The adventures of
'CULEBRA'
Posted 31 December 2011-5:39pm
I have had 'Culebra' for about 12 years and have had it flower only a few times a stubborn little bastard but in the last 3 years i have had him flower each year.
I have had 'Culebra' for about 12 years and have had it flower only a few times a stubborn little bastard but in the last 3 years i have had him flower each year.
The tallest i have got 'Culebra' in either pot or ground is about 5foot tall and the he decided to die back and send up shoots like crap, now i am propagating him like mad i have about 6 X12" long cuttings, 6 X-3-5inch cuttings in soil and water. I have a stock pot that's about 4 foot tall.
I have grown 'Culebra' in pots and then placed them in buckets of water more then 1/2 full and did not find a good result but i think with 'Culebra' neglect with and water every few days helps he is on the edge of flowering in the hear of summer here in Australia
A friend (Dianne) mentioned that cuttings were around $50AU, When i got mine from Diggers they were "i think $8.50"each so a friend & i bought 10 to see if we could grow them i am proud of my success.
Posted 4 January 2012-6:16pm
I just found this 1 in some persons front yard i almost cried, it is no less then 6 foot tall and looks like it's been neglected, AMAZING The owner stated that it had been in the garden for about 4 years, left there by her X-husband
Posted 5 January 2012-4:44am
I have about 15 cuttings from 3inches to about 2 1/2 foot tall in different media with my largest cutting i have done is about 4 foot tall.
'Culebra' is an interesting plant had any one tried to breed it and what to?
Posted 6 January 2012-6:20am
I have not tried to pollinate it as yet.
I am new to Hybridising and will be looking to do something with 'Culebra' this season. Either as a pod or pollen parent it should be interesting venture.
Posted 12 March 2012-1:20pm
I have go a number of flowers on my 'Culebra' and i want to try crossing it,
1: What would be the best variety to cross it with ie: aurea as that's what it is any way it should take better?
2: When should i do the cross with the calyx still fussed or wait till the flower shows it's face.
3: is there a method i should follow morning, evening, wet, dry sunny, overcast??????
4: what technical methods are there that can be employed to better the results in the cross!
I have heard that some people have had pods that have not reached maturity but they have had them, i have also read that there was a successful pod of 'Culebra'
Reference::
http://ibrugs.com/Community/iBrugsCommunityPods/PodsView/tabid/222/asg/3/aft/673/showtab/groupforums/Default.aspx
Id like to try this also
any input is appreciated
Posted 13 March 2012-9:50pm
Can any one tell me if they have ever tried cutting the style and depositing the pollen closer to the Ovary?
I have read about this method being employed with hard to do crosses, It could be 1 way of getting around 'Culebra' not taking pollen.
the pollen
I really don't know much about pollinating but i am very interested in crossing 'Culebra'.
Here are a few pics from currant season taken today
Posted 14 March 2012-2:12pm
[quote name='alistair' timestamp='1331694768' post='283150']
Culebra occasionally sets fruit in Colombia, so it is definitely at least somewhat fertile. Lockwood crossed it successfully with aurea. But is said to have 80% abnormal pollen itself.... Good luck! [/quote]
Posted 16 March 2012-7:50pm
I have just sliced throw 'Culebra's' style and deposited pollen of aurea (form) the flower was a day or 2 from braking the calyx, so i hope that it will help and the weather is a bit kinder also being about 23oC and not getting over 28oC in the next week.
So fingers crossed
Posted 18 March 2012-4:18pm
yes the style was cut and the stamen were removed all 1-2 days before the calyx split open.
Posted 18 March 2012-11:26pm
Here are a few blooms from my 'Culebra' this evening, They look so gooooood.
as you can see the flower that is opened i have attacked with crossing it with aurea(form) pollen and removed a few stamen
Posted 22 March 2012-7:35pm
Today i got 3 anthers from 'Culebra' and they have what i thought was pollen, so i have used what scant amount there was if any on my 3 flowers of aurea(form) of different ages of bloom but all un-opened which i think will if an take it.
So it's now a wait and see game is the pollen viable or not???????
Posted 2 April 2012-6:36pm
I think you really need to get closer to the Ovary as it looks like a split style.
I could have pollinated the wrong style in the first place so next time ill do it about 1cm from the Ovary to see what may have come.
These are a few pics of dissection of the Ovary, where I did notice the split style and 1 stigma im not really sure what happening there.
The other flower i pollinated at the same time are looking OK.
