11/04/08- Well this is it: the FINAL entry. We've come to it at last. We have had no major frosts yet. However, my area has now been experiencing colder and wetter weather. All of the plants are officially dead. I have harvested all of the claws and have pulled the dead plants out of the ground so that I can begin treating the patch's soil for next year.
I unfortunately ceased to record data sometime after the first week of October, but I can say with confidence that I did harvest over 150 claws. The longest claw that I have is just a little bit over 16 inches and the largest seed yield from a single claw was exactly 100 seeds! Thank goodness many people from the LACPS October meeting took seed as I have a ton. I will offer seed for a SASE here on TFs soon... maybe today, so keep your eye on the trading forum if you are interested. Just remember, if you get some seed they will become your burden… Hehehe…
Here are some final shots. I will be adding some additional ones later as well:
The patch on October 25th:
A fresh harvest:
Some more claws:
Remnants of plant #2:
#2 with a fruit for reference:
The last harvest (1):
The last harvest (2):
Here is a 4-pronged claw and a normal 2-pronged claw. My plants mainly produced 4-pronged claws:
Comparison of different claws. I only grew the two on the left. From left to right:
Proboscidea parviflora var. hohokamiana (4 prongs),
Proboscidea parviflora var. hohokamiana (2 prongs), I
bicella lutea, and
Martynia annua:
The final update to the data table has been made. Remember, it is not a 100% representation of my plants as I stopped collecting data some weeks ago. It is an attachment to this post and can be found below.
I know this thread is uber long and detailed, so I compiled a quick guide about growing these plants for those of you that just want the main points:
-White seeds do not have germination inhibitors, and therefore easily germinate without any special treatments.
-The seed require hot temperatures to germinate. The hotter the better. Sow once warm temperatures are prominent.
-Germination can be carried out in small pots, but soon after germination the plants should be moved to their permanent location as their root systems grow quickly.
-These plants need A LOT of room to grow. Growing them in the ground is highly suggested. If that is not possible utilizing large containers is suggested. If not enough space is provided; the plants and claws will grow only to dwarf sizes.
-Keep the plants in the hottest and sunniest place of your garden. Mine experienced temperatures up to 110F in full sun and had not problems at all.
-Fertilize your plants! I used a combination of leaf compost, humus, and 19-6-12 slow release fertilizer for the first 75% of the life cycle of the plants.
-Keep the plants well watered. They may tolerate high heat, but do require that their growing media remains moist. Leaves will loose turgidity if plants are not well watered.
-Grow only a couple of plants. After you have stable plants, select only a few of the strongest looking ones. The plants can and will produce many fruits. Don't underestimate their potential.
-Pollination is easy. Use a Q-tip and try to cross-pollinate between different individuals for best results.
-Watch out for worms! Don't be afraid to use systemic insecticide for those pesky caterpillars.
-Fruits appear quickly after the flower is spent, but will take several weeks to mature and ripen.
-Harvest fruits once they begin to split (dehisce) and be careful not to let them spread their seed.
-Let the claws and seed completely dry before attempting to remove seed from the pod.
-Remove seeds carefully. There will be some that are difficult to remove, as they will seem stuck in the nooks and crannies of the pod. Use a dissecting probe or similar tool to aid in your joyful quest.
-Store the seed in a cool and dry area for next year.
What the Future Holds:
Ivan Snyder of the LACPS told me that Devil's Claws readily hybridize, but that there has not been much data recorded on this. I was able to obtain
P. parviflora var. hohokamiana seed that only grow two prongs. In addition, I now have some
Ibicella lutea seed as well. I will grow some of these and will try to create hybrids next year. We'll see what happens…
Special Thanks:
I want to take this time to give credit to some people that helped make this possible. First, I want to thank Evin (allegedhuman) for her generosity. She provided me with the seed and lots of help and info and thus I completely blame her for this new addiction. Thanks Evin!
Next, thank you Jimscott for sharing your experiences and participating in this thread. I am sure that your posts also helped and will help people that are growing Devil's Claws. Good luck next year!
Thanks goes to Larry for providing some useful info in the beginning stages of this thread.
Also thanks to everyone who posted comments.
Thanks to Ivan Snyder for providing me with additional information regarding these plants.
Last but not least, thank YOU for reading this thread!
Alright people that's it! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I have. This is joossa, last survivor of the Nostromo signing off...