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[Sunshine]

BTW, your latest round of B. sacra are already popping!

*Ahem* I could be wrong, but I think you're mistakenly thinking that my B.sacra log is Bach's. haha
I could be wrong though... *shrugs* 

Edit-
Huh...I just realized I haven't updated my sacra log letting everyone know about the new batch I sprouted...now I'm confused... 

Who else is growing B.sacra?

[cunningplatypus]

Sunshine,

Nah, I think Bach is a friend of mine who's currently on a Bible-themed grow kick. He and I have been passing Boswellia seeds back and forth for some time. He just sent me a fresh batch -- where he acquires them Gawd only knows -- which I planted up a few days ago. So far, one sprout has reared its little green finger-like head. Digits crossed that it grows big and strong like its brethren in the Middle East.

My success rate with B. sacra is nil -- I believe they have a naturally low germination rate, coupled with the fact that they seem extremely prone to damping off. Of the few sprouts I've coaxed up, all have eventually succumbed. This time around, I'm using a mix of potting soil and sand, instead of my usual peat (for germination only). We shall see if they fare any better.

I will check out your grow log to glean some pointers. Any tips you can recommend?

 

[Sunshine]

I read that the best frankincense comes from trees low in NPK and relatively high in salts so naturally I figured that a low soil/high sand mix would be best to grow them in but I'm finding the opposite is better. The seedlings I've been growing in higher soil ratio mixes are a lot more vigorous. I also have found that they love high humidity during the seedling stage. The best mix I've been using has coarse sand, fine sand, perlite, crushed marble pebbles, lime pellets, and potting soil iirc.

I'm getting the feeling that they dislike transplanting. I repotted the only survivor from my first batch in a terra cotta pot and the baby leafs are starting to yellow and die and it seems to be stunted. I've been watering it every few days but the past week I've stopped. I figure if I just keep an eye on it and water it a little when it just barely starts to wilt it will grow a lot better since the rainfall in its natural habitat is so low. The seedlings from my second batch have almost caught up to it despite having been planted 2+ weeks later.

How has your germ rate been? I've been getting around 15% to sprout and around 3-5% to survive the damping off period. I get the feeling that they may be light activated, just as a lot of cacti are since it grows in similar conditions.

Peat has a tendency to hold too much water and not be aerated enough when wet ime. I think if you added a bit of sand and perlite it would be better.

[cunningplatypus]

Sunshine,

Right, your advise jibes with the most recent germing/growing instructions I've come across. I've been told to scatter the seeds on the surface of a sand/perlite mix, and to just barely cover them with a coarse sand. They may need light to germinate, as you've rightly pointed out. And that they love high humidity when they're young, which frankly surprises me. I would've guessed the opposite. Damping off, as the name suggests, seems to be encouraged by moister conditions, and these little guys succumb to it like a hypochondriac at a bus-station sushi bar.

One thing that everyone seems to agree on is that they're tricky to grow, so congratulations on your success!

I wonder what their natural growing conditions are when the seeds germinate in the wild. Is there some sort of 'monsoon' condition that triggers germination? I gotta get on the Google-train and do some more research.

Of all of the batches of B. sacra seeds I've encountered, I'd peg my germination rates at 10%, and no higher. If it's true that they lose their viability quickly (and I have no reason to doubt this bit o' common wisdom), this also seems to suggest to me that they must encounter some brief periods of rain, etc. to trigger germination; I'd hazard that a true, year-round desert species would produce seed that could remain dormant for many years without losing viability.

Do you also grow any Commiphoras?
 
 

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[Sunshine]

No, I don't grow any Commiphoras. I was thinking about getting some myrrh seeds to grow but after buying the resin incense I decided against it. It smells like vaporized Valerian root. Blech!

I imagine in their natural habitat Boswellia get stuck in crack and ravines where moisture gets trapped. I tried to find information on the climate specifics of Oman but couldn't find anything specific. I guess its pretty similar to Arizona. I am pretty sure there is no monsoon season in the middle east. lol

I do not think the seed contains enough nutrients for the seedling to get passed the first set of true leafs on its own. I think when young they require N-P-K to get passed that stage. I don't think they lose too much viability as they age. They live in a place where naturally they will have to wait months and maybe sometimes years before conditions are right for them to sprout.

Here's a link to my Boswellia sacra grow log in case you haven't seen it yet; http://sharetheseeds.me/forum/index.php?topic=559.0

[cunningplatypus]

Sunshine,

Thanks for your advice and knowledge about this one. BTW, how are your plants doing? Any newish pics?

I'll let you know how my plants do.

There was a thread at the Corroboree some time ago, where a grower had some success... I'll take a stroll over there today, and see if I can't locate it.

Here it is:

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=28896&hl=%2Bboswellia+%2Bsacra
 

[Sunshine]

No, no new pics. Not much has changed since I repotted it.

I've seen that thread before. Thanks for the link though. I think I've read all the useful threads everywhere on the web about Boswellia cultivation. I even went so far as to track down a guy who posted a review on the book. I sent him a FB request in the hope that he'd be willing to tell me if there was anything in the book about using GA3 on sacra but no luck. hahah