Kaffir Lime
You may already be the proud owner of a Kafir Lime or you may be thinking of purchasing one! either way this infirmayion will be of great use to you.
If you purchase on of our plug plants then these instructions will help you keep your plants in tip top condition.
On receipt re-pot your plant a 15cm/6inch pot would be an ideal choice. Terracotta is a good choice as it allows the plants roots to breathe. (we do not send out in a Terracotta pot for obvious reasons!)
Fill your pot with some compost , citrus compost is best, and make a hole large enought to accomodate the roots of the lime tree. Remove the Lime from its small pot trying not to disturb the roots too much, and place in the new pot firming down gently.
Top Tip! Limes are fond of more acidic soil so keep an eye on the PH level. This is where a good citrus compost andCitrus feed comes in!
Watering
Limes do not like tap water Rain Water is preferable and water at regular intervals.
Top Tip - Plave the pot in a saucer and let the plant suck up the water do not allow to get waterlogged as the roots will rot.
Positioning
Limes need to be in a sunny spot, sheltered from the wind and prefere to be under glass. Sunny window sills greenhouse conservatories are all ideal. Limes are a Tropicl plant wich needs humidity radiators dry out the air so keep away from rediators and similar.
Feeding
Feed weekly during the summer and monthly during the winter with a good citrus feed.
Harvesting
Kaffir Limes are grown for their leaves and used in cooking. You should not take leaves from your plant until it is larger. They will also produce fruit at about 4/5years old.
So dont forget Sun!! Pot!! Feed!!! Best Of luck with your Lime.
http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk
read comments (0)
Seaweed fertiliser, also spelt seaweed fertilizer, is a valuable addition to the organic garden, and is abundantly available with permission from DEFRA. However, caution should be observed when collecting seaweed, particularly from areas that are liable to pollution, such as downriver (including estuaries) of industrial activities as seaweed is susceptible to contamination.
A perhaps less serious potential problem with seaweed is its salt content, however normal use will not affect the balance of the salt levels in your soil. While it is unlikely that you will add sufficient seaweed to seriously upset the balances of salt in your soil, it is not liked by worms, who will not live in it. It can be hosed down before adding to the soil to reduce the salt content, or left to be desalinated by rainwater. The seaweed we sell at http://www.carreglefn-nurseries has been well washed to reduce the salt levels.
The seaweed we have available on the website is exceptionally good for Tropical plants especially Banana Plants during our trials having added it to the compost, the plants with the added seaweed were on average 25% larger than plants gron in ordinary compost with a general liquid feed provided!!! quite something. We supply a mix of many different types of seaweed and we even use it instead of moss to line our baskets, providing continual nutrients all the summer long.
Seaweed, particularly bladderwrack, kelp or laminaria, can be either applied to the soil as a mulch (although it will tend to break down very quickly) or can be added to the compost heap, where it is an excellent activator. In terms of soil structure it does not add a great deal of bulk, but its jelly like alginate content helps to bind soil crumbs together, and it contains all soil nutrients (0.3% N, 0.1% P, 1.0% K, plus a full range of trace elements). For those who cannot gather fresh seaweed, it is available commercially in a dried ‘meal’ form, which can be applied at a rate of 60-100g per square metre, or as a concentrated liquid feed which should be diluted @ 1 part to 15 with water, and can be applied either as a foliar feed or to the root zone.
In the Channel Islands, such seaweed fertiliser is known as vraic in their dialects of Norman, a word that has also entered Channel Island English, the activity of collecting vraic being termed vraicking. In Scotland, it is used as fertiliser in lazybeds or feannagan.
Falkland Islanders have also been nicknamed “Kelpers” from time to time, from collecting seaweed partly for this purpose.
The term Exotic plants is often used to describe plant species that have been, or are being, introduced in to parts of the world other than their historical or documented range by humans, often as ornamental plants. Exotics are frequently utilized in the garden, but are also kept in greenhouses or as houseplants.While no plant species has ever been documented driving another species to extinction, exotics that escape from gardens are often labeled invasive species thought to outcompete native flora. In reality, however, this phenomena is exclusively a result of other anthropogenic activities such as fertilizer runoff or habitat disruption/destruction. Only humans and a handful of domesticated mammalian species (particularly cats and pigs) have ever been directly responsible for the extinction of another species.The following examples are types of plants that have, at some point in their evolutionary history, experienced some sort of evolutionary shock or shocks that have enabled them to thrive in a wide variety of ecological niches rather than the one or two they had previously inhabited. This is a natural process, carried out by migratory birds, ocean currents, wind, rivers, and other natural phenomena. Apparently the modern notions of “native” and “exotic” species have arisen out of “multiple psychopathologies of nativism” whose “foundational concepts and logical structure…are identical to whose of the discredited ideologies of xenophobia, racism, nationalism, and fascism…” (Theodoropoulos, 2003:122).Examples of exotic plants
- Agave
- Palms (Arecaceae)
- Bamboo (Poaceae: Bambuseae)
- Bromeliads (Bromeliaceae)
- Cycads (Cycadophyta)
- Cacti (Cactaceae)
- Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
- Moon Flower (Ipomoea spp.)
- Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica)
- Four ‘o’ Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa)
- Orchids (Orchidaceae)
- Passion Flower (Passiflora spp.)
Examples of Exotic Invasives
- Some Bamboo (Poaceae: Bambuseae)
- Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)
- Common Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
- Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)
- Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora
Credit Crunch Gardening
Many of us due to the present financial climate are all on a tight budget. However gardening does not have to be expensive empty food trays make food seed trays, Newspapers can make bio-degradable pots, and empty squash and lemonade bottles can make good cloches or mini greenhouses for your seedlings. Even if you only have pots you can grow salads and even potatoes, as well as being a cheap hobby, you cannot beat growing your own fresh produce. Onions shallots Garlic and herbs are good choices if space is limited and some such as fennel can be incorperated into the flower garden. Now is the time to think and start planting for thr coming season and with clever planning you can make good use of your veg patch all year round. Plan now for ‘nobby greens’ Brussel Sprouts and parsnips to go with your 2009 christmas dinner. Alist of usefull items to re-cycle
- Yoghurt and cream pots - great for cuttings
- Newspaper pots - put your small plants into the garden without disturbing its root and the paper rots.
- Keep plastic bottles - cut off the bottoms and place over pots to keep tender cutting and plants warm
- Save trays from foods and use to plant seeds instead of seed trays.
- Compost all of you waste to give good nutrients value and content to you chosen planting areas.
Above all gardening is fun, the whole family can take part and it gest everyone into the fresh air.
Why not give it a try, we have lots of in-expensive onion sets and garlic, rhubarb and so much more available now at
http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk
http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk/forum
http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk/blog
The kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix DC., Rutace), also known as kieffer lime and limau purut is a type of lime native to Indonesia and Malaysia, commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and widely grown worldwide as a backyard shrub.
The kaffir lime is a rough, bumpy green fruit that grows on very thorny bush with aromatic and distinctively shaped “double” leaves. It is well suited to container growing. The green lime fruit is distinguished by its bumpy exterior and its small size (approx. 4 cm wide).
Its hourglass-shaped leaves (comprising the leaf blade plus a flattened, leaf-like leaf-stalk or petiole) are widely used in Thai cuisine (for dishes such as tom yum), Lao cuisine, and Cambodian cuisine, for the base paste known as “Krueng“. The leaves are also popular in Indonesian cuisine (especially Balinese and Javanese), for foods such as sayur asam - literally sour vegetables, and are also used along with Indonesian bay leaf for chicken and fish. They are also found in Malay and Burmese cuisines.
The leaves can be used fresh or dried, and can be stored frozen.
The juice and rinds of the kaffir lime are used in traditional Indonesian medicine; for this reason the fruit is sometimes referred to in Indonesia as jeruk obat - literally “medicine citrus”. The oil from the rind also has strong insecticidal properties.
The zest of the fruit is widely used in creole cuisine and to impart flavor to “arranged” rums in the Réunion island and Madagascar.
Plants Available from http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk
Salak (Salacca zalacca, . edulis, Calamus zalacca) is a species of palm tree (family Arecaceae native to Indonesia and Malaysia. It is a very short-stemmed palm, with leaves up to 6m long; each leaf has a 2m long petiole with spines up to 15cm long, and numerous leaflets.
The fruit grow in clusters at the base of the palm, and are also known as snake fruit due to the reddish-brown scaly skin. They are about the size and shape of a ripe fig, with a distinct tip. The pulp is edible. The fruit can be peeled by pinching the tip which should cause the skin to slough off so it can be pulled away. The fruit inside consists of three lobes, each containing a large inedible seed. The lobes resemble, and have the consistency of, large peeled garlic cloves. The taste is usually sweet and acidic, but its apple-like texture can vary from very dry and crumbly (salak pondoh from Yogyakarta) to moist and crunchy (salak Bali). Salak fruit has been cultivated throughout Indonesia and there are at least 30 cultivars, but most of which have an astringent taste and are not sweet. Two popular cultivars are salak pondoh from Yogyakarta province (found in 1980s) and salak Bali from Bali island
The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree grown for its fruit which was originally named the “forbidden fruit ” of Barbados.
