Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
lathyrus_odoratus

Questions about growing a trailer

lathyrus_odoratus
14 years ago

A very kind person on the Brat forum sent me two plantlets that are on my wish list. One is The Madam. Since I've never grown a trailer and only have experience with a lot of potted leaves until now, I need a bit of help. I've also posted on the Brat forum, so for people who read both boards, please forgive me. There are different people here, however, so I'm hoping that this ends up helping people who don't read both forums, while also providing the input of people here who do not participate there.

I've read the articles I can find and searched and read older posts. I'm left with some gaping holes in my comfort level at not mangling the cutie.

Here's what I know about the plant. The date on the Solo cup says 5/30. I am guessing that this is the date the plantlet was planted in the cup. I can see 2 rows of leaves, with a teensy leaf sprouting at the top of the crown that I am guessing to be the start of the third row of leaves. Here is a photo of the plant from the top. (FYI, you can click on the photo to take you to a larger version.)

{{gwi:369995}}

Given that, I have the following questions.

1. When grown from a leaf, what is the criteria for deciding it's large/old enough to start another crown? Does it not matter? Does it need to be a certain age or have a certain number of rows of leaves? If any of these, what is the criterion? If something else, what it is and the criterion?

2. Can anyone tell from the picture if the oldest row of leaves are likely true leaves or if they are immature or baby leaves? I don't know how to tell, but I do see a bit of a petiole on the crown that looks to be lower than the lowest row, which makes me think they have probably been removed.

The plant I have appears to be suckering, as shown in the following photo.

{{gwi:369996}}

3. If this is a sucker, should I leave it to start another crown? If not, why not?

4. When a crown is pinched (not removed as in propagating a chimera), it's obviously at least slightly damaged if not completely. Can it continue to produce leaves if it's not removed? I'm still trying to figure out the crown pinching thing, obviously.

5. This lovely plant has a bloom stalk with a couple of blooms on it. Given that you want a trailer to trail, do you normally leave blooms on this early or remove them to encourage time spent growing foliage, suckers, new crowns, etc.?

6. It came in a Solo cup. The roots, when the plant was removed from the soil, were longer than the cup is high. Compared to the only other plant I have that is about the same age, it had about twice the volume of roots. I put it into a 1 1/2" pot because of the , but since it's a trailer, should I have put it in a 2" pot? That would be about 1/2 the width.

7. The following photo shows a potential second sucker. The top circle shows the new leaf at the top of the crown. Beneath it, below a petiole, is another leaf just starting. I don't know what a peduncle looks like when it first starts. Can anyone tell if this is a sucker starting or something else? The third circled area is the other area above that I think may be a sucker.

{{gwi:369997}}

TIA - I appreciate everyone's knowledge, encouragement and help.

Comments (9)

  • dognapper2
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    (Hurray for actual plants for you to torture...I mean experiment on!!!)

    Yes, I would say the red circled leaf is the 3rd in the crown. Let it be! I would say the baby leaves might have already been taken off but once the plant grows out under your conditions those longest stemmed outer leaves will be easily removed and improve the roundness - once it gets gowing.

    Yes you have suckers already - AKA - new crown developement! Up to you to leave or push out and let the main crown develop first. I might leave them to grow since the space between leaves is so wide still. Wouldn't be crowded yet. Looks like no pinching is needed as suckering is not a problem with this plant.

    The Brat that gave it to you would be the best source for advice if she's had it for long. (there were no answers yet over there to your question, so I get to compare mine later! :)

    Once you have more to experiment with ~AND YOU WILL~ you get to do the opposite thing with the next one and see which makes you happiest.

  • bspofford
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Let me preface this by confirming that this is frequently a scary unknown until you've tried it. I like trailers because you get to hope for suckers! I'll answer the best I can but I'm certainly not an expert.

    #1. You don't get to decide, the plant will do that for you. It will start a new crown when IT is ready.

    #2. Can't tell. If the plantlet was started from a crown, then they would have been mature leaves.

    #3. Yes.

    #4. Pinching the crown means to remove the starting leaves from the middle of the crown. This is to encourage new crowns to develop. Think of it as a tree, if you will. You start with one crown, and at some point pinch out the center. Multiple crowns (hopefully) will grow from that area. Those new crowns will eventually be pinched, and new crowns grow from those, and so forth.

    #5. I don't know. I think if it was my plant I would leave it.

