Hi all :)

Picking your brains again!!

I have just received some clumps of kangaroo paws, rescued from my uncle’s house (house is being demolished so they were going to go to the tip if they didn’t get rescued).

Eventually I want to put them in my front garden, but I don’t want to plant them out just yet because I haven’t yet planned what I want to do overall out the front. So I was going to pot them up until at least next Autumn.

Now, my dad says just to pot them in plain garden sand because they would prefer that to richer potting mix. I’m not 100% sure – I would have thought the sand where they live naturally, undisturbed, would have more organic matter (due to leaves etc being able to break down on the surface), and be less water repellent than garden sand – my garden sand has been left bare for long periods, gone hydrophobic, had builders sand dumped in various places, etc etc.

So.. would there be anything in particular that you would recommend adding to the garden sand to keep the roo paws happy? Or do you reckon just plain garden sand is the way to go?

:):)

They grew very well in front of the local pool, in a raised garden bed of good garden loam.

Sadly they died of neglect or ignorance.

:(

Bon008, you could try over on ScribblyGum…or ScribblyBum (latter is more friendly, if it is still going…)

Dinetta said:

They grew very well in front of the local pool, in a raised garden bed of good garden loam.

Sadly they died of neglect or ignorance.

:(

Thanks Dinetta – “good garden loam” is definitely not what I have :)

It’s not that important to me anyway – they were free plants which I don’t actually want just now but I will want later – so I’ll go with whatever wisdom I can glean from this forum and then just try it and see.

If I wanted to get all fancy-pants I could always pot up a few pots with different soils in each and compare how they go – but I’m not that enthusiastic :D

bon008 said:

Hi all :)

Picking your brains again!!

I have just received some clumps of kangaroo paws, rescued from my uncle’s house (house is being demolished so they were going to go to the tip if they didn’t get rescued).

Eventually I want to put them in my front garden, but I don’t want to plant them out just yet because I haven’t yet planned what I want to do overall out the front. So I was going to pot them up until at least next Autumn.

Now, my dad says just to pot them in plain garden sand because they would prefer that to richer potting mix. I’m not 100% sure – I would have thought the sand where they live naturally, undisturbed, would have more organic matter (due to leaves etc being able to break down on the surface), and be less water repellent than garden sand – my garden sand has been left bare for long periods, gone hydrophobic, had builders sand dumped in various places, etc etc.

So.. would there be anything in particular that you would recommend adding to the garden sand to keep the roo paws happy? Or do you reckon just plain garden sand is the way to go?

:):)

Your dad is correct, as are you.

Kangaroo paws, cats paws whatever.. generally grow on deep sandy soils but it isn’t just sand.. It is mineral rich sand and it is impregnated with decomposed mulch. The big difference is that we can put sand but we cannot put a hundred foot of it.

Sand on top of clay or fatty soil will result in all the water passing straight through the sand and running away across the surface of the soil beneath.
Which will require frequent top watering.

Many roo paws do suffer from fungal disease and a lot of this is associated with both shallow drainage and subsequent frequent top watering.

Frosts are a problem but again this is often related to soil temperature.

Kangaroo paws will benefit from applications of iron sulphate and zinc chelates on alkaline soils.

roughbarked said:

Your dad is correct, as are you.

Kangaroo paws, cats paws whatever.. generally grow on deep sandy soils but it isn’t just sand.. It is mineral rich sand and it is impregnated with decomposed mulch. The big difference is that we can put sand but we cannot put a hundred foot of it.

Sand on top of clay or fatty soil will result in all the water passing straight through the sand and running away across the surface of the soil beneath.
Which will require frequent top watering.

Many roo paws do suffer from fungal disease and a lot of this is associated with both shallow drainage and subsequent frequent top watering.

Frosts are a problem but again this is often related to soil temperature.

Kangaroo paws will benefit from applications of iron sulphate and zinc chelates on alkaline soils.

Brilliant, thanks RB.

What would the symptoms be if they were lacking in iron sulphate or zinc chelates?

(pretty sure we have excellent drainage – as long as the water can get past the hydrophobic layer at the top)

Bon, we have just divided our Kangaroo paws which have been growing well over her on the humid east for about 4 years in a raised bed on our fairly heavy clay soil…it has loads of organic matter in it (mainly compost). I would think that if you potted them in an orchid mix they would go pretty well.

Our plants were starting to show a bit of ink disease. We are hoping that by dividing and cutting them back hard they will be ok. We’ve got nothing to lose. Likewise you with potting them up

bon008 said:

Dinetta said:

They grew very well in front of the local pool, in a raised garden bed of good garden loam.

