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mutant

Help with acacia cultivation needed!!

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I am more into 'sowing frenzy' this year and I am doing my sowing from early on to avoid having to hangle sensitive baby seedlings in the hot days of summer.

 

Give them a little shade or shadecloth to harden if neccessary as summer may be the best growth priod for young seedlings enabling them to grow large enough to handle the following winter during which growth slows down.

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I can confirm that getting them to sprout is not hard as I thought after all. In fact it's easy.

Weakening the seed coat with a thin file and soaking overnight in normal tap water will do it.

A.phlebophylla indeed seems to be more hesitant though. Next time [only got 4 or so seeds left] I will not sow until I see rootlets.

So, all there's left is learning to get them to grow as well as sprouting!

Power to those who don't give up!

Edited by mutant
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plantlets sprouting [acuminata, obtusifolia]

so I can declare I unlocked the sprouting thing for them.

I got sent some Mimosa hostilis seed. Should I do the same method for them?

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the mimosa seeds get nicked, and the big difference is, mimosa's can take a bit of fertilizers, whils't i never fert my acacias.

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A quick observaion (/rant) I feel like sharing.

Searles Native Plant Mix is utter shite (IME).

Last year I potted up a bunch of Acacia spp. using either of the 2 native potting mixes I can find in my area- "Searles Native Plant Mix" and "Grow Better Native Potting Mix".

Repotting them yesterday, the GrowBetter plants had super healthy root-balls, every plant has extensive healthy nodules on the roots

Now the Searles plants- when I was tapping them out of the pots, the entire top half of the soil fell out of the pots, totally uncolonised by any roots. In the bottom of the pot is a totally compacted and waterlogged mud, suffocating a piss poor tangle of thin and half dead looking roots.

Even when I first opened the Searles mix, I remember being really dubious about the quality. Whilst the Grow Better mix is nice and dark and humusy but really well draining mix, Searles was a much lighter brown colour with an absolute SHITLOAD of little bark chips floating around in it. But I have always read good reviews of Searles other products and thought they know what they are doin.

Has anyone else ever had this problem? Of course it may have plenty to do with my watering regime and whatnot, maybe I just got a bad bag, but I know what works for me now and I'll never buy that shit again.

(by the way I have never had a problem with Searles Cactus Mix)

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alright here I am

P1070123.jpg

considering I didn't sow many this second time, it's not a bad rate, but

growing wise, this is not very impressive result

it has barely grown, all this year!

what should I do with this dude now, that the winter colds [mild, up to 5 C usually]? should I minimise the water intake? should I try to put in some more friendly place, maybe warmer?

second plant is kind of shitty , don't hope high for it...

good news is I think it's starting to widen the stem... or maybe my eyes are blimfling! :bong:

should I add more of the bigger maidenii's soil to it?

here is the maidenii, lloking good. does it have the bacteria? who knows?

P1070199.jpg

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hey, I prepared a next - small batch of acuminatas, and thinking of doing some obtusifolia too...

could I access this symbiotic bacteria acacia needfrom commercial bat fertilizer or seeweed fert? could I buy this somewhere?

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plants are looking awesome! i just put in some a.acuminata theyre starting to take off. how old is that maidenii?

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Hi Mutant, I planted some A. obtusifolia on the 8th April (Autumn) i just soaked them in boiling water for 24hrs & over that time regularly added more hot water, I then potted them in osmocote professional seed raising mix, 1 seed per pot, planted at a depth of 5mm to 10mm, I placed them in a little plastic greenhouse (1m wide 1m deep 2m high) on the top shelf, it gets very warm & humid as its in the sun all day, the green house is covered by shade cloth that only lets in 50% sun light. 85% are up & looking very good :) but from what I've read about this species i know theirs along way to go. I'll keep you posted as to how they go. Good luck with your acacias

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buster >>

I have no idea how old from seed the maidenii is, because it was given to me by a friend, it used to be in a colder place and was pretty stressed when I received it, and anyways, it wouldn't make it outside, the dude had to bring in at winters etc.

This must be around 4 y.o. , I estimate, this year I planted in the soil, in a pretty sunny spot, she seems to loving it, throwing lots of new growth and fattening the stems!

Jox>> the acuminata from last year seems to be doing fine and growing too - I also started the new acuminata seedlings from this year in a mini greenhouse I got, much similarly to what you seem to have done [ part shade, of course] and now leaving half of them there and acclimatizing some in the roof [sunnier] to see what's best.

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Hi Mutant,

I was talking about A.obtusifolia. But its good to hear your acuminata are doing well as I'm planting them tomorrow. :wink:

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edit: oh, I just sowed some obtusi's

ok the pics

new acuminatas in the GH

P1050361.jpg

P1050362.jpg

maidenii with new growth

P1050365.jpg

acuminata from last year

P1050363.jpg

new acuminatas on the roof, sunnier spot [there doesn't seem to be a difference up to now - or is there?

P1050364.jpg

Edited by mutant
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What a lovely thread this is! :) I've seen some of these acacias really take off after being planted in a happy ground location.

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^^^^^

could you please write further on the "happy ground location" ??

I indeed planted the big maidenii in the ground, a nice protected place, pretty bright some hours of direct sun.

Please include wind and min temperatures, as I plan to experiment in a less protected place. Can they handle a short little frost a couple mornings?

Which of them would be the most cold hardy? maidenii, acuminata, neurophylla, obtusi?

keep the thread alive with pics!

PS: on a side note. I germed them in a mini green house, but I found out they like to be acclimatised in drier place rather soon!

