Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: mickeyboy on October 09, 2010, 14:21
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Hi there i have always wanted a monkey puzzle tree and due to a serious accident last year i am unable to work and on a very low income and cant afford to buy one.
My friend has one and i was was wondering if it was at all possible to take a cutting from it. If so could someone please explain in simple terms how i would do this please :) :)
I have looked at various sites but they are all american and due to my disability have trouble understanding them.
Thank you for you help
Mickeyboy
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The most common way of propagating these trees appears to be through seeds.
However, cuttings are possible:
"Cuttings of half-ripe wood, May to July in a cold frame. Only epicormic side-shoots should be used, normal side-shoots do not develop properly. An epicormic shoot is one that develops from a dormant bud on the main trunk of the tree" - from the following website:
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Araucaria+araucana
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Thanks Yorkie a top man as always ;) :)
My dad has offered to buy me one as a Christmas present :)
He was looking at the site below, do you know which of these would be most suitable too plant straight into the ground, when i could do it and what prep the soil would need?
Again ive looked for info but its all over my head :(
http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/CatalogProducts.asp?Keywords=monkey
Thanks yorkie you have been a real help to me over many topics i really appreciate it and wish there was a way of repaying your kindness :) :)
Thank you again
Mickeyboy
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Thanks Yorkie a top man as always ;) :)
Thanks yorkie you have been a real help to me over many topics i really appreciate it and wish there was a way of repaying your kindness :) :)
I'm sure Yorkie would like nothing more than to be referred to as a Top Woman rather than Top Man 'cos she is a lady, and a very nice one too!
(You're not the first to get it wrong; think it is probably something to do with adverts featuring hairy-bummed lorry drivers and chocolate bars!) :)
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HAHAHA I am very sorry. Yes it was the yorkie bar that gave me that exact impression again deeply sorry :)
My tree is on its way now anyone have any advice on soil prep planting tips ect :) :)
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I'm sure Yorkie would like nothing more than to be referred to as a Top Woman rather than Top Man 'cos she is a lady, and a very nice one too!
(You're not the first to get it wrong; think it is probably something to do with adverts featuring hairy-bummed lorry drivers and chocolate bars!) :)
;) :D :D
Someone did very kindly do me a pink avatar but couldn't quite bring myself to use it instead of the true chocolate :lol:
Re. cultivation, from the same webpage I posted earlier:
"The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.The plant can tolerate maritime exposure"
So, basically, it's not too fussy! But if you have very clayey soil, I'd try to improve the drainage a bit with some grit or horticultural sand.
It gets very tall so don't plant it near the house and not in deep shade.
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im in a spot of trouble with the wife regarding where i was going to put my tree, shes having none of it as she said the kids need somewhere to play!! I suggest the park but that just seemed to make things worse :)
Is at at all possibe to restrict the growth of this tree by placing in a large pot and burying the tree underground does anyone no?
If so any ideas of the best soil to plant in?
I have looked at various site but half of it is way over my head :(
Thanks all
Mickeyboy
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My OH has always been fond of Monkey Puzzle trees so I bought him one for his birthday several years ago. However, like your OH, I know how big they grow and am not prepared to give up growing everything else for the sake of 1 tree taking over the garden so our tree is growing in a large pot. It is doing well, I give it a liquid feed a couple of times throughout the summer and each spring I take off some soil from the top inch or so of the surface and replace it with fresh compost. Good luck with yours :)
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My friend has one and i was was wondering if it was at all possible to take a cutting from it.
Mickeyboy
Hi Mickey, although it is technically possible to root epicormic shoots from a Monkey Puzzle it's not an easy process by any means and really needs both misting and regulated bottom heat to have any chance of success, which is why they are almost always propagated by seed.
Araucaria's are quite widely available, even from most decent garden centres, and that might be the best/quickest/cheapest way of getting hold of one...certainly saves the (potentially quite large) packaging & delivery charge!