planthelper Posted August 15, 2004 shit, i must have starved all (3 year old plants) of my ephedra's, allthou i gave them big pot's and regular fert's. now, i planted them out into the ground and they are all very happy about it :D ! one more thing, when harvesting, which is done in the latter times of the year, just never touch the stem and never cut the major branches much shorter than they are. a harvested plant should look like before the harvest just a bit smaller.. i mean don't give it a hedge trim, but take from here and there and in different lengh, get it? ephedras are said to like arid conditions, true but i have to water them heaps... lime tolerant, free draining location (sligh hilly aspect). they form sucker's or runner's after 2-3 years which are easy divided into new plant's! :cool: i think i will get some flower's this year. i ponder with the thought of infusing ephedra with passiflora incarnata and earl grey tea, plus heaps of lime as acid. the passiflora as mild maoi would boost the ehpedra and the bergamot oil in the tea would help to pull the alkaloids out of the herb! ...go & plant out your ephedra's plz... .. and fert them.. .and water. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted August 17, 2004 Shall do and thanks for the tips planthelper :cool: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest electro Posted August 17, 2004 do they ever get any less fragile ? i gave mine away ( while it was still a seedling) because it kept threatening to die on me (from falling over, not from rotting or anything .. it would just bend in half !) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smogs Posted August 17, 2004 oh also how slowly do they grow how long till they get to harvest size... my camelia sinesis is painfully slow to watch when u want a cup of tea Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted August 17, 2004 yes, they are quite hardy after reaching a certain size. with the recent strong winds, one of my catha fell over and landed right into the ephedras and no damage was done! only young groth is soft, turning into quite tuff material with age. i am facinated by them for various reasons, for example ephedras got members most over the world, for example; europe, south and north america, china... and there is archeological evidence for it's use in many cultures. i read that young plants contain allready some actives and that comercial harvesting starts with 2year old plants! my plants are around 3 years old and if they would have been in the ground for longer than they have, i am sure to be able to harvest quite some material allready. i believe ephedras can and want to grow very virgorous and one mature plant might yield up to 1kg of dried material . with the help of it's runner's, this plant want's to take over the location where it grows and is said to be able to spread for several metres. this plant seems to be pretty imune to most pests! only young/soft tissue get's at time's eaten by snail's or catapillars... so save guard your baby's, i remeber some member's story, who found his ephedras eaten overnight by snails. :mad: male, female and bisexuall plants occur, crosspolination is said to be neccessary for seed production. ephedra herb can be used as a "natural precursor" for illegal methamphetamin production. as a cabinetmaker, i sometimes rely on ephedra tea to open up my airways, after a dusty day in the workshop! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rev Posted August 17, 2004 I recall some paleobotanists mentioning Gingko and ephedra pollen in coal layers in Victoria Ephedra must have died out here long ago Its a pity because if had survived whatvere incompatible time it died out in i think many species would be thriving in our arid rangelands today Is your Ephedra a major or a sinensis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted August 17, 2004 i got nevadensis, sinensis and major all from sab, naturally. major is doing better than the other two which hibernate over winter but major does not! thx rev, excited to hear of fossil ephedra plants in oz! maybe we extract the dna at grow it again, lol. [ 17. August 2004, 14:36: Message edited by: planthelper ] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madbrad Posted September 6, 2004 I love my ephedras. I throw a big pinch of chopped bits in my mouth with a piece of Airwaves chewing gum. Nothing clears the sinuses better. Makes your teeth feel a little weird though. I recently made a tray with a round-the-neck strap like the one the Playboy Bunnies used. I walk around talking to my plants with tray & scissors. I lean them over the tray and give them just a little haircut. This is an easy way to harvest & my girlfriend loves me wearing the Bunny outfit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted September 6, 2004 hi, madbrad & wellcome to the forum! your harvesting outfit sound's like you lead a very happy life. ...mixing with gum, allright... :D [ 06. September 2004, 14:50: Message edited by: planthelper ] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madbrad Posted September 10, 2004 Thanks. Stoked to hear other people interested in ephedras. My big interest in these fascinating plants is in their reputation to energise aging cells. I’ve been researching plants used for longevity for a while and these are still one of my favourite. Also, I’m amazed at how much info is gathered and shared by people on this site. I’ve found info here that I’ve never read before in all my years of sifting through books & journals. Very glad to be here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mandragora Posted September 12, 2004 (edited) u Edited April 17, 2007 by mandragora Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chips Posted October 9, 2004 Does anyone have a plant or seeds that they can sell or give me … I am in south Australia thanks ….?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted October 9, 2004 sab sells them! click e at seeds, maybe wandjina gardens even got a life plant for you, so ask them by e-mail. it's all here @ sab! all my plants are grown from torstens seeds! :cool: ...a small tea, made out of the major variety, made my heart pump harder right away, just seconds after drinking... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted October 10, 2004 I have no problems germinating these things...it's the rather short time between sprouting and certain DEATH I'm having trouble with :confused: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted October 10, 2004 I posted a good method for growing them a while back. They hate transplanting. They also hate germinating in soil. And they also hate growing in sand. So what I do is to put a 2"layer of sand on top of soil in a pot and then sow the seeds into the sand (5mm deep). Don't let the surface dry out at all until germinated and for about 2 weeks after, but then reduce watering dramatically. The roots will reach the soil and the plant will prosper. Good news! I have 3 Ephedra gerardiana plants which I've been growing for 7 years. One has been flowering for 3 years - first year male, second year nothing, third year female. D'oh. This year this one is not flowering, but the other two are and one is a prolific girl and the other a virile boy. I am sooooo happy. So the good news is that we will soon be able to offer seeds and plants of this species. [ 09. October 2004, 23:34: Message edited by: Torsten ] 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chips Posted October 10, 2004 Can I get on your suppy list ?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted October 10, 2004 I responded to that in the other thread. Sadly, no gerardiana plants available for another 12 months. They need at least 9 months to grow big enough and even then i don't like shipping them yet. Seed is a diffierent story and I will make some available as soon as they ripen (8 weeks or so). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted October 10, 2004 thats fantastic news, i am very happy 4 u! :cool: unfortunately, i have to move house and all the inground ephedras need to be transplanted into a far away location. i hope they will be fine because the havent been in the ground for too long and most of the roots would still resembel the original pot shape. i will be extra carefull, so not to hurt the roots too much. i havent seen any flowers on my plants, but i can clearly see some buds on one of them, lets hope they will turn into flowers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
