Re: Lobster Claw - "
dave-poole@ilsham.demon.co.uk wrote:
>
> Thanks for the responses folks.
>
> It amazes me to find that this is apparently a very short lived plant
> - especially when you consider my experiences with C. puniceus 'Alba'.
> I've also known several 'venerable' ordinary Clianthus lasting at
> least 5 years. However, I note Moira's remarks about giving a sparse
> 'diet'. My 'Alba' was growing in the thinnest scrape of 'soil'
> imaginable consisting of mainly stone rubble and nothing else. It was
> mercilessly baked on a hot south wall and given gallons of water in
> summer, but nothing at any other time of year. Due to its position,
> it was often quite dry at the root even after a prolonged period of
> wet weather during winter. Quite often, the leaves had a slightly
> yellowish caste on account of the lack of food. Because growth was so
> vigorous, I didn't feel it essential to give additional feeds.
>
> My current plant isn't in exactly the best of soils either, but I do
> give it a feed of Miracid a couple of times each summer. That's
> probably part of the problem. Most of the branches are growing very
> well and there's quite a reasonable set of seed, so together with the
> few cuttings I've already got going, I'll be able to start all over
> again if it does peg out on me.
>
Dave
The vast majority of NZ natural soils are low to very low in available
nitrogen. In a study done in a valley adjacent to ours it was found that
there was so little N in the ground that many of the trees were actually
forced to get it symbiotically from the copious lichens which grew all
over them.
I looked up the original home territory of the Kaka Beak and found it
occurred naturally only in the northern half or North Island and then
mainly in seashore localities and on offshore islets. The site at lake
Waikarimoana I do not know personally, but it lies in volcanic country
and might well have a deficient type of soil based largely on pumice.
Which all goes to support my contention that for this plant at least a
lean diet may equate with a long life!
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata,
New Zealand (astride the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