I think 1 will drop it's corolla in the next 2-3 days weather pending
Posted 8 April 2012-4:34pm
While cutting away at 'Culebra' I noticed this extra growth on or just above the ovary or just on the style, I have never seed it before and I saw it on 3 blooms today.
Can any one help with what adaptation is and what the reasoning behind it could be.
I did cut the style right back again on 5-6 blooms in the hope of some type of success with the pollen being so close to the ovary and not having to travel the length of the style.
Posted 8 April 2012-7:48pm
UPDATE:::::
As you know I had pollinated my 'Culebra' on the 18th march with 2 methods.
all the pollen was of aurea (form) this is because i think it would be the best pollen parent for aurea 'Culebra'
METHOD 1: Pollinated as per usual like the birds & bee's X 2
METHOD 2: cut style 1inch from the top of the ovary removing the stigma and the tube that carries the pollen to the ovary, Depositing the aurea (form) pollen in to the cut X 2
On the 2nd April 1 of the cut style ovary's fell and i did a dissection of the ovary that was about 1 1/2 - 2cm long i think that there is possibility of some pollen grains being taken up by the ovary and deposited there.
The following day the other 3 ovary's fell of and they did not have the same result as the 1st ovary
see pics attached
Yesterday i went throw about 10 more blooms using both methods cut style and normal pollination again so i will be trashing all my flowers this year.
I have also collected 'Culebra' pollen and applied it to aurea (form) and the ovaries have held for over 2 weeks, I don't know if the ovary has taken to the pollen or not.
I think if it has or will there could be only be a few seed that would be viable as the pollen is only about 20% viable & 80% abnormal / Non-viable so there is a 2 in 10 chance the the ovary could take.
Posted 8 April 2012-9:44pm
[quoted: Greenfinger]
Shaun- thank you fro the Update as it seems to reflect a few things someone in the 40ties published on Datura's.
First of all it seems that your clone of the so said mutant plant has some troubles in forming the style. it remainds me on what Schultes published on Methysticodendron amesianum - that's the name before it was given the name 'Culebra' - he said that the style is split into 3 parts. So you guess that the 3rd style is missing or only partially present is to my opinion true.
It also seems that pollination was successful (looking on the tiny white undeveloped seed) but something triggered the pod drop mechanism. If you have the chance to redo the pollination that i would cut closer to the ovary - max 5mm distance, apply a pollen mix of 'Culebra'/aurea and spray it after a few hours with a fungicide. the brown area indicate that a rot process or something like was also involved.
I hope you have next time more success! Good luck with your experiments! This is very valuable info on the plant relationship to other Brugmansia species.[end quote]
Posted 16 April 2012-1:15am
Many Blooms on my Brugmansia 'Culebra'
he is so White, I love the way he just hangs around
Posted 27 April 2012-11:08pm
I know it could be premature, I think there could have a pod on my aurea(form) X.'Culebra' the pod is growing and looks like it has taken, it's about 1cm wide at the moment and looks healthy.
Will have pics in a few days if i get excited or a few weeks to make sure im not jumping the gun of this new pod as it grows.
Posted 29 April 2012-12:04am
Dianne the aurea(form) im talking about is the one that i have and have supplied to all of the Australia Growers of (DG).
I just call it aurea(form) it's easier that way with so many aurea in the garden, I could get confused but i do know my aurea from all others.
It has taken me all summer to try and get a pod from 'Culebra', I was told when i cut the style to use a fungicide on it after a few hours to stop and fungal attack. I did this on the 'Culebra' but no pod formed on it.
I have no idea how or what triggered the pod on the aurea (form) but i have been very persistent with the 'Culebra' pollen on it, I have done cut style 1" 2" just above the ovary pollinated the stigma so this is a stigma pollen cross and not a cut method cross.
I will have a few pics in a week or 2 when I'm 100% positive that the pod has taken and ill cut back the calyx to do so.
I'm very excited to see this happen and thanks to all the information on the websites that i visit.
Posted 4 May 2012-10:31pm
+X.Culebra+1.jpg)
http://davesgarden.com/
http://www.brugmansia.us/
http://ibrugs.com/
it has been a while since i posted something here, I should mention that the 'Culebra' pod is still holding on and it could well be a go'r so in the spring it will be ready the harvest this will be one of the most exciting seed crosses that i will have ever created from my Plants.
