AboutTom Alonzo Expertise I have been growing plants from seeds for at least 20 years. I have grown literally hundreds of different kinds of vegetables, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, tropicals, some cacti, water plants, iris, rose, lilies, cannas, etc. I enjoy starting from seed.
Experience I've been growing my own seeds for 20 years with indoor propagation equipment I built myself. I am also an Allexperts volunteer on the perennial forum. I have completed the Master Gardener course through the Kansas State University Extension. I have experience with a wide variety of seeds and I have also read through Norm Deno's books on seed germination.
Question Hey fellow K-Stater! I was thinking of doing some growing for some moso and / or palm trees on some excess land in northern Mississippi. Some preliminary research shows the climate to be favorable. I wanted to see how specific I needed to be in the selection of the seeds for the plants. For instance, should the moso/palm be developed to a certain stage to plant? Or the success of raising the plant doesn't weight heavily on the stage at which I place them into the ground. I'm definitely a newb...but all masters were newbs at some point. Any other advice or links to resources would be great.
Thanks.
Answer Hi Ced,
Thanx for your question. I'm really a Jayhawk but my niece went to K-State but it's good to hear from a K-Stater too!
The Moso will do well in Northern Mississippi. It is rated hardy to 0F which you won't have to worry about. I would plant the seed indoors under lights. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out and place in separate pots. Feed half strength fish emulsion every 14 days until the plants are ready to be transplanted again. If you are past your last frost and well away from the first frost, take the seedlings outdoors and harden them off in the shade (get them used to the outdoors). Protect them from wind, rain, hail, cold, etc. Then you can plant them in the desired location. Keep them well watered but the soil should be free draining and side dress them with well-composted cow manure. Here's a link on Moso bamboo.
Take a look at this link for cold-hardy palms. Most of Mississippi is in Zone 8 now so you shouldn't have any trouble growing a lot of these palm trees. What I would do is get the seedlings to a manageable size and then plant them in the desired location. In the winter, when you know you are going to have some extemely difficult weather, put a temporary covering over them to shield them from the cold north wind. Actually, sleet and or snow can have an insulating effect. I lived in NW Florida for several years and there were some times when it got down under 20F. Occasionally, the palm fronds would fall off but they would always regrow in the spring. Also, a lot of landscapers were using palm trees along the Gulf Coast that weren't as hardy as are other types that are now being used more often. Have you thought about taking a drive down to Central Florida and just checking out some of the nurseries? Everytime I go to Daytona Beach to visit my brother, I like to pop into some of the nurseries to see what kind of plants people are using. You may find some interesting stuff to bring back to Mississippi. You're lucky in that you can plant some pretty exotic stuff and it should do fine. Also, check out some of the bananas. There are several that are relatively cold hardy. Musa basjoo is supposedly hardy to Zone 5 (it's roots will overwinter). I hope this helps.
Tom
