Re: Proteas - longevity under stressed conditions

It sounds to me like your plants have had abit too
much of a struggle since first being planted out, and
would have benefitted from abit more supplemental
water the first few years, as well as topdressing with
humus or compost to give a dilute feed.  As selfsown
seedlings in the wild, they undoubtedly can survive
with next to no care, but are still greatly favored by
opportune rainfalls and less severe conditions when
still small.  

Should it not be impractical to do so now, I would
suggest supplemental watering, providing additional
mulch and light feeding with something like cottonseed
meal to help them along.  In sandy soils here in
northern California, they certainly do well with
periodic irrigation in the dry season, and I try to
feed them to give abit of nitrogen and acidify the
soil abit.  I've also had good success with several
species of Proteas and Leucospermum and Leucadendrons
as container plants, which get regular daily
irrigation in summer, and they have done fine.  Then
again, I am specifically growing them for maximum size
and flowers, and not trying to naturalize them.  We
also get much less constant drying winds in the dry
season than you do in the Cape.  If you were to try
planting additional seedlings out, I would recommend
planting from smallest sizes available and only after
the start of fall rains, and provide some supplemental
watering and feeding the first couple of years to help
get them established, and also some additional water
in drought years, presuming you would also prefer to
get better growth and flowering.  Extending a drip
irrigation line on a battery operated timer at the
hose bibb can be an inexpensive solution to give
plants a little help, and works especially well in
situations where you are not around full time, such as
a second/vacation home.  Or maybe you would have
better luck with Proteas/Proteaceae shrubs that are
actually indigenous to your immediate area.

I think I recall that most all the South African
protea members planted at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
are only given monthly drip irrigation as they have
become mature, so they are pretty drought tolerant
here along the coast.  All of the commercial
plantations in Southern California receive regular
drip irrigation in summer, to maximize production for
their cut flowers, and I would assume that this is at
least weekly.  It is also hotter, drier and windier in
these areas than here in northern California, and
therefore more similar to your conditions,(except that
we rarely have truly acidic soil ph outside forested
areas of the state).

In the wild, you have much more possibility of
wildfires, insects or diseases attacking your plants
than we do here.  I would suspect that phytopthera is
a bigger threat to plants in South Africa under garden
conditions than it is here, and will be the most
likely thing to affect the lifespan.  You can't do
much to keep this out if it is already there in your
soil, except to minimize irrigation under warm to hot
conditions.  Some hybrids seem to be virtually
indestructible, and I would highly recommend Protea
'Pink Ice', a hybrid between susanae and compacta as
being one of the most foolproof,(as well as frost
hardy) proteas for any garden where it is hardy.  This
hybrid seems to be able to tolerate acid or basic
soils, heavy clay, balanced fertilizers with
phosphorus, and cold down to 20F without harm.  As
well, it has good appearance and blooms all year round
here.  It may be too large for a small garden, as some
I have planted out are already 10 feet tall at 5 years
of age.

> Charl de Winnaar wrote:
> > I have a couple of Protea cynaroides that are
> growing on a sandy, windy 
> > slope. They are about 4 years old and their growth
> has been 
> > disappointing, to say the least. They were
> purchased with a friend of 
> > mine who purchased similar sized plants on the
> occasion (at the same 
> > nursery). The difference in plant size is huge due
> to the different 
> > environments (she has no wind, borehole water and
> fertile soil) and she 
> > is already taking magnificent flowers off hers. 
> >  
> > What determines the limited lifespan of the
> Protea? Is it time or size 
> > i.e will these plants die off before reaching
> their full size but having 
> > reached their alloted three score and 10 ? Or will
> they live longer than 
> > expected because they will take so long to reach
> maturity? 
> >  
> > Charl
> 
> Three years ago a P. cynaroides which I originally
> grew from seed, 
> finally died at the ripe old age of about 45 and
> when I enquired if this 
> was a reasonable lifespan several people told me it
> was quite 
> exceptional (around 25 being about the ususal).
> 
> We live in a mainly winter rainfall area and this
> bush was planted on a 
> very dry and rocky hillside exposed to strong
> prevailing winds, and 
> apart from putting large rocks around its base and
> watering a few times 
> over the first three or four years the only other
> attention it ever got 
> was deadheading after flowering and occasional more
> extensive cutting 
> back (especially when it got so huge and heavy
> almost half the bush one 
> year simply fell off).
> 
> It took several years to produce a flower (six or
> seven if I recall 
> corrctly) but once started it grew with increasing
> energy every year and 
> bloomed prodigeously. At the height of its vigour it
> could produce 
> around fifty of its huge beautiful blooms each
> season.
> 
> Proteas, as far as I can gather, are best grown
> hard. Sure one can get a 
> lot of quick growth and early flowering like your
> friend by using a rich 
> soil and frequent watering, but I think it most
> likely they will have a 
> shorter lifespan than those which, like yours, have
> had to struggle in 
> their early years.
> 
> Moira
> -- 
> Tony & Moira Ryan,
> Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ.     Pictures of our
> garden at:-
>
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
> NEW PICTURES ADDED 4/Feb/2004
> 
> 



		
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