These evergreen trees are usually found at around 5-6 m tall, although they can reach 13-15 m. The leaves are dark green, long (up to 150 mm) and thin. It produces 5 cm white four-petalled flowers. The fruit is yellow-orange skinned, largely oblate and ranges in diameter from 10-15 cm . The flesh is segmented and acidic, varying in color depending on the cultivars, which include white, pink and red pulps of varying sweetness. The 1929 US Ruby Red (of the Redblush variety) has the first grapefruit patent.
The fruit has only become popular from the late 19th century; before that it was only grown as an ornamental plant. The US quickly became a major producer of the fruit, with orchards in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California. In Spanish, the fruit is known as toronja or pomelo.
History
The fruit was first documented in 1750 by the Rev. Griffith Hughes describing specimens from Barbados. Currently, the grapefruit is said to be one of the “Seven Wonders of Barbados.” It had developed as a hybrid of the pomelo (Citrus maxima) with the sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), though it is closer to the former. It was brought to Florida by Odette Philippe in 1823. Further crosses have produced the tangelo (1905), the minneola (1931), and the sweetie (1984). The sweetie has very small genetic and other differences from pomelo.
The grapefruit was known as the shaddock or shattuck until the 1800s, taking the name from Captain Shaddock, who introduced the pomelo to the Caribbean from Polynesia in the 17th century. Its current name alludes to clusters of the fruit on the tree, which often appear similar to grapes. Botanically, it was not distinguished from the pomelo until the 1830s, when it was given the name Citrus paradisi. Its true origins were not determined until the 1940s. This led to the official name being altered to Citrus × paradisi.
The 1929 Ruby Red patent was associated with real commercial success, which came after the discovery of a red grapefruit growing on a pink variety. Only with Ruby Red the grapefruit transformed into a real agricultural fruit. The Red grapefruit, starting from the Ruby Red, has even become a symbol fruit of Texas, where white “inferior” grapefruit were eliminated and only red grapefruit were grown for decades. Using radiation to trigger mutations, new varieties were developed to retain the red tones which typically faded to pink, with Rio Red is the current (2007) Texas grapefruit with registered trademarks Rio Star and Ruby-Sweet, also sometimes promoted as “Reddest” and “Texas Choice”.Colors and flavors
Grapefruit mercaptan
Grapefruit comes in many varieties, determinable by color, which is caused by the pigmentation of the fruit in respect of both its state of ripeness and genetic bent. The most popular varieties cultivated today are red, white, and pink hues, referring to the inside, pulp color of the fruit. The family of flavors range from highly acidic and somewhat bitter to sweet and tart. Grapefruit mercaptan, a sulfur-containing terpene, is one of the substances which has a strong influence on the taste and odor of grapefruit, compared with other citrus fruits.
plants available from http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk and a Tropical Plant Forum at http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk/forum
The Mandarin orange or mandarin (or mandarine) is a small citrus tree (Citrus reticulata) with fruit resembling the orange. The fruit is oblate, rather than spherical. Mandarin oranges are usually eaten plain, or in fruit salads. Specifically reddish orange mandarin cultivars can be marketed as tangerines, but this is not a botanical classification.
The tree is more drought tolerant than the fruit. The mandarin is tender, and is damaged easily by cold. It can be grown in tropical and subtropical areas.
Varieties and characteristics
The mandarin has many names, some of which actually refer to crosses between the mandarin and another citrus fruit. Most canned mandarins are of the satsuma variety, of which there are over 200 cultivars. Satsumas are known as mikan in Japan. One of the more well-known satsuma cultivars is the “Owari”, which ripens during the late fall season in the Northern Hemisphere. Clementines, however, have displaced satsumas in many markets, and are becoming the most important commercial mandarin variety.
The mandarin is easily peeled with the fingers, starting at the thick rind covering the depression at the top of the fruit, and can be easily split into even segments without squirting juice. This makes it convenient to eat, as one doesn’t require utensils to peel or cut the fruit.
The tangor, which is also called the temple orange, is a cross between the mandarin and the common orange. Its thick rind is easy to peel; and its bright orange pulp is sweet, full-flavored, and tart.
Biological characteristics
Citrus fruit varieties are usually self-fertile (needing a bee only to move pollen within the same flower) or parthenocarpic (not needing pollination and therefore seedless) (such as satsumas).
Blossoms from the Dancy cultivar are one exception. They are self sterile, therefore must have a pollenizer variety to supply pollen, and a high bee population to make a good crop.
Furthermore, some varieties, notably clementines, are usually seed free, but will develop seeds if cross-pollinated with a seeded citrus. Thus, great efforts are taken to isolate clementine orchards from any seeded citrus varieties.