Posted 24 June 2012 - 10:58pm
this is how big the currant seed pod is for B.aurea(form) X.'Culebra' it looks very healthy for a 2 1/2 month old and still putting weight on in the heart of Winter.
This is a good sign!
All the other crosses i have tried using 'Culebra' have failed.
This pod should be ripe in about 3-4 months or so.
Really excited about this cross.
Posted 5 November 2012 - 8.07pm
Well Yesterday was a very good day for my seed pod with 'Culebra' as a pollen parent it's seed pod was still quite hard and had a hair line split on it.
When i went to touch it, it fell of in my hand i panicked as i was not expecting this at this time but it had been on the plant for almost 8 months which is a fair long time i think but if you can see the seed pod was very pulpy and opened up really easily with a gentle pull.
There are 53 seed and which I'm very happy about now its time to sow them hahah.
I was stopping all seed propagation for the year as i have just to many seedlings to deal with but this is the Ultimate of all my seed crosses from here and OS so ill find room for them any way and I'm to sow 15 seed
Posted 7 November 2012 - 6.35pm
Seed pod details::::
Brugmansia aurea (form) x. B.'Culebra'
Pollinated: 7th April 2012
Harvested: 4th November 2012
seed count: 53
CODE: afCul41112
Distribution: 3 growers 2 Australia & 1 USA
Propagation Details:
sown: 7th November 2012
No seed: 15
soil type: Sterilised seed raising mix
where: in a plastic container about 4" tall and a second one over top which has about 2cm of water in and the pot raised so not to touch the water, This increases the Humidity with in the containers which the Brugmansia seed require to germinate well.
Care: i have used insecticide on the 14th & fungicide on the 21st to make sure i don't get any problems with the emerging of the seed
Posted 26 November 2012 - 11.28pm
Posted 16 January 2013 - 9.35pm
This is a look at my currant seedlings development which i am very happy with
this is the seedling that i potted up just before new year 9 seedlings
Pic taken 6/1/2013
Posted 29 January 2013 - 10.03pm
These 2 little stragglers were running behind germinated on 2/1/2013
I potted them up on the 13 January i potted up in to 3" pots and placed them with the other 9
the progress in phenomenal there now on to there 6-7 set of true leaves and are very healthy and strong
My fertilizing roster is to 1/4 strength of Charlie Carp, Sea-sol & Molasses
this will keep them going for a while.
When i pot up to 6" pot which should not be to long with the original 9 seedlings i will experiment with there growing media.
I will use::::
1: potting mix $10 per bag
2: Coir Peat
3: 60% Coir Peat 40% Pearlite
4: 75% Potting Mix 25% Coir Peat
and with this i will be using the 1/2 strength Charlie Carp, Sea-sol & Molasses
I just found this 1 in some persons front yard i almost cried, it is no less then 6 foot tall and looks like it's been neglected, AMAZING The owner stated that it had been in the garden for about 4 years, left there by her X-husbandPosted 5 January 2012-4:44am
I have about 15 cuttings from 3inches to about 2 1/2 foot tall in different media with my largest cutting i have done is about 4 foot tall.
'Culebra' is an interesting plant had any one tried to breed it and what to?
Posted 6 January 2012-6:20am
I have not tried to pollinate it as yet.
I am new to Hybridising and will be looking to do something with 'Culebra' this season. Either as a pod or pollen parent it should be interesting venture.
Posted 12 March 2012-1:20pm
I have go a number of flowers on my 'Culebra' and i want to try crossing it,
1: What would be the best variety to cross it with ie: aurea as that's what it is any way it should take better?
2: When should i do the cross with the calyx still fussed or wait till the flower shows it's face.
3: is there a method i should follow morning, evening, wet, dry sunny, overcast??????
4: what technical methods are there that can be employed to better the results in the cross!
I have heard that some people have had pods that have not reached maturity but they have had them, i have also read that there was a successful pod of 'Culebra'
Reference::
http://ibrugs.com/Community/iBrugsCommunityPods/PodsView/tabid/222/asg/3/aft/673/showtab/groupforums/Default.aspx
Id like to try this also
any input is appreciated
Posted 13 March 2012-9:50pm
I have read about this method being employed with hard to do crosses, It could be 1 way of getting around 'Culebra' not taking pollen.
the pollen
I really don't know much about pollinating but i am very interested in crossing 'Culebra'.
