during lockdown 1 we walked past an oak tree standing slightly isolated in a field. In the autumn, before everywhere got really wet again I picked up an acorn and planted it in a Christmas pudding container where I'd already sown a couple of date stones which were growing well. It's flourished. So I transplanted it into another recycled pud basin (with a few holes drilled in the bottom for water uptake. It's growing well though I think it'll be a few years before it'll be big enough to replace any of the oak beams holding up our ceilings. My gardener supplied the potting compounnd as I have zero growing talent - until now. Here's the parent; Now where can I get some balsa seed? Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Hell, that grew quick ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 it's on its way!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 We have an oak tree in our garden. It's quite a big one, though nothing like the size of the one in your photo. Every year it drops acorns on the lawn beneath it, but this year (well, last year really!) it produced a huge number of them, way more acorns than I've ever seen from it - and we've lived here for almost 20 years. For the past few months almost every time I look out into the garden I've seen squirrels and pigeons (now, rather fat pigeons) on the lawn, obviously gathering up those acorns. I assume the squirrels are hiding them away somewhere, the evidence seems to suggest that the pigeons are simply eating them! No balsa trees here though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwain Dibley. Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Nature will prevail. D.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Carlton Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Balsa Seeds 🤪 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 We were passing a lot of oaks on our walks and there were huge numbers of acorns. A lot more than I recall seeing before.. That's what prompted me to try planting one. Perhaps the very dry spring had something to do with it - you kow the spring with great flying weather we couldn't take advantage of. Some of the fields we walked through were mown 3 times for hay. Unfortunately they were so-called 'improved' grass with zero flowers except for a few buttercups near the edge. There are more horses than cattle near us though sheep outnumber tham both - a lot of Jacob's. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 So Jacob is having a good year then at the auctions ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 I think they must be. There's 100s of 'em but there are fewer now so I suppose the meat eaters are having lots of lamb chops.. Richard (who owns them) bred most of the ewes with a black ram so there were lots of coal black lambs last spring. He used to be our postman and started with them after he retired a few years back. He doesn't own the land I don't think. One of the fields is where I fly occasionally if there are no sheep as it's about a 5 minute walk from our back door. Apparently Jacob's are good mothers and can cope with triplets. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 I am currently trying to grow a monkey puzzle tree in a similar fashion - with what seems like zero success! GG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 I am no gardener (to put it very politely) but I do have one good laugh. Outside the back door I have three rose bushes. Occasionaly I prune them and once in a blue moon I feed them. My next door nieghbour used to be a keen gardener. Many years ago she bought 5 rose bushes for a pound from a newspaper. She gave me one of these. Her all died. Mine still produces a huge crop of roses every year. My other two also produce roses every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Some plants thrive on semi-neglect. Well, that's what I tell my wife! GG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 In my Dad's garden are a few flowers. I particularly liked this one. Taking advice from my Dad, as he is a keen gardener I took a seed head and grew them. This is the result. I now have dozens and they self set every year but none are like the one I wanted even though that was the plant from which the seeds were taken. I guess that proves I am not a very good gardener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Posted by GrumpyGnome on 01/02/2021 09:04:14: Some plants thrive on semi-neglect. Well, that's what I tell my wife! GG You think of your wife as a flower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 A beautiful rose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Posted by GrumpyGnome on 01/02/2021 10:08:08: A beautiful rose! Yes, I saw t in a catalogue and just had to have oit. It is called Osiris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 I thought GG was talking about his wife. Yes it is a beautiful rose you have Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil McCavity Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Give it a few hundred years and your sapling will match the photo of the parent Geoff. Rose react well to semi neglect, I watched an experiment where a bed of roses was divided in two with one half being meticulously pruned whilst the others where just randomly butchered using a hedge trimmer, the result being that there was no noticable diffference in flowering between the two, the pruned bed looked neater but the flowers were unaffected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuphedd Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 for fun I planted an avocado last year , now its a foot tall ! But I doubt its hardy so its indoors and soon it will out grow its surroundings ? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 lol. Beautiful rose both my wife, and Peter's. GG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly boy3 Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Some years oaks and other trees provide inordinate amounts of acorns and seeds. This is called a “ mast” year. The next few years produce little results due to energy used in “ mast” year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 I like trees, but unfortunately so do my aeroplanes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Posted by EarlyBird on 01/02/2021 09:10:54: In my Dad's garden are a few flowers. I particularly liked this one. Taking advice from my Dad, as he is a keen gardener I took a seed head and grew them. This is the result. I now have dozens and they self set every year but none are like the one I wanted even though that was the plant from which the seeds were taken. I guess that proves I am not a very good gardener. If the plant is an Hybrid the seed can throw up something different, so not down to your skill maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Not down to my skill but possibly my lack of skill. This is an amusing thread I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Lea Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Garden dahlias are propagated by dividing the tubers or taking cuttings from sprouts, and bedding dahlias grow readily from seeds. Nothing wrong with your gardening skill Early Bird just the wrong type of dahlia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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