Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: Tefleon on February 02, 2012, 18:11

Title: Growing Marestail
Post by: Tefleon on February 02, 2012, 18:11

Yes, that title is correct.   I want to grow some Mare Tail!  (Equisetum arvense)

Now given the stuff is all over my allotment I have plenty of rootstock to choose from but it is the growing medium I'm after help with.   What I'm trying to find is a transparent medium I can drop a piece of root into and then track the growth over time.  The actual sample will be in a sealed container and although I can find a suitable tube, it's what to use with it that's causing the problem.

Any suggests?  Does clear gel as soil actual exist??

Thanks for any help!

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: arugula on February 02, 2012, 18:39

I believe there is a plant gel product available which is an alternative to soil. You know if I don't ask someone will, why do you want to grow Marestail and why in gel?

:)

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: Tefleon on February 02, 2012, 18:43

Quote from: argyllie on February 02, 2012, 18:39

I believe there is a plant gel product available which is an alternative to soil. You know if I don't ask someone will, why do you want to grow Marestail and why in gel?

:)

My idea is to put a two inch piece of root into the get and then photo it on time lapse to see how it both puts down more roots and also pushes out to send out spores.

I think it could be seen as "know your enemy!" after digging so much out last year and knowing so much more is waiting to come back this year.  :(

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: ManicMum on February 02, 2012, 22:34

I'm sure I've seen pots of clear gel to root cuttings in, but I don't know what the gel is.  Might be worth looking at the garden centre in the posh gardeners bit (ie not the dip-it-in-rooting-powder-& shove-it-in-soil part!)

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: Rangerkris on February 03, 2012, 07:33

We had a kit at work for some thing like this, i think it was a narrow perspex picture type frame also one for growing things so you could see the root system also like this very narrow so the roots had to go close to the plastic even in soil you could see what was going on clearly. One below is for worms but works the same.

(http://www.toyvilla.com.au/images/products/wild-science-worm-farm.jpg)

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: sunshineband on February 03, 2012, 07:34

I like the flag on top Kris  :lol:

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: DD. on February 03, 2012, 07:37

Rooting Gel (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Success-Organic-Rooting-150Ml/dp/B0015UD1TQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1328254524&sr=8-3)

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: arugula on February 03, 2012, 08:03

Quote from: argyllie on February 02, 2012, 18:39

I believe there is a plant gel product available which is an alternative to soil.

This (http://www.plantgel.com/) is the sort of thing I had in mind....

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: DD. on February 03, 2012, 08:08

Think of how much Mare's Tail you could grow in a 10 gallon bottle!

God Bless America.

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: arugula on February 03, 2012, 08:13

Quote from: DD. on February 03, 2012, 08:08

Think of how much Mare's Tail you could grow in a 10 gallon bottle!

God Bless America.

Indeed. To both sentiments. :)

Title: Re: Growing Marestail
Post by: savbo on February 03, 2012, 10:35

This has just reminded me that as a kid I was given a kit that was for this - a firm jelly you could grow seeds in, from memory they were squash seeds of some kind.

That was a blast from the past. Like the smell of rowney poster paints, and the joy of flipping the crutch from Waddington's Jack Straws...

I'll get me coat

sav