Ok, I do tend to procrastinate a little, but near the Mekong in 1973 I gathered some seeds of a particularly beautifully foliaged bush. They have been neglected in my shaving kit all these years.
Is there any hope? I've got a very small greenhouse and a seed starting mat from Charlie's Greenhouse. Is it worth a try, or are seeds that old better in the compost heap?
Old Chief Lynn
It cannot hurt to try. seed collected at archaeological digs have germinated, i forgot the exact numbers, but some kind of aquatic flowering plant was featured decades ago in the National Georgraphic, grown from seed collected in an Egyptian tomb from the pharaonic period. i would soak these well, and do all the things to goose germination, bottom heat and all that good stuff.
hermine
Please try! Any good that can come of this is very welcome. Also, it's interesting, and can't hurt. Please let us know how it goes.
~Shelly~
Cant hurt? I see Kudzu everywhere I hike in the USA these days...........
H.
I'd say give it a whirl and let us know how it goes. Just think, if you have 50 seeds and only three germinate and two survive to grow into bushes, you'll have something unique and special. Good germinating to you. Keep us informed!! madgardener who has no idea why kudzu has anything to do with what you're wanting to do here...............................
"...........Ok, I do tend to procrastinate a little, but near the Mekong in
1973 I gathered some seeds of a particularly beautifully foliaged bush. They have been neglected in my shaving kit all these years. ........"I did the same many years ago in Africa and found them over 20 years later, sowed them all in the hopes that 1 might come through and the lot grew, but lost them in an early frost...just wish I had kept some back. I'd always say sow, and leave them for a year or so before dumping, after all what is the space taken by a pot against the chance they'll grow. Good luck.
Kudzu (I think I have the name right? - spiny climber?) is a result of the unconsidered release of an alien species into the environment. Try the effect of prickly pear in Australia, Giant Hogweed in the UK, & many other examples. Look at the customs declarations you sign going into most reasonably 'isolated' countries, & the paperwork when importing many alien species not already known in cultivation.
In reality I agree the risk is probably very small, especially if it came from the Mekong delta, (I guess there are areas in the SE USA where it might survive though?) but the risk in general is not zero as someone suggested.
H.
The release of kudzu was in the 30's during the depression. The idea was to give farmers something to grow. Kudzu is edible and aparently nutritious but people did not like the taste of it and the attempt at using it for a food crop failed. It then naturalised and took over
Shell
lotus seeds. or papyrus. Ingrid
hermine stover wrote: , but some kind of aquatic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
Good luck! Just don't let it outside and become the New Kudzu. zemedelec
Thanks for the encouragement (and the warnings). The seeds will be given a little TLC and I will report back in....... well, as soon as something happens. Or doesn't happen.
Old Chief Lynn
I didn't say to turn it loose on the environment. I was assuming that whatever this was was going to be a potted plant.
~Shelly~
Yes, i remember the picture of the lotus flower.
hermine
"...........Try the effect of prickly pear in Australia, Giant Hogweed in the UK, & many other examples ........"
Yet you happily sent a "Bush" that has invasive tendencies over to the UK last week.
A "particularly beautifully foliaged bush" from the Mekong in '73 is probably a POT plant, not a POTTED plant.
- Spellcheck
ROFL!
What on earth do you *eat*? Seems to be extremely wirey tough climber; does it have an edible rruit or what?
H.
The Amazing Story of Kudzu
"Florida nursery operators, Charles and Lillie Pleas, discovered that animals would eat the plant and promoted its use for forage in the 1920s."
"During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Soil Conservation Service promoted kudzu for erosion control."
"Kudzu's most vocal advocate was Channing Cope of Covington, Georgia who promoted use of the vine to control erosion. During the 1940s, he traveled across the southeast starting Kudzu Clubs to honor what he called "the miracle vine."
"Edith Edwards makes deep-fried kudzu leaves, kudzu quiche, and many other kudzu dishes. She found recipes in The Book of Kudzu: A Culinary and Healing Guide by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi."
"In China and Japan, ground kudzu root (called kuzu) has been a common ingredient in foods and medications for centuries."
Etc........................
Many thanks, an interesting web site. As far as I was concerned Kudzu was a wirey thorned vine which you see
*everywhere* hiking & can be a real pest. I had no idea of its wider possible applications. Though Im not surprised goats eat it; they eat ANYTHING. I had a friend who swore there was a herd in Khartoum which lived solely on empty cement sacks, & Ive seen them 8 to 10 feet up in thorn trees; just how you climb trees with cloven hooves I'll never know!H.
I haven't been through the Deep South since the 80's, but I do recall seeing the vines as attractive until I realized what they were doing to the native species. I had no idea they had pretty, fragrant blooms, either. Here are some photos of what they do............ Kudzu-The Vine
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