Much to my surprise, when several plants were dug up and placed under the verandah (in a pot) they really weren't the same trees at all. I had a pineapple guava, at least four years in the ground, which had barely grown. I gave it water in the beginning but then let it fend for itself. The plant never died, but then it never seemed to flourish either.
Pineapple guava
new growth (left) old growth (right)
The remarkable thing which happened after spending several weeks in ideal conditions, the guava's leaves, started to change. Instead of being tiny, grey and a little fuzzy, they put on new growth that was green, shiny and substantially bigger.
I had noticed these spindly traits on a lot of the plants I had in direct sunlight with no micro-climate. I just thought they were meant to look like that - despite all the lovely photos I saw on the internet of other peoples lovely specimens. Perhaps I just got a dud variety?
I almost wish I'd rescued it sooner, but then I never would have made this new discovery in the field, about how important micro-climates are. Plants need other plants - layers, or they just make it through the summer without any new growth and definitely no fruit. The difference between four years growth and a few weeks in ideal conditions, is remarkable.
That's how quickly a plant can grow in our area during summer, when it has an agreeable micro-climate. Needless to say, my focus this autumn is to get a lot of support species into the ground to create better micro-climates around the garden. I'm glad to have planted pigeon-pea trees in pots, just for this cause. I got cracking with planting today, but there are many more to go.
Its certainly an ongoing learning experience isn't it? I planted goji in what I thought was a nice location but they didn't thrive at all there. I was told they grew slowly but tolerated draught and all kinds of soils. However, I didn't like the looks of them after a couple months. I transplanted them into pots half filled with sand and half soil. They loved it! If something isn't working in the location I plant it, I usually just transplant to the total opposite condition and that balances things. Plants are our best teachers.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how plants can tell us all sorts of things about what they really need. I find the general nursery guides aren't really a good indicator to follow. At least not for this locale.
DeleteYou did well to cotton-on so quickly to give your goji different conditions. A lot of plants can survive drought, but they don't really progress beyond what was originally purchased from the nursery. I hope your goji goes on to produce many more offspring, either by seed or propagation. :)
With goji, there are such far fetched recommendations-that they grow from zone 3 on up for example. I truly doubt that they can be that hardy without some microclimate tampering. And the drought hardy is a fallacy too. Infact I think that they really prefer a nicely moist soil. They won't' die if not watered all the time but they don't thrive. Goji is a new thing for the U.S. though and I think that there is a lot of guessing going on. I keep an eye on my plants and what they "tell" me. Thats the only way to become a great gardener isn't it?
DeleteSo very true - plants are what makes us gardeners and by observing what they need, we get a chance to experiment with how great a gardener we can become.
DeleteA gardening fallacy I have come to realise is that native plants aren't as hardy as claimed either. I find if you don't give them ideal conditions and a regular prune, they won't live beyond a few seasons. Many of them are designed to have very short life spans anyway.
But I guess hardy can be interpreted as "won't die" with neglect, but they won't grow to their full potential either. It's a good general guide, but we have to take it a step further if we actually want to "produce" something from our gardens.
I always thought that hardy meant that they would survive our harsh winters. lol. I think though that the word just depends on where you live. Your hardy may have more to do with heat and drought, mine freeze and snow. And won't die with neglect. lol. I think that we have things such as natives but we also have bioregions. There are natives that work in the general bioregion but not in my immediate area. We need to really pinpoint what native means.
DeletePineapple Guava have been very slow-growing in the garden for me. Maybe I need to think about microclimates, too. Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeletePineapple Guava has a reputation for being a hardy plant which can survive anything. I think that's why I tended to leave mine alone and see how it went.
DeleteI couldn't believe how well it responded to different conditions. My further reading on the matter, suggests guavas be given morning sun, but shaded from the hot afternoon sun. I'm devising a theory for our area, is a hardy ornamental plant on the western side of any plant which needs afternoon shade. Pigeon pea would be ideal (for us) as it grows so well and attracts nitrogen to its roots.
Any plant which grows well and quickly in your parts, planted on the western side of your fruit trees, would be an interesting experiment to try. :)
Chris, what an excellent observations. Great post! Also explains why I probably don't do well with potted plants!
ReplyDeleteOh Leigh, potted plants used to thwart my green thumbs too. I found if I bunched the pots together, they would do infinitely better, because there's more leaf surface area per square metre. It also makes them easier to water.
DeleteIn summer I had to water them once a day, even though they weren't in direct sunlight, simply because the soil could heat up and dry out quicker in pots. Once in the habit of watering once a day, my pot plants never looked back! I water every second or third day during the cooler temps, and only just a splash. :)