    #6. I think it's ok in this pot for a while. Let it get over the transplant trauma, grow some suckers (crowns) and then repot it. (Trailers really like shallower pots, and they are referred to as 'pan pots'. A 5" pan pot is only about 2" deep.) In the meantime, I would go to a 3" pot the next time, and then the 5" pan pot, which is the smallest available.

    #7. They all look like new leaves or suckers. A peduncle will usually look like a little round thing with an triangle on each side. That is the flower bud in the middle with a leaf on each side.

    I enjoy trailers because they just get to be themselves without a lot of fuss, but they still need good grooming and care. The ideal shape is a ball, but I haven't totally figured that out yet. Do you have a club in your area? If so, there may be a member that has a lot of experience growing trailers that can help you.

    Good growing.

    Barbara

  • fred_hill
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi,
    Let me preface this answer by saying that I grow lousy trailers. I have yet to bring one to a show. I am only speaking here from what I know in theory about trailers. First of all trailers need a minimum of three crowns growing from the same plant. All three crowns should be in bloom. They prefer shallow pan pots to taller squat pots and these trailing steems can be pinned down and encouraged to root along the stem. This is known as the
    Japanese methnod in growing trailers. To get a tra iler to sucker you should pinch out the center of the crown leaving about 4 to 6 leaves on the plant. These leavles will eventually be removed when new growth begins. The m ore that yho pinch out the centers of the crowns the bushier the plant will grow.
    Hope this helps.
    Fred in nj

  • lathyrus_odoratus
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks everyone. Unfortunately, the brat that gave it to me started it from a leave and this is one of the plantlets. She hasn't grown it yet either. But, it wasn't started from a crown or sucker. She's learning about it just as I am.

    I think I'll leave the bloom (I want to see one!). And, as noted, very good point that this plant doesn't seem to have a problem suckering, so I don't need to pinch the first crown. I'll leave it (that makes me happy as I'm not quite ready to do that yet, lol).

    For the pot, I am ordering some pan pots. So, I'll order a couple of sizes when I do. I am going to try some Oyama pots, too, for the plantlets that are growing.

    Off the subject of this trailer, the brat who sent me also sent me a standard that was on my wish list, so I'm excited to actually have TWO plants! It is still young; no blooms yet, but hopefully it will provide some soon.

  • lathyrus_odoratus
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I did find an possible answer to the question about if I should de-bud the plant. In the Japanese style, according to an old 1992 AVSA article, you should debud the plants while you are encouraging new crowns. I am not sure how Japanese method varies from what people do today, however, so not sure it applies. It makes sense it would.

    However, it's staying, lol. I can wait a bit longer for it to make another crown. I cannot wait, however to see a pretty flowers!

  • dognapper2
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think Japanese style (in addition to pinching) has you removing all the leaves on one side so you can pin down the "branch" to the soil and new crowns develop along the upside - like runners. I've read debate whether this is proper or fair for judged plants in shows in some of my old AVSA mags. (I think it's legal.) From recent experience, while trying to repot into a pan pot it just happened that one of the "branches" needed to lay down more so that I could get it to fit in the pot well. Ended up resetting it a few weeks later - I never get things centered as well as I imagine 1st time around.

    Removing leaves that are out of place or damaged seems to promote new crowns to fill in empty spaces just as well as pinching. I'm finding I like the way that works on several plants I'm [torturing] this summer! Pinching seems more like last resort.

    Disclaimer: I should note the only shows I've ever participated in were virtual/online shows for fun and particpating with the group was more the goal than winning. I'm still learning through trial and ERROR as well.

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3845641479_88d4154e06.jpg

    Purchased in May as a small starter plant; separated when I discovered there were actually 2 plants in the pot.

    One has been disbudded & placed in pan pot; the other has bloomed steadily and let do whatever it wants. No grooming to coax third crown: a bit lopsided. Smaller!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Happy Trails experiment

  • dognapper2
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just happened across a link for Japanese style potting that looks well detailed. Looks to be an edit of an old AVSA article. December 1992.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Style Trailers

  • lathyrus_odoratus
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for posting it; that was the article I was reading.

  • bspofford
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dognapper2, I just looked at the Happy Trails link. The plant on the left looks fantastic! Three crowns, nice rounded shape, symmetrical. When it blooms, it should be drop-dead gorgeous. The plant on the right has nice blooms and looks like my trailers!lol

    Are you close to Portland at all? We have the club meeting this Wednesday........

    Barbara

Sponsored
FineLine Kitchens, Inc.
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars81 Reviews
Award Winning Kitchen & Bath Design Center Serving the DMV Area