Donated Calostemma luteum seeds

Steven hartsentwine.australia@gmail.com
Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:54:53 PDT
Hi everyone.. I sent about 100 Calostemma luteum seeds to Dell a week ago, in hope some of you may have a chance to enjoy growing the Australian species  :-)
Dell asked who was interested because it would be difficult to do a  normal BX on them. They are likely to have radicals well under way by the time you got them & Ive got a bit confused about who was interested in them.. 
So those who are interested in taking a chance even if radicals may be established, please let Dell know on his private email address found on all BX listing emails.

P.S. I would have pasted it here but I couldn't work it out <:-!

Seeds were picked fresh the day before i sent them, but radicals only take a couple of weeks to start. I happily donated the postage cost in case the mission fails.. So it wont impact on PBS to try :-)
And some of u will be successful, if you want to try them, & that's what is important :-)

I found the parent bulbs, tilled out of the ground in freshly graded spoon drains on The Darling Downs in Queensland in rich alluvial black soil with a high clay content. However, I grow them successfully directly in garden beds of red mountain soil mixed with high percentages of organic material loosely mixed through.. Sugar cane mulch would be excellent, I am however in a sub tropical to temperate climate.. They can be started in potting mix & up to 25% loamy sand or sandy loam but do well in a rich garden mix.  Plant on surface or with radical down.. & I loosely cover mine with soily mulch so you can just see them or not..

flower:
Bright Yellow with small blood red centre, a little red can be seen from the side at the base of the centre of the flower too. I will send photos soon as i get a chance.. There can occasionally be random seeds of bright yellow throughout the whole flower & if the bulb gods are shining down on you, I also have a lime lemon one.. I have others that I have bought from Tasmania so it will be interesting to see any variations when they flower, the mature bulbs them selves are only one third the size of the QLD variety which are larger than a golf ball when fully mature.. I find this very interesting although Tasmania has long freezing months so it could simply be environment governing growth..

If it is all successful, I would love you to donate to PBS like usual if Dell can't BX them :-) 



The parent plants 

Steven :  )



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