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Polyembryonic Seeds

2015/12/22 Danielle 0

Plants grow from seeds, but what many people do not know is that not all seeds contain just one plant embryo. Many varieties of mangos, for example, have polyembryonic seeds, as do most citrus. A polyembryonic seed is one which contains multiple embryos. Poly-embryonic seeds produce a number of shoots, one of which originates from fertilisation. The fertilised seedling is often weak and stunted and should be discarded. The other seedlings are clones of the mother tree. Yes, clones – just like a cutting, only from seed. This means that if you grow a polyembryonic mango (such as Kensington Pride […]

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hot chocolate: Theobroma cacao

2015/06/23 Danielle 0

The middle of winter is stormy, wet and grey. More so than it has been for the last few years, which is making me regret the fact that my water tanks aren’t in place yet to catch some of the rain – but at least the swales are catching it. The whole property is green, and the soil is starting to look like something living in a lot of places, dark and crumbly and full of mycelium. We have clover sprouting and fungi springing up all over the place, and a few of the lupins from last year must have […]

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Plant Profiles: Pineapple

2012/05/08 Danielle 0

When people think of good permaculture plants – or even good garden plants – for Perth’s Mediterranean climate, pineapples don’t generally leap to mind. At a guess, I would say that most people have never considered that they could grow pineapples. It’s a shame, because pineapples actually love the heat and the sun here, and will grow in marginal areas and thrive on very little water. Pineapples will also grow quite happily in pots, so they can be moved if necessary. The pineapple plant, Ananas comosus, is a tropical herbaceous perennial. It grows up to 1.5m tall, and the same […]