Tabernanthe iboga (family Apocynaceae) is native to Western Africa; Angola, Cabinda, Cameroon, Central African Republic,…
Further Adventures with Takeaway Tek
It can’t be denied that the Takeaway Tek is an easy way to get cacti seeds started! Not only is it a reliable method, given the right daily temperatures and light exposure, it also minimises human error for imperatives such as watering. As long as you add the right amount of water (not too much, not too little), these sealed environments are perfect for a range of seeds, not only cacti.
We have been experimenting with the Takeaway Tek and found it to be an excellent propagation chamber for Psychotria leaf cuttings. Leaf cuttings of our new Psychotria ‘DW02’ hybrid were taken as normal in summer and placed in a round takeaway container in a mix of biochar, coco peat, perlite and sand which had been sieved to remove large particles. We find no need to sterilise the mix in a microwave. Aprox 25-50ml water with a touch of seaweed was sprayed in to settle the soil and moisten the mix. It was then placed under 50% shade and not opened for 2 months. It was perhaps slightly too wet but the leaves coped well. It was easy to inspect the root development occurring through the plastic base.
We have also sown Hyoscyamus aureus (Henbane) seeds using Takeaway Tek, growing several individuals that loved the extremely high temperatures, from being in our houthouse as well. Another species responding well is Calea zacatechichi ‘Dream Herb’. Seeds were sown in a round takeaway container in summer and when day and night time temperatures were high. The seeds were surface sown and once again watered in with seaweed solution. As you can see below, germination is excellent and continuing.
Stayed tuned for more adventures 🙂
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