Share The Seeds
Gardening Area => Growing questions and answers => Topic started by: koacaia on October 23, 2016, 01:15:52 AM
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Every time i have tried growng ephedra or syrian rue both plants shrivel up and die at at like in inch tall. Not sure what im doing wrong ive tried lots of different ways but they wont stay alive. Any advice would be great
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I've never tried Syrian rue from seed, but my attempts with ephedra spp have been thwarted by sciarid gnats. I have some seeds that I want to lightly scarify, then germinate via the takeaway tek. Basically start them in a sterile mix, high humidity, covered, then decant them into drier air.
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Both of these plants need well drained soil and lots of sun. They probably do best in somewhat alkaline soil. You are growing them outdoors?
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Yes. Outdoors. I get lots of sun, but should i bring them in if it rains alot?
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Forget 90% of everything you've heard about syrian rue needing dry soil.
When they are an inch tall if you dont keep them moist they just roll over and die, water is absolutely essential in the early life of rue.
When they get older the roots go deep and wide so they can steal water from more distant sources, but even 4 year old bushes grow better in moister areas. I have a blatantly excessive 30 foot row of them ;D and the ones away from moist soil grow small even with routine hand watering and I find roots going 10' away to get water from vegetable plots, etc. whereas the plants growing nearest to my tomatoes and getting hit by the sprinkler grow huge. Just dont let sprinklers hit them when the seed pods are drying or they'll go moldy.
They probably will survive freezing winters better with drier soil in the winter.
They will, by far, have more chance of surviving when grown in the ground rather than pots. In the spring just make a ring of stones, scratch up the soil and mix in some rue seeds, then water daily until fall.