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tomt226

New Growth Or Old Wood?

tomt226
10 years ago

Never tried to overwinter Ghosts before, bhut I did this year. Native varieties will sprout new growth from old growth that doesn't show any green under the bark when scraped. Will Bhuts do the same?
It was 80 degrees yesterday, so I rolled the plastic back on the Ghost hoop-house and did a little scraping, finding no green on the above-ground material However, just below the soil line, I got green, so the roots are alive. Wondering if I should just cut these off to the ground, or wait?
Another one I have in the greenhouse has green stems showing a little leaf growth.

Comments (11)

  • tomt226
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's the one in the greenhouse sitting by a Karipinscia tree (curry tree) from Sri Lanka. A must for curry. The leaves are great.

  • judo_and_peppers
    10 years ago

    you have the curry tree too! that thing is awesome. ours gets a lot of use (wife is indian).

    I know this is entirely off topic, but that's cool.

  • thepodpiper
    10 years ago

    OK, whats a curry tree and i want one.

  • judo_and_peppers
    10 years ago

    good luck. it's almost impossible to get viable seeds. you can buy the plant but they're crazy expensive even for a small one. the best way to get it is to propagate from cuttings. that's where mine came from.

  • esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
    10 years ago

    Tom, I would just let them go until they shoot out more buds and leaves. Once you see where the new growth ends, just prune above it.
    Bruce

  • pepperchuck
    10 years ago

    *sorry to continue on the curry tree tangent* found this online because I pretty much said the same thing as the podpiper

    Here is a link that might be useful: curry tree link

  • tomt226
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Judo,
    Did yours make berries? I shoulda kept some and dried'em for the seeds. I will this year for sure.
    That was teeny one in the link. Mind got 6' and was still growing when I pruned it and put it in the GH.
    I hear there's a 10' one growing in Austin in a monk's GH.

  • currilicious
    9 years ago

    If you live in the San Francisco Bay area, it's easy to get curry leaf trees especially in the spring. I paid $11 each for mine at Indian Spice Bazaar, located at 1637 Hollenbeck Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087. Last year they sold for $15 each, so it's a supply and demand situation. This is not the only store that sells curry leaf plants, but it's the most accessible to me due to my work commute.

    They carry them usually in the Spring. You'd have to contact them to see if they're still around or pay them a visit - they sit them by the front picture window on the floor so they'll get light while they wait for their new homes. The ones I bought in March 2014 were about 6" tall already and have already doubled in size by early July. I made the mistake of fertilizing one right after I got it and burned the leaves a bit - they come pre-fertilized. I'm lucky I didn't kill it. Wait about a month before adding anything to it.

    Also, paint the black plastic container to a lighter color, e.g. white, to prevent heat stroke, or repot. I put Sphagnum Moss over the soil to retain moisture, since otherwise the pot will evaporate quickly and weaken the plant over time.

  • tomt226
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I water mine by setting it under a hanging basket and letting the drip excess come to the tree. I only give it MG once a month. Got a load of volunteers in this one that I've gotta pot when I prune and re-pot this one. It likes it hot with diffused sun 'cause it's an understory tree. Can get to 20' high.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    What about the over-wintered bhuts? Did they come back?

  • tomt226
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Not the three in the hoop-house. The one I pruned back and kept in the GH is doin' fine in the garden. I don't think the few days of low 20's we had this winter did'em any good. Later this month I'm gonna try starting some cuttings to see how that works. I've got three in pots that'll be for next year, and if the cuttings take, then those will be for the year after that.

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