Has anyone rooted compact Jatropha or the regular larger ones. If so how
Thanks,
Mickey AZ
Jatropha
I have rooted the regular one with red blooms by taking semi-woody stem cuttings, wetting the stems, dipping the stem ends in a powdered root stimulator and then sticking the stems in regular potting soil. Be sure to remove all but about 3 leaves at the top of the stem. The soil must be kept moist and in partial shade. It is best to start the cuttings during the regular growing season rather than in the fall. Good luck!!!
I haven't had any luck with cuttings of the compact jatropha, but I got 3 to grow from seed this year. They are very small, but hanging in there. I have had good luck with seeds from jatropha multifida, jatropha podagrica and now Jatropha integerrima.
Russell
Thanks for the tips. I don't do well with seeds however.
MickeyAz
Do you have trouble getting the seeds to sprout or does the trouble come after they have sprouted? I have found that heat seems to make them sprout better (at least in my experience). I have a homemade mini greenhouse...well, it is a large rubbermaid container with a white lid. I put the seeds in some seed starting mix (very light and airy). I mist them daily and wait. It gets very hot in the container, but it stays very moist from the condensation and I have had very good success with jatrophas. I never could get them to root from a cutting using the same environment...possibly too hot in the container? I don't know. I have a couple of seedlings of the compact spicy jatropha that popped up about a week and a half ago and so far they are doing well. I have 5 of the podagrica, but none of the multifida at the moment.
Are you looking for a trade or just trying to see how to propagate these? I am going to try more cuttings, it just gets discouraging when time after time I fail...LOL.
Thanks for the tips htop. I will try some right now!
Russell
This message was edited Jul 13, 2011 8:30 PM
Russell I love the Jatropha podagrica. Did you grow them from seed? Do you have a picture of them? I would love to see them.
Yep! I have 5 of them growing from seed. Funny thing earlier this year, I found something strange growing well away from my podagrica...I thought it looked peculiar, so I pulled it up and put it in a pot...well that one died and I never knew what it was because I had never found an intact seed on my mother plant, I thought it was an unknown volunteer dropped here by some bird poop or something. Later, I caught 2 seed pods when they had barely started to open (before they exploded and shot the seeds far away from the plant.) I gathered several seeds straight from the plant and put them in my homemade greenhouse and up came the shoots. I don't have any pictures of them yet, but I will take some tomorrow and post them. Not much to see yet, but they are growing. The "trunks" about the size of a straw and they are about 5 or 6 inches tall. I hope they grow as fast as the multifida. I started a couple of them from seed during the winter and they are about 2 feet tall now, almost mature enough to flower!
Russell
Russell,
I like your homemade mini greenhouse idea. My husband had been having difficulty germinating Ghost pepper seeds in seed starter or anything other potting medium.. He has started some between moist paper towels placed in a ziplock bag. I'll pass your idea along to him
I have my rubbermaid container in my potting area...It get very little sun, maybe 2-3 hours or filtered sun per day, but it seems to be enough to get things going. Just make sure to get the kind with a solid colored lid...I have another one with a clear lid, and if something isn't on top of it, the cuttings fry in our intense heat. It was a cheap solution and I have had great success with it.
Here is a picture of one of the containers.
Russell
These are the Jatrophas. The two in the clay pots are podagricas and the one in the front right is integerrima.
This is the first time I have grown the podagricas from seed, so I don't know their growth rate, but they are getting pretty tall! Might be time to begin hardening them up outside of the MGH...minigreenhouse that is.
Take care,
Russell
Russell, thanks for the photo and the suggestions. I have some of those same containers. Your Jatropha look great! So, you keep them in the mini greenhouse until they get about that size?
I need to find some of them....:)
I bought a pump sprayer to water the plants inside and it works so much better than the finger squeeze squirt bottle. I can pump the sprayer several times and water all of the plants in both containers. Talk about a moist environment!
As for how long I keep them in the MGH...that depends on the plant and how I feel about it. When I take them out, I generally do it on a weekend when I will be around. I keep an eye on them to see how they do throughout the day. If they start wilting, I will put them in a shadier spot, if not, I let it ride, keeping them moist, but not too wet. When the roots are growing through the bottom of the pot, it is generally time to move them.
Give it a try...it is a cheap fix, and I have been very rewarded by the results.
Russell
Russell, thanks for the additional info.
I so love the delicate flower of this type of Jatropa. But not sure of it name? Hi Russell, I'm glad I found your thread on the topic. Currently I've a couple seedpods on this one. Are they viable seeds? If so I'll try to grow some or share them with fellow gardeners. Thanks.
Yours looks like a spicy jatropha, not sure if it is the compact version of the full sized one, but the seeds should be viable. Just make sure they are totally dried out before you collect them. For me, the spicy jatropha took longer to sprout than either of the other two varieties I have grown, but they sprouted with 100% germination. Good luck! I saw another variety of jatropha at a local nursery yesterday and I was tempted to buy it, but I am running out of space, so I left it there.
