Hi Just joined up and need help with a seed cone issue, hope you guys can help. The cone is from a Araucaria and is just a bit bigger than a cricket ball, and is approx two/three years old. I just got given the cone today from a place i visited through work after asking about their Monkey Puzzle Tree and was told it was the tallest one in the uk.I dont know how the cone was stored, just think in an office, but it does have some stickyness from one end. So my first question is can the cone be used for growing some more MP trees? How do i open up the cone, it seems very tight and solid? How would i then keep/store the seeds? How and when do i proceed with trying to germinate the seeds. I would love to try and achieve the impossible and grow a MP, possibly two so i can give one each to my young daughters 3 and 5 as like myself they have loved the tree from an early age. I think it was in the grounds of Whittington College,Felbridge, W.Sussex. I was servicing some equipment in the old peoples home out the back (cant remember scheme name), huge grounds to rear. And was told by the warden that this tree is the biggest in the UK. I will also go back and ask if its ok to take some pictures as im sure the tree is well over 25m plus. Would like to know also how i could measure the tree to just see how high it actually is! Any ideas? Hope i can post some pictures. Thanks for Helping
If the cone is tighly closed, you'll need to keep it in a dry place until it opens (if it does). Sow seeds ASAP, as they need to be 'ripe' or fresh. You might want to try finding the seed that has just fallen from the tree, as it would be fresher. or pick some ou of cones that have opened.
That means it is (was) immature when picked. When mature, they are 12-20cm diameter. Even if picked mature, the seeds only keep a few days in dry air at room temperature. To be kept for planting, they need to be stored refrigerated and damp before sowing. So the answer to whether you can grow them is no, on two counts. Sorry! Tallest Araucaria in Britain is 31m tall, at Fair Oak, Rogate, West Sussex.
Thanks for the replies to the various questions i have put to you all, and thanks Michael F :-( for the good news! As i said i was just given thr cone, such an interesting object, i suppose i will just leave it in my shed now, just keeping my fingers crossed the cone might have some good seeds. And great to hear the tallest Araucaria is local as well, just might have to pay it a visit, put still courious to know how tall the Araucaria in Felbridge is?
One rough-and-ready way to measure a tree's height: Select a straight stick. Trim it to the same length as the distance from your eye to your outstretched fist at arm's length. Hold the stick vertical, and line it up with the tree. Walk towards/away from the tree until the top of the stick is lined up with the top of the tree, and the bottom of the stick lined up with the bottom of the tree. When precisely lined up, you are now standing at a position equal to the tree's height away from the tree. Measure this distance. Caveat: only works on reasonably level ground, and with straight trees where the visible top is not the tip of a branch stretching out towards you.
Michael F Thanks for the tip on approx. height of this MP tree, cant wait to get back and give it ago. Will also take a photo so watch this space. I would like to take a guess now wishing it might be taller than 31M but im going to have to take a stab at 28M, but i hope im surprised! Anyone else like to have a guess, and i promise i will send the person who gets the nearest to the exact height, another picture , other than the one i will post on this thread very soon. I will try and arrange to go and measure this tree by the last weekend of September. I will keep a record of who said what. Bit of tree fun!
Hi, How tall are the MPs at Bicton (horticultural) College near Exeter? I've visited these a few times, tho' strictly speaking as they are on private land you're not supposed to, and believed these to be the oldest & tallest in the UK. It's several years since I last went there & the college was doing a fair bit of planting of young MPs inbetween the old ones. Their girths are huge! Have never taken/estimated any measurements tho'. And there's a whole avenue of them......Ingrid
The tallest I've seen cited for the Bicton trees is 28m; that was a few years ago, so the tallest might be 29m by now, but I doubt over 30m, as they get very slow-growing by the time they are that tall.
