This plant supposedly is native to the Gobi desert and northern climates of Europe. It is sold dried as a model tree for diorama's, model railroads, museum scenes, etc. When grown the seed/flower stalks make a very realistic representation of actual deciduous trees. Multiple materials are used to flock this plant to make very real looking trees only a few inches tall. I have found very little information on the net as to the requirements for growing this successfully. What is available is other modelers who bought the seeds and threw them in the garden or greenhouse. Some had some success, some did not. It has a reputation of being difficult. And the modelers who had success did not post a lot of details. I took that as a challenge and have a few dozen that are growing very well with plenty of seed/flower stalks beginning to show. I also have several dozen in earlier growth. I have started a few hundred seedlings and lose some to damping off and even some plants with healthy growth turn south. Since I don't know the requirements I am doing a lot of experimenting. I think they prefer organics to commercial fertilizer. The ones that got liquid fertilizer are turning more yellow. The ones that got fish emulsion or just organics are a better darker green. I don't really know if I harmed some or made them go into a cycle of some sort. The plants do turn reddish once they get older. I would greatly appreciate any advice, information as to growing these and what the conditions are truly like in places where it grows wild. Weather patterns, temperatures and especially preferred soils. The seeds are the size of the period at the end of this sentence. What I have learned so far is with artificial light, (aquarium lights) the stalks grow tall and stringy. Moving them outdoors in the sun gradually as soon as they germinate, appears to make them shorter and stronger. I have been using jiffy pots to start the seedlings. They work great initially but become a moisture magnet once they are transplanted and make it difficult to water correctly. They do not like water on top. All my planters have bottom trays for watering. I presently have a tray of seedlings in little bio pots. The ones that you poor potting soil into. Trying to avoid the moisture magnet properties of the peat pots. My next experiment is to sow some seedlings directly into some growing containers, skipping the indoors seedling stage altogether. I just finished a hobby greenhouse so my plan is to put them in there at least until they germinate. All my other plants are outdoors under a clear tarp that keeps the rain off. I have been keeping a running thread of my progress on a model train site. Others are following this and trying to grow them also. I have a lot of healthy plants so far, my worry is I miss something and lose a bunch. I started out just wanting to grow them cause I will need hundreds of trees for my own modeling. But it has become a fascinating hobby in itself trying to figure out the needs of these plants and to come up with a method that others can follow. This is my first post. I am just an amateur at gardening but do enjoy raising vegetables. And I have been really enjoying the challenge and ups and downs of trying to understand what these plants are telling me.
Small, but decent, ecological description of it here under an old name: AgroAtlas - Weeds - Chenopodium aristatum L. - Wormseed. High amounts of light and temperatures, medium amounts of water during growing season (but not to the point of having the soil always wet or damp), soils range from fertile & tilled to roadsides and dry slopes (presumably low nutrient availability)
The link says they prefer sandy loam soil. That would explain my strongest plants which are planted in old potting soil mixed with a lot of sand. I have been playing the numbers game starting the seeds in different mediums and soils and experimenting with the soil in the planters. With a few hundred plants, I expect to get a good handle on what works and what doesn't. I have a batch of plants that are green, bushy and healthy and the sun has sent them into a mild growth spurt. I have another batch that is turning yellow and struggling. The soils are different. The struggling plants are in a mix of topsoil that has steer manure added and potting soil. I wonder if they don't like the manure?
I have one of those inexpensive soil moisture meters that also tests PH. I really have no idea about the accuracy but it does give me an idea as to what depth the moisture starts. I think going forward I will use the potting soil sand mix on most of my planters and only change up when I want to experiment.
These are all Teloxys aristata. The stringy ones are the same age as the really bushy ones except they were raised indoors for several weeks. I don't know why there is such a difference in appearance with only a week or so difference in age. The soil combinations are slightly different. I suspect that what the weather is like when they sprout might fool the plants. The bushy ones went outside in April when it was mostly cold and overcast. The small one with the reddish leaves was moved outside during a heat wave. This has become a very interesting project to learn to cultivate these. The stringy plants at the moment have all fallen down due to their own weight but the leaves just turned to the sun and the new seed/flower growths are doing the same. The boxcar is HO scale. About 6 inches long. Used for size comparison.
I figured that was the problem. The stringy ones were raised indoors for several weeks with 4 ft aquarium lights. Not enough brightness for sure. Funny thing is the stringy ones have mostly laid down under their weight and are growing up from the sides now that they have adjusted to the outdoors. Mother nature sure has a way of compensating for conditions. They are also getting bushier. I took some plants that have struggled and repotted them in new soil. An entire batch of seedlings grew a few inches tall and started the seed/flower stalks and then sort of just stopped. Younger seedlings from another batch are surpassing them. So I am experimenting with moving some to new soil. The mix the weak batch are in likely has some bagged topsoil and very old compost mixed in. My best guess is there is something in the soil or a lack there of that the plants don't like. I have a whole lot of these plants and started keeping better notes. I want to learn everything I can about these. And down the road, there will be hundreds of them dried and preserved representing maple and alder trees on my model train layout.
Re: light: it's not just a question of brightness or intensity, it also has to be the right wavelengths of light. Here is an explanation: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/biology/ligabs.html
Thanks for the link but the spectrum stuff is a bit over my head. I know enough to know that aquarium lights just don't cut it. I think I may lose an entire batch of plants. I have a few hundred plants in various situations and soils. The batch that is really struggling shot up fast in the sun and grew seed and flower stalks and then just stop growing. I tried transplanting a few to new soil but so far no changes. One issue I am dealing with is the jiffy peat pots. I get great germination rates but after transplanting the entire pot, ( I remove the netting) I think it hinders the plants as the peat is a moisture sponge and even watering from the bottom, they sometimes get too wet and I think root rot may be part of the problem besides something in the soil not to the plants liking. The ones I transplanted showed good root systems and also very weak roots. I assume it spread. The struggling batch is a few dozen plants so not a tragedy as much as a learning experience. I transplanted several dozen last night that were in the little 2 inch square bio pots. They are the ones that appear to be compressed cardboard with a hole in the bottom. I tore off the cardboard before planting them in larger containers. I also mixed a bit of sand in with the seedling potting soil. I like these much better so far as they are started in very similar soil to what they will be grown in. Hopefully they will shed the moisture better.
Peat pots strike again. I am having an ongoing problem with the peat pots. They are great for germinating and taking care of the seedlings. But once transplanted they become a moisture magnet and these plants are extremely sensitive to too much moisture around the roots. It gets complicated as I water in trays at the bottom. It takes a few days for the water to work its way up the pot. Once it hits the peat pots, they get real damp and stay that way. I have been removing all the dirt around them as so to dry them out but I am still losing a few plants at a time from this. As convenient as they are, I am no longer going to use them. Its a time bomb ready to go off. Its just difficult to get the amount of water right. I am mixing up some different soil mixes. One experiment is all compost which drains real well. The other is pine bark and perlite with a little peatmoss. I have a lot of plants growing but I really don't have a consistent method to keep these. By planting multiple batches in a scattergun approach, I am getting some nice plants along with a lot of challenges. My other challenge is the plants are bolting at just several weeks of age. Much too small and young to be of use.