Here are a few pics from currant season taken today
Posted 14 March 2012-2:12pm
[quote name='alistair' timestamp='1331694768' post='283150']
Culebra occasionally sets fruit in Colombia, so it is definitely at least somewhat fertile. Lockwood crossed it successfully with aurea. But is said to have 80% abnormal pollen itself.... Good luck! [/quote]
Posted 16 March 2012-7:50pm
I have just sliced throw 'Culebra's' style and deposited pollen of aurea (form) the flower was a day or 2 from braking the calyx, so i hope that it will help and the weather is a bit kinder also being about 23oC and not getting over 28oC in the next week.
So fingers crossed
Posted 18 March 2012-4:18pm
yes the style was cut and the stamen were removed all 1-2 days before the calyx split open.
Posted 18 March 2012-11:26pm
as you can see the flower that is opened i have attacked with crossing it with aurea(form) pollen and removed a few stamen
Posted 22 March 2012-7:35pm
Today i got 3 anthers from 'Culebra' and they have what i thought was pollen, so i have used what scant amount there was if any on my 3 flowers of aurea(form) of different ages of bloom but all un-opened which i think will if an take it.
So it's now a wait and see game is the pollen viable or not???????
Posted 2 April 2012-6:36pm
I think you really need to get closer to the Ovary as it looks like a split style.
I could have pollinated the wrong style in the first place so next time ill do it about 1cm from the Ovary to see what may have come.
These are a few pics of dissection of the Ovary, where I did notice the split style and 1 stigma im not really sure what happening there.
The other flower i pollinated at the same time are looking OK.
I think 1 will drop it's corolla in the next 2-3 days weather pending
Posted 8 April 2012-4:34pm
While cutting away at 'Culebra' I noticed this extra growth on or just above the ovary or just on the style, I have never seed it before and I saw it on 3 blooms today.
Can any one help with what adaptation is and what the reasoning behind it could be.
I did cut the style right back again on 5-6 blooms in the hope of some type of success with the pollen being so close to the ovary and not having to travel the length of the style.
Posted 8 April 2012-7:48pm
UPDATE:::::As you know I had pollinated my 'Culebra' on the 18th march with 2 methods.
all the pollen was of aurea (form) this is because i think it would be the best pollen parent for aurea 'Culebra'
METHOD 1: Pollinated as per usual like the birds & bee's X 2
METHOD 2: cut style 1inch from the top of the ovary removing the stigma and the tube that carries the pollen to the ovary, Depositing the aurea (form) pollen in to the cut X 2
On the 2nd April 1 of the cut style ovary's fell and i did a dissection of the ovary that was about 1 1/2 - 2cm long i think that there is possibility of some pollen grains being taken up by the ovary and deposited there.
The following day the other 3 ovary's fell of and they did not have the same result as the 1st ovary
see pics attached
Yesterday i went throw about 10 more blooms using both methods cut style and normal pollination again so i will be trashing all my flowers this year.
I have also collected 'Culebra' pollen and applied it to aurea (form) and the ovaries have held for over 2 weeks, I don't know if the ovary has taken to the pollen or not.
I think if it has or will there could be only be a few seed that would be viable as the pollen is only about 20% viable & 80% abnormal / Non-viable so there is a 2 in 10 chance the the ovary could take.
Posted 8 April 2012-9:44pm
[quoted: Greenfinger]
Shaun- thank you fro the Update as it seems to reflect a few things someone in the 40ties published on Datura's.
First of all it seems that your clone of the so said mutant plant has some troubles in forming the style. it remainds me on what Schultes published on Methysticodendron amesianum - that's the name before it was given the name 'Culebra' - he said that the style is split into 3 parts. So you guess that the 3rd style is missing or only partially present is to my opinion true.
It also seems that pollination was successful (looking on the tiny white undeveloped seed) but something triggered the pod drop mechanism. If you have the chance to redo the pollination that i would cut closer to the ovary - max 5mm distance, apply a pollen mix of 'Culebra'/aurea and spray it after a few hours with a fungicide. the brown area indicate that a rot process or something like was also involved.
I hope you have next time more success! Good luck with your experiments! This is very valuable info on the plant relationship to other Brugmansia species.[end quote]
Posted 16 April 2012-1:15am
he is so White, I love the way he just hangs around
Posted 27 April 2012-11:08pm
I know it could be premature, I think there could have a pod on my aurea(form) X.'Culebra' the pod is growing and looks like it has taken, it's about 1cm wide at the moment and looks healthy.
Will have pics in a few days if i get excited or a few weeks to make sure im not jumping the gun of this new pod as it grows.