Plants available from http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk Tropical plant forum http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk/forum ORDER YOUR PLANTS NOW
Brugmansia is a genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae, native to subtropical regions of South America, along the Andes from Colombia to northern Chile, and also in southeastern Brazil. They are known as Angel’s Trumpets, incorrectly sharing that name in the past with the closely related genus Datura commonly known as “Thorn Apple”. The genus differs from Datura in being perennial and woody (Datura species are herbaceous), and in having pendulous (not erect) flowers.Species
- Brugmansia arborea. Andes (Ecuador to northern Chile).
- Brugmansia aurea. Andes (Colombia to Ecuador).
- Brugmansia sanguinea. Andes (Colombia to Peru and Bolivia).
- Brugmansia suaveolens. Southeast Brazil west to Bolivia and Peru.
- Brugmansia versicolor. Ecuador.
- Brugmansia vulcanicola. Colombia.
Brugmansia are large shrubs or small trees, reaching heights of 3–11 m, with tan, slightly rough bark.
The leaves are alternate, generally large, 10–30 cm long and 4–18 cm broad, with an entire or coarsely toothed margin, and are covered with fine hairs.
The name Angel’s Trumpet refers to the large, very dramatic, pendulous trumpet-shaped flowers, 14–50 cm to 20 inches long and 10–35 cm across at the wide end. They are white, yellow, pink, orange or red, and have a delicate, attractive scent with light, lemony overtones, most noticeable in early evening.
Cultivation
Brugmansia are easily grown in a moist, fertile, well-drained soil, in full sun to part shade, in frost-free climates. They begin to flower in mid to late spring in warm climates and continue into the fall, often continuing as late as early winter in warm conditions. In cool winters, outdoor plants need protection, but the roots are hardy and will resprout in April or May. The species from the higher elevations, B. sanguinea and B. vulcanicola, prefer moderate temperatures and cool nights, and may not flower if temperatures are very hot. Most Brugmansias may be propagated easily by rooting 10–20 cm cuttings taken from the end of a branch during the summer.
Several hybrids and numerous cultivars have been developed for use as ornamental plants. B. × candida is a hybrid between B. aurea and B. versicolor, while B. × insignis is a hybrid between B. suaveolens and B. versicolor. Some cultivars of B. × candida produce white, yellow, pale orange or pink flowers; B. × insignis produces white or peach flowers; B. versicolor flowers start off white and turn salmon pink. There are cultivars producing double flowers, and some with variegated leaves.
Plants available from
http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk
Tropical plant forum http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk/forum
Banana is the common name for a fruit and also the herbaceous plants of the genus Musa which produce this commonly eaten fruit. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia. Bananas are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics.
Banana plants are of the family Musaceae. They are cultivated primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent for the production of fibre and as ornamental plants. As the bananas are mainly tall, upright, and fairly sturdy, they are often mistaken for trees, when the truth is the main or upright stem is called a pseudostem, literally meaning “fake stem”, which for some species can obtain a height of up to 2–8 m, with leaves of up to 3.5 m in length. Each pseudostem can produce a bunch of yellow, green, or even red bananas before dying and being replaced by another pseudostem.
The banana fruit grow in hanging clusters, with up to 20 fruit to a tier (called a hand), and 3-20 tiers to a bunch. The total of the hanging clusters is known as a bunch, or commercially as a “banana stem”, and can weigh from 30–50 kg. The fruit averages 125 g, of which approximately 75% is water and 25% dry matter content. Each individual fruit (known as a banana or ‘finger’) has a protective outer layer (a peel or skin) with a fleshy edible inner portion. Both skin and inner part can be eaten raw or cooked. Western cultures generally eat the inside raw and throw away the skin while some Asian cultures generally eat both the skin and inside cooked. Typically, the fruit has numerous strings (called ‘phloem bundles’) which run between the skin and inner part. Bananas are a valuable source of vitamin B, vitamin C, and potassium.
Bananas are grown in at least 107 countries. In popular culture and commerce, “banana” usually refers to soft, sweet “dessert” bananas. The bananas from a group of cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called plantains. Bananas may also be cut and dried and eaten as a type of chip. Dried bananas are also ground into banana flour.
Although the wild species have fruits with numerous large, hard seeds, virtually all culinary bananas have seedless fruits. Bananas are classified either as dessert bananas (meaning they are yellow and fully ripe when eaten) or as green cooking bananas. Almost all export bananas are of the dessert types; however, only about 10-15% of all production is for export, with the United States and European Union being the dominant buyers.
This is the definition and some of the information found on the Wikipedia Site for your information.
Banana plants are for sale from
http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk
Tropical plant forum http://www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk/forum