fyzygy

the spots seem to grow a little darker on maturity, possibly with a light crust or scab. but they don't seem to get any larger. emergent growth on another branch doesn't have the spots. the garden seems quite biodiverse lately, lots of different insects about. so maybe a beetle could be the culprit. there were ladybirds on those phyllodes a week or two prior to the emergence of the spots. first sign (?) was more of a rust-coloured blotch on a single phyllode, larger and more irregular than subsequent spots. Freakosystem, your input is much appreciated!

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/bulletin/bulletin_1958-01-01_2_page007.html ^ includes some detailed botanical diagrams, results of chemical analysis of different plant parts, etc. Document title suggests older information, as published in the UN Bulletin of Narcotics. But new to me. A traditional tea from khat leaf (presumably dried) is specified at 5-15 grams per litre of water. No method of preparation is given.

Somebody sent me an acacia seedling, bare-rooted, in a plastic bag lined with wood shavings. (Acacia wood? I don't know). I was skeptical at first, but that plant travelled well and is now absolutely booming. Has anyone got experience with sending bare-rooted acacia seedlings in the post -- how best to pack them for lightweight and safe transport? I was thinking perlite or sphagnum moss might work as well as wood shavings. I don't know where I would get some (untreated etc.) sawdust or wood shavings. Last lot of potted seedlings I sent were killed by Australia Post.

Good to know. Probably beyond my budget though. Packing the roots in wood shavings (as commercial operators do fruit trees) seems to work fine for Acacias, it's a great space saver and makes a seedling easy to pack bare-rooted in a mailing tube or envelope. Obviously wood shavings come in many different grades and qualities ... I scored big bags of clean native-timber wood shavings from a manufacturer of picture frames. So far, so good.

I don't think there are pustules. Some of the older spots have a very light texture to them, but in general they're smooth to the touch and flush with the phyllode surface. The rust spots appear only on this season's (new) growth, and only on this one specimen.

Good to know, I will report back to UK seller.

Stems still seem very frail, maybe 8 weeks (?) since germination: the slightest drop of water will cause them to fall over sideways. They seem to crave sunlight, rather than the "light shade" specified in description of native habitat -- mine being kept quite sheltered. Germination rate for these imported seeds was less than 25%, seedling attrition due to damping off about 50%.

Darren at Herbalistics informed me that A. phlebophylla is self-fertile, but may require the services of a native pollinator.

At an independent Melbourne supermarket yesterday, I could choose from Hoyts, Royal Fields, or (Indian) white poppy seeds. This is the same food distributor responsible for the "Royal Fields" brand.

Anyone else tried using negative prompts? Twisted tech, for sure ... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-26/loab-age-of-artificial-intelligence-future/101678206

I've heard that bees use electromagnetic polarity to navigate among flowers. Flowers being positively (or is it negatively?) charged prior to a bee visit, then reverse-polarity for a while thereafter. I don't remember the source: Attenborough on TV? In any case ... Shouldn't DC polarity make a difference, or is it merely the flow of electrons through the plant that does the trick -- in which case, you wouldn't need a connection to "ground" per se, just any two points on the plant? Is the technique said to work for potted cactus, substituting potting media for true ground? Or only for in-ground specimens? Would touching terminals to root and branch (on a bare-rooted plant) yield the same result? Sometimes I use a DC source to heat the wires in my beekeeping frames -- if you left the terminals connected long enough, you'd presumably overheat the plant -- granted, cactus not being as conductive as metal? Who knows? (rhetorical question) There is an interesting chapter on pioneering botanical experiments involving electricity, in The Invisible Rainbow -- http://libgen.is/book/index.php?md5=93E30FBB4FC43B490B7EB477C0795C37

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-24/accidentally-growing-opium-poppies-for-wedding-bouquet/101692340

Things have slowed to a snail's pace around here, judging by the gallery images ...

yarrow, garlic, tea, hibiscus, honeysuckle, valerian, ashwagandha -- all may have potential for treating high blood pressure, the latter being indicated for stress-induced hypertension source: Healing with Plants: The Chelsea Physic Garden Herbal (2021)

I've also seen the technique demonstrated using just the upper half of a leaf (bisected perpendicular to stem). A leaf laid flat on surface of growing media will sometimes work. As mentioned above, some species (e.g. S. divinorum) will produce roots from a leaf cutting, but nothing further than that. Plenty other species will readily develop into new plants from a single leaf, given *time* and favourable growing conditions. I would love to get my hands on a M. speciosa clone!

Isn't food-grade poppy seed typically sourced from Hungarian blue poppies, and medicinal-grade from Papaver bracteatum? Maybe a shortage due to supply chain issues forced distributors to repackage industrial-medicinal seeds as food-grade? Are store-bought (food) seeds viable?

Last night's episode of 7:30 presented MDMA and even (Peruvian-shamanic) ayahuasca as prospective treatments for PTSD. No psychedelic sensationalism, accusations of sexual misconduct, or financial misappropriation. I think Rick Doblin even featured for a few seconds. But no mention of MMA or the earlier 7:30 report.

Mesembryanthemum = Aptenia? I've got this growing at random, my plant ID app tells me it's M. cordifolia. Don't know where it came from, but it's always reminded me of Sceletium spp. Both seem to be unstoppable ground covers.

Looking for narrow-leaf khat seeds or plant, please PM if you know of anything for sale/trade.

Eat more plants in general: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466938/

https://psychedelicwater.com False advertising?

^ What's the legal reference? I noticed a couple of things trying to get my head around the law in WA (at the request of a stickler for paperwork). In one of the legislative instruments, having equipment to manufacture a poison is tantamount to manufacture: no prohibited plant material required. I'm guessing anyone with a saucepan or oven in their kitchen could be at risk of police harassment in WA. The other thing I noticed somewhere, was an exemption for botanical, chemical or other experts -- apparently these are permitted possession of otherwise prohibited plant materials in WA?