P1060546.jpg

Edited by mutant
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^^^^^

sniff

Only one of all those acuminatas in the previous photos survived and is struggling to reach maturity

I should take soil from acacia plantations next time I sow

micromegas , from another thread, thought I copied it here as well

Sow scarified seeds (pick out and use the ones that swell when placed in near boiling water) into native plant potting soil in the tubes just like you have already used. Germinate in full sun and then put under shade cloth full sun for about a month and then gradually increase the sunshine throughout summer. By the end of jan they should be good to be in full sun all the time. Use gravel as gtarman has suggested. You should get almost 30/30, not six! They are hardy buggers, good potting soil is the key. Plants germinated in Dec should be 10 inches or more by June ready to go in the ground. I have done this with acum, maidenii, obtus and other native wattles without any issues or need to be indoors, humidity etc. etc. and is roughly how seedlings for reveg projects are generally prepared (eucs/myrtaceae and wattles especially). Water every day or two days if the soil is well drained.

and gtarman>>

The maidens wattle could possibly benefit from the humidity, seeing as it's endemic to NSW and QLD coastal areas that receive much more rainfall than the acuminata.

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And remember that by native soil mix, we mean basically an Australian native mix - which has next to no phosphorous in it. I've grown them successfully in normal mix, but native mix is probably better.

I'd mix native mix with about 15% coarse washed sand, or 30% if you're using regular potting or seedling mix. My method was just put the seeds in a mug, pour boiling water straight from the kettle onto them and leave to soak overnight. Next day plant just below surface of the above mix in a pot with a bit of room for some roots then leave in a place outside with bright light. Micromegas is on the money - no special humidity equipment or anything needed really. Just don't give them too much sun until they've put out a couple sets of phyllodes.

And after they germinate, a good mulch of ~2mm fish tank gravel around the plant will prevent the moisture in the soil from causing fungal problems on the plant above ground...like this:

nordic-gravel-2-4-mm-image.JPG

Edited by gtarman
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Absorbing information..... :-) I'll be sowing in about 2 weeks.

Hey Mutant, did you put your acuminata's outdoors and in the ground? You were asking if they handle frosts. I'm sure some mornings, being inland, the chances of ice are there. It can get pretty effin cold hey.

Sad to hear of your losses :-( do you have any more seed? I have some standard variety spare if you like?

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I have none surviving seedling I even killed my more mature one :)

the mature one I really fucked up. I repotted in a lousy spot with worn out cat-shat soil , more shady, and maybe pruning it wasn't so good idea, and then again because it didn't get rain water there, it might have dried by lack of watering (1 meter from an argyreia that grew without needing to be watered... ) its clearly my fault, might neglected it, or maybe spidermite got it...

oh well I will/should try some more..

I have grasped the proceedure of sprouting but all my seedlings were slow and as they grew a bit they didn't grew faster...

Could I buy the symbiotic organisms to help the root establish? I mean could I find what acacias need in their soil in a commercial product, like those myco root powders they sell for helping root systems?

about phlebophylla sprouting.

I have done alright with scarification.. should I scarify phlebo more?

mycot said shaglum moss.. what about jiffy pellets? what about watering it with acidic ph water in a jiffy pellet?

any insight?

PS: I stil got planty of acuminatas, neurophyllas, maybe some obtusifolia and now some new batch of phlebos some crazy dude sent me! thanks a lot dude, and thanks to ferret for the first pack as well.

Edited by mutant
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Trying again with some Acacia seed. 

 

filed and pretty oldish acacia obtusifolia (3 out of 6 ) have germinated (6-9 days) but havent freed their leaves completely - it seems the two coteledons are separate but inside a membrane, I dont remeber if I have seen this again, but these last years have been seedy years, so I am returning to attempting acacias. 

 

 

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lol all dead killed by neglect this year... 

cant do everything at once, oh well

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I'm sure it'll happen for ya at some point broa.. it's an immense feeling when ya gettem going and very exciting trying them outdoors,..

I hope courtii and obtusifolia can hack our winters like maidenii and acuminata 

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I sure like to do it at some point, I dont know if its going to be this year,too much going on in head, as I am pushing the multitask mode to its max... 

 

I also started a stone and rock collection and desire to learnt ot recognise stones and basic geology rock formation shit... lol yeah thats me, maybe trying to be a homo universalis, in the old sense :) 

 

sure yeah, I wanna do it, these seeds seem like they live forever, I even got som phlebs.. maybe later this year... 

 

 

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I have a question on cold hardiness..

 

I'm growing a few Acacia species for the first year in the Southeast US. The most similar climate in Australia seems to be perhaps around the ACT and Canberra, with very frequent overnight freezing temps in winter. 

 

I read that they have mature acuminatas and floribundas growing at the botanical gardens there. And previously had burkittii, but not anymore.

 

Any experience growing Acacias through winters that chilly?  Especially curious about courtii, since it seems to be the quickest grower of the bunch I've got going. 

 

Thanks. 

 

 

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3 hours ago, sabviewer said:

I have a question on cold hardiness..

 

I'm growing a few Acacia species for the first year in the Southeast US. The most similar climate in Australia seems to be perhaps around the ACT and Canberra, with very frequent overnight freezing temps in winter. 

 

I read that they have mature acuminatas and floribundas growing at the botanical gardens there. And previously had burkittii, but not anymore.

 

Any experience growing Acacias through winters that chilly?  Especially curious about courtii, since it seems to be the quickest grower of the bunch I've got going. 

 

Thanks. 

 

 

Hey, Frost will kill acuminatas and courtii. floribunda may survive.

Edited by smithy
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