Posted 29 April 2012-12:04am
Dianne the aurea(form) im talking about is the one that i have and have supplied to all of the Australia Growers of (DG).
I just call it aurea(form) it's easier that way with so many aurea in the garden, I could get confused but i do know my aurea from all others.
It has taken me all summer to try and get a pod from 'Culebra', I was told when i cut the style to use a fungicide on it after a few hours to stop and fungal attack. I did this on the 'Culebra' but no pod formed on it.
I have no idea how or what triggered the pod on the aurea (form) but i have been very persistent with the 'Culebra' pollen on it, I have done cut style 1" 2" just above the ovary pollinated the stigma so this is a stigma pollen cross and not a cut method cross.
I will have a few pics in a week or 2 when I'm 100% positive that the pod has taken and ill cut back the calyx to do so.
I'm very excited to see this happen and thanks to all the information on the websites that i visit.
Posted 4 May 2012-10:31pm
+X.Culebra+1.jpg)
http://davesgarden.com/
http://www.brugmansia.us/
http://ibrugs.com/
it has been a while since i posted something here, I should mention that the 'Culebra' pod is still holding on and it could well be a go'r so in the spring it will be ready the harvest this will be one of the most exciting seed crosses that i will have ever created from my Plants.
Posted 24 June 2012 - 10:58pm
this is how big the currant seed pod is for B.aurea(form) X.'Culebra' it looks very healthy for a 2 1/2 month old and still putting weight on in the heart of Winter.This is a good sign!
All the other crosses i have tried using 'Culebra' have failed.
This pod should be ripe in about 3-4 months or so.
Really excited about this cross.
Posted 5 November 2012 - 8.07pm
Well Yesterday was a very good day for my seed pod with 'Culebra' as a pollen parent it's seed pod was still quite hard and had a hair line split on it.When i went to touch it, it fell of in my hand i panicked as i was not expecting this at this time but it had been on the plant for almost 8 months which is a fair long time i think but if you can see the seed pod was very pulpy and opened up really easily with a gentle pull.
There are 53 seed and which I'm very happy about now its time to sow them hahah.
I was stopping all seed propagation for the year as i have just to many seedlings to deal with but this is the Ultimate of all my seed crosses from here and OS so ill find room for them any way and I'm to sow 15 seed
Posted 7 November 2012 - 6.35pm
Seed pod details::::Brugmansia aurea (form) x. B.'Culebra'
Pollinated: 7th April 2012
Harvested: 4th November 2012
seed count: 53
CODE: afCul41112
Distribution: 3 growers 2 Australia & 1 USA
Propagation Details:
sown: 7th November 2012
No seed: 15
soil type: Sterilised seed raising mix
where: in a plastic container about 4" tall and a second one over top which has about 2cm of water in and the pot raised so not to touch the water, This increases the Humidity with in the containers which the Brugmansia seed require to germinate well.
Care: i have used insecticide on the 14th & fungicide on the 21st to make sure i don't get any problems with the emerging of the seed
Posted 26 November 2012 - 11.28pm
As i have told you guys about the seed that i germinated on the 7th November
I have just noticed that one of the seed is sprouting and i can see the little root emerging from the cork of the seed, ""so excited""
As i have all of my seed with the cork on which i proffer there are a number of them coming throw which i will get a pic for in the next few days when i have a better view of the seed emerging from the soil
sneaking a peek is not a very good idea but i need to know like a Mum or Dad having to know what's really happening with there babies
This is a look at my currant seedlings development which i am very happy with
this is the seedling that i potted up just before new year 9 seedlings
Pic taken 6/1/2013
a(f)xCul seedlings as of 16/1/2013
Posted 29 January 2013 - 10.03pm
These 2 little stragglers were running behind germinated on 2/1/2013
I potted them up on the 13 January i potted up in to 3" pots and placed them with the other 9
the progress in phenomenal there now on to there 6-7 set of true leaves and are very healthy and strong
My fertilizing roster is to 1/4 strength of Charlie Carp, Sea-sol & Molasses
this will keep them going for a while.
When i pot up to 6" pot which should not be to long with the original 9 seedlings i will experiment with there growing media.
I will use::::
1: potting mix $10 per bag
2: Coir Peat
3: 60% Coir Peat 40% Pearlite
4: 75% Potting Mix 25% Coir Peat
and with this i will be using the 1/2 strength Charlie Carp, Sea-sol & Molasses