These are great plants, but none of the varieties I have like the cold. I dug up 2 of them last winter and brought them inside during our colder than normal winter. They all survived and have produced more seeds this year.
Have fun, and bring more of these interesting specimens to the world.
Russell
My Spicy Jatropha has been blooming since spring up until now. It has not set any seed. Is there anything I can do to help it out? I had a couple seed pods but they never developed but fell off before ready. I would love to see a picture of the Pink Spicy Jatopha. Anyone know if it is as breathtaking as the red one?
Funny you say that about the spicy jatropha. Mine has only produced 3 seeds since I have had it and I was lucky enough to collect them all. I don't know much about increasing the chances of getting seeds, but I bet it has something to do with pollination. As for the pink variety, the flowers look exactly the same, but they are a pale pink. Different, but pretty. I prefer the red to the pink because of the depth of color on the red.
Russell
Russell I figured I would love the red more. It is breathtaking red. I would probably want another red than to have a pink one. Maybe the ed will hold on to the seeds in the fall when it is cooler. Atleast I hope so. Thanks for the info.
Sandy
Mickey, I appologize calling this Russell's thread, but actually it's yours. Very sorry. Thank you for starting the topic so that we can exchange info.
As to the question regarding pollination. Tiny little bees appeared to have pollinated mine. I tried to get a picture of the little 'bee' but the camera didn't cooperate. :((
From one of my two Spicy Jatropas, I had two seedpods. One aborted immaturely due to mealy bugs infestation. Grrrrr. The last seedpod hung on. I hope it will make it to term.
Cool! Glad to see you got a pod to form. I haven't had any pods since May. Good luck, and keep posting those pics! I like the mix of the jatropha and the plumerias.
Russell
I never knew that they made seed pods. I just got a pin jack from Almost Eden. It's growing and I a, loving the pink delicate flowers. They are just like the red only pink. Almost Eden has had some wonderful plants that I have been looking for and were hard to find. I have been very happy with them.
Mickey
Mickey, are your plants in the ground or in pots? It seems like the varieties I have in the ground make more seeds than the ones I have in pots. We are in the grips of a pretty severe drought in Texas, so that might be part of the reason I am not seeing seed pods on the ones in pots. Maybe they don't get quite enough moisture to produce the seed pods. All of the potted varieties produced seeds in the spring, but haven't seen anything in the summer. Glad you are liking the pink. Variety is always good!
Take care,
Russell
Yakmon,
I'll have to take photos of the plants. Mine are all in pots so I can bring them inside for the winter. It got so cold here that my oleander burned this winter! I live in the foothills of Phoenix at 2250 feet. I just won't take the chance of loosing them.
I have a little pink one that I got a few weeks ago. I think it is going to be great when it gets bigger. The flowers look about the same size.
I had to move the plants under our huge pine tree because it's over 110 and we have very little humidity. I'm not sure about how much to water them but I water the concrete so the humidity gets kicked up and I mist the plants. I haven't seen a seed pod yet but it could be too soon.
This is one of my red ones.
Mickey
Beautiful! I love that vibrant red. I am nursing some jatropha podagrica I grew from seed, trying to get them toughened up before giving them away to friends and DG'ers.
Keep em coming.
Russell
Mickey, that's beautiful. Russell, I've gotta look up the podagrica ones. Saw some from Hawaii spring before last. The blooms, and seedpods were much bigger than the j. spicey ones.
I would love to find a jatropha podagrica. The plant reminds me of a Adendium (not sure spelled right) Desert Rose.
My Lowe's got in Spicy Jathropha. They are in about a 2 gallon pot about 2 1/2 ft tall for 19 dollars. I will wait to see if they mark any down when they don't keep them well watered.
Well ILJ99, you are just up the road from me. Let me get these a little bigger and I will send you one. They are still pretty spindly as they popped up from seed about a month ago.
Russell
Thanks Russell :) I would love one. No hurry what so ever. Have a Great Weekend everyone.
I'm back home and wondering if the spicy jacatrophia have a scent? I don't think my plants had a name other than Jacatrophia.
Mickey
Cave Creek, Arizona
PS yES ALL OF MY PLANTS ARE IN LARGE POTS AND HAVE TO COME IN FOR THE WINTER, IT'S NOT FUN!
Mickey I am so happy with my Double White Oleander. It is still blooming :) You are such a wonderful friend and person. Tell your DH TY also!!!
I have never thought to smell my Spicy Jathropha. It is however setting 1 seed pod. I hope it will set more as it continues to bloom. I will keep you informed. Glad you are safely home. *Snicker* Smockette was so jealous I got to meet you. Oh the other cuttings are looking good.
I
I took a sniff on my spicy jatrophas yesterday and couldn't smell anything. I also tried some more cuttings since it is a little cooler now. I had terrible luck with them during the blazing summer. Even my seedlings croaked.....maybe fall will be better!
Russell