oladulce - 3-22-2010 at 05:23 PM
I've got some Palo de Arco pods/seeds and would like to plant a few in small pots to get them started. The wispy seeds look sort of fragile- any
planting and care tips for these seeds?
monoloco - 3-22-2010 at 06:48 PM
Just cover them with a little soil and keep them moist, they will sprout readily. Another palo de arco tip is to cut them back to ground level every
year after they are established, this will give you a constant supply of straight sticks, if you want fatter sticks let them go longer. They seem to
thrive on heavy pruning.
Jack Swords - 3-23-2010 at 07:39 AM
We have several plants growing nicely from gathered seeds. Somewhat frost sensitive (Nipomo, CA) yet have beautiful flowers. The general rule on
seeds is to not plant them any deeper than the size of the seed. The Palo de Arco seeds are little wafers and dry easily when sprouted. I start them
in a gallon plastic pot scattered on the surface with just a small amout of soil over them or not. After watering, cover the pot with a plastic bag
to keep the seeds damp. The roots will penetrate the soil and when the seedlings are an inch tall, transplant into individual pots. This plant needs
to be planted more.
oladulce - 3-23-2010 at 08:06 AM
Jack, that's a great tip for planting seeds-the depth is based on their size. I was worried they'd blow away or get too soggy if I put them too deep
and covering with plastic sounds like the secret.
monoloco, hopefully I'll have success and can use your pruning tips.
Barbareno - 3-24-2010 at 05:45 AM
Is this what Palo de Arco looks like? I googled it.
monoloco - 3-24-2010 at 06:30 AM
That's it.
Natalie Ann - 3-24-2010 at 06:48 AM
My friend's Palo de Arco.... September, just outside La Paz.
(Edit: He told me this was a Palo de Arco, but the leaves and flowers look different than the one Barbareno googled. I wonder if mine is correctly
identified.)
nena
[Edited on 3-24-2010 by Natalie Ann]
monoloco - 3-24-2010 at 07:00 AM
That is definitely not palo de arco.
Barbareno - 3-24-2010 at 07:03 AM
Oh man that's pretty Natalie. I found this site http://www.forsaleinbaja.com/index.php?option=com_content&am...
I can't figure out how long it takes to grow.
Natalie Ann - 3-24-2010 at 07:13 AM
Yep my pictured plant is pretty, Barbareno... but after looking at all the pix on the internet, it's sure not a Palo de Arco. Not wanting to hijack
this thread, I'd like to know what plant this is if anyone knows.
And about the length of time for Palo de Arco growth - must be pretty fast given monoloco's recommendation is to cut them to the ground annually.
nena
monoloco - 3-24-2010 at 07:44 AM
It takes a couple of years to get going but after that it grows really quick. It is nice to have a steady supply of sticks, they come in handy for
many uses. Given the price of sticks I have often wondered why no one grows them commercially.
[Edited on 3-24-2010 by monoloco]
oladulce - 3-24-2010 at 09:41 AM
Is Nena's photo an Oleander? Beautiful color flowers on that one.
I'm embarrassed to say that I left the Palo de Arco seeds I'd collected in La Paz outside in yesterday's blustery conditions and now most are
scattered, uh... somewhere. I'm an idiot. You don't find the plants growing as often here on the mid-Pacific coast of BCS so I hope to be successful
with the few remaining seeds.
Mexitron - 3-24-2010 at 11:17 AM
That's a Thevetia peruviana Natalie...Yellow Oleander or Mexican Oleander are common names, among others...so you were close oladulce--very closely
related to the regular Oleander, same family as Star Jasmine too (heh, or what they call Confederate Jasmine out here in Tejas). Thevetia is a great
plant---loves tropical conditions, blooms all the time in the warm season as I recall when I used to use it in SoCal landscapes...
Natalie Ann - 3-24-2010 at 12:34 PM
Thank you so much, Mexitron, for coming to my aid on plant i.d. once again.
It's such a beautiful plant - and since both oleanders and star jasmine grow here, I think I'll give it a try. Now where to find seeds or
plantlets.... 
nena