Gareth

Ok I'll start with a confession- the main reason I joined bananas.org was to try to find some information on how I can grow this species... I'm not the only plantaholic who NEEDS to grow the world's largest non-woody plant, am I? (AM I?)

I think I might have been a bit to close to the cutting edge of trying to grow this one... since there wasn't much info...

But anyway, nearly 2 years on, and much trial and error since the delivery of seeds from Rare Palm Seeds, I'd thought I'd add my experiences in the hope that it might help others (and who knows, maybe I can even add a photo, although it seems needlessly hard to add a photo here?)

First point- this was very slow and difficult as a seedling (only 3 out of 10 seeds germinated, temperature 15C nights, 20C days). Two emerged and then expired before even bothering to put out a leaf.
The one remaining shoot was so slow that after 6 months of painfully slow growth I put my plant in my homemade plant ICU (gentle heating plus T5 lights) for the entire winter.
This got it through to Spring 2019 where I felt it could graduate to my highland Nepenthes greenhouse.. so it would have temperatures close to what I guessed it would have in the wilds: warm days, cool nights, high humidity.

This was fine- but still slow growth all summer, reaching maybe 75cm tall after 18 months.

But then this Autumn, I repotted it (50% perlite, 50% peat) and gave it some ericaceous plant food, plus some "maxicrop plus iron"- and resettled it into my conservatory- where- BOOM it has taken off.

Now that it's getting much much cooler temperatures it seems a lot happier. (UK Autumn in the conservatory give me temperatures down to maybe 12c at night, then around 20C for a few hours during the day.) I'm a bit surprised that even at the end of November it is growing rapidly (new leaf every 3 weeks) given the short day lengths and lack of light intensity)- but maybe this is its "sweet spot" for good growth?

Perhaps it's only happy when it has these cool temperatures, and even a UK summer outdoors might be too hot for it... or maybe this is just one of those species that takes forever to get established as a seedling, but then, once established, it's off!

I'm hoping it pulls through winter ok and I can post more news in the future...

Georges

Hello Gareth,
I read your report with great, great interest. I try to do the same thing at home in France in zone 7b. My cooler climate than yours may be better for this species. My 10 seeds have not yet germinated after 8 weeks. They are in a mini greenhouse heated to 30 degrees during the day and 12 degrees at night. I bought them from Rarepalmseeds too.
How long did yours take to germinate?

Gareth

Were your seeds "new" in stock at RPS? My worry is that this company can store seeds for months before sending them out... I only buy when fresh in stock. Mine took maybe 4-8 weeks to germinate.
From what I've read on others experiences, germination seems to be very hard, then getting them through the first year is "hard"... and then we might be in business!

Georges

I don't know this information. Did you ask it to RPS before ordering the seeds? The seeds bag has a label with order number only. No lot number/date.

cincinnana

Great space to grow your plant...I like your grow room.
Is that a hori hori in that front pot?

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Georges

Hello Gareth, any news about your ingens?

Gareth

Hi Georges, thanks for asking.

M ingens is still powering ahead for me, despite all my attempts to kill it.

In summer, I worried that it was too hot in the conservatory- so moved it outside into my garden, still in its pot. It went downhill within hours... the wind snapped off some leaves, it looked awful and then within a couple of days, black patches started appearing on the stem.... which grew and grew and went deeper....
I thought it was finished...
However, moving it into my "tropical house" as an intensive care unit (nights 18C, summer days up to 35C), it started to recover and after a couple of duff leaves, resumed its progress skywards.

So, I have learned a few lessons here.

First- it doesn't like the cold (eg the sorts of conditions that M. basjoo or sikkimensis thrive in). Also- it doesn't like wind.

I had hoped it would behave like an Ensete in its requirements, and thrive in uk summers, but my feeling so far is that it's too tender.

Second, it heads upwards at a frightening pace. This is possibly unsurprising.

Each new leaf adds around 15cm to the stem, and it puts out a leaf about every 3 weeks.

So, in every way, this is a completely impractical prospect for anyone in the uk. No idea what I will do with it by the end of next year- if indeed it pulls through winter.

Georges

Thank you very much, Gareth, for your detailed report. Has I am desperately trying to find an Ingens, I am also wondering if it is a good idea continuing to surch one or not. My seeds did not germinate.
Do you think that the outside temperature by night was too low, and it did not like that?
How low was the temperature?

Gareth

I think that most of us found that the seeds were very difficult to germinate, and even when they did, they were very picky in their requirements. I just happened to have a greenhouse for highland Nepenthes- the same sort of conditions that M ingens should like, in theory, and with additional light in winter for the first year.

As far as I can tell, there haven't been any more seeds obtained from the wilds, and very few people got them to germinate, so there's not going to be many of these plants around (but my guess would be that some enterprising nursery somewhere would SURELY have germinated some seeds in tissue culture for mass propagation?)

I can't see much chance of my plant putting out suckers either at this stage!

My guess is that my plant went from a warm conservatory to a cool couple of weeks outdoors, which dipped to maybe 8C at night and wasn't more than 20C by day at the time.
Possibly, it was just struggling to acclimatise... and a bigger plant, acclimatised more carefully to uk summers, might do just fine?
My plant will outgrow any of my indoor spaces by Spring, so there's no choice here- I will have to try it!

Georges

I understand. When you will have suckers, I am interested in getting one. I can buy it to you or exchange with one or several of my bananas.
I have the following species:

basjoo freddi banani
basjoo sakhalin
basjoo sapporo
basjoo tchetchenia
basjoo x hybridum
basjoo espèce type
dajiao himalayan fruit
dajiao
itinerans xishuangbannaensis "mekong giant"
itinerans sp burmese blue
puspanjaliae
sikkimensis bengal tiger
sikkimensis darjeeling giant
sikkimensis manipur
sikkimensis red tiger
sikkimensis
sikkimensis ever re
helen's hybrid
sp tibet
thomsonii
velutina

Plus few others, in pot , to be planted next spring.
I think that all of them are well adapted to your climate.

Gareth

I REALLY can't imagine this plant ever putting out suckers... my guess would be that it won't do so until it's big (bigger than I could ever get it) and that suckers would be put out a good few metres away from the main plant... which isn't going to happen in a pot.

However- we just don't know! I'll keep everyone posted on developments.

sirdoofus

Hey Gareth - Thank you very much for the ingens reports, very interesting and much appreciated.

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

smeash

Very cool grow! Keep is updated!