Sadly they died of neglect or ignorance.

:(

Thanks Dinetta – “good garden loam” is definitely not what I have :)

It’s not that important to me anyway – they were free plants which I don’t actually want just now but I will want later – so I’ll go with whatever wisdom I can glean from this forum and then just try it and see.

If I wanted to get all fancy-pants I could always pot up a few pots with different soils in each and compare how they go – but I’m not that enthusiastic :D

Pots often help Kangaroo paw.. depending on the varieties. Most free draining potting mixes work well. However all your fertilizers will need to be in be water you apply. I use a friable homemade native mulch mix with lots of pit sand and finely crushed blue metal.

AnneS said:

Bon, we have just divided our Kangaroo paws which have been growing well over her on the humid east for about 4 years in a raised bed on our fairly heavy clay soil…it has loads of organic matter in it (mainly compost). I would think that if you potted them in an orchid mix they would go pretty well.

Our plants were starting to show a bit of ink disease. We are hoping that by dividing and cutting them back hard they will be ok. We’ve got nothing to lose. Likewise you with potting them up

Most kangaroo paws divide easily and pot up well.. organic matter is a must.. and raised beds are a must. Ink disease is assisted by cleaninliness.. get rid of the black stuff. Iron sulphate will assist with ink disease but you will also have help if you improve the drainage.. Hydrophobia is related to what I said about fatty soil. Certain species suffer more from fungal problems than others.. is easier to either avoid some of these or.. treat them as annuals or at best biannuals.

Even though our paws are in a raised bed on clay they have pretty good drainage. We’ve always made sure that we don’t overwater (never a problem around here, anyway; the vegies get most of our water and everything else survives on rainfall)

Here’s one of ours from a few years ago

Yes we’ve found in the past that regular dividing has helped keep it in check. Considering we have very humid summers we have had very little trouble with them

Hmm, now it’s starting to sound a little bit complicated!!

I think I will fall back on trial and error – I’ll just pot ‘em in sand like dad said and see what happens :) But I think I will hit the sand with some wetting agent first.

This is assuming enough of them survive to make it home – at the moment they’re at work (since I’m giving a bunch away), and they’re having to stay here overnight just sitting in crates with minimal sand. Hope they’re hardy buggers!

bon008 said:

Hmm, now it’s starting to sound a little bit complicated!!

I think I will fall back on trial and error – I’ll just pot ‘em in sand like dad said and see what happens :) But I think I will hit the sand with some wetting agent first.

This is assuming enough of them survive to make it home – at the moment they’re at work (since I’m giving a bunch away), and they’re having to stay here overnight just sitting in crates with minimal sand. Hope they’re hardy buggers!

I think they are hardier than a lot of people give them credit for. Depends on the variety I suppose. I have only grown the plain old red one…but it looks pretty spectacular when in full flower

bon008 said:

Hmm, now it’s starting to sound a little bit complicated!!

I think I will fall back on trial and error – I’ll just pot ‘em in sand like dad said and see what happens :) But I think I will hit the sand with some wetting agent first.

This is assuming enough of them survive to make it home – at the moment they’re at work (since I’m giving a bunch away), and they’re having to stay here overnight just sitting in crates with minimal sand. Hope they’re hardy buggers!

Hope they’re hardy buggers!
that they are if ..
a) you don’t allow them to dry out.. ie: keep them in moist sand..

b) you don’t let them stay to wet.. ie: don’t wrap them in wet plastic. ;)

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

Hmm, now it’s starting to sound a little bit complicated!!

I think I will fall back on trial and error – I’ll just pot ‘em in sand like dad said and see what happens :) But I think I will hit the sand with some wetting agent first.

This is assuming enough of them survive to make it home – at the moment they’re at work (since I’m giving a bunch away), and they’re having to stay here overnight just sitting in crates with minimal sand. Hope they’re hardy buggers!

Hope they’re hardy buggers!
that they are if ..
a) you don’t allow them to dry out.. ie: keep them in moist sand..

b) you don’t let them stay to wet.. ie: don’t wrap them in wet plastic. ;)

Fingers crossed then.. at the moment some of the roots are in sand, but others are just exposed to the air. I will pour some water over them before I go home, and again when I get to work in the morning.

Maybe this will weed out the wussy ones :D

I’d mix coarse sand with a quality regular potting mix (no ferts added) and pot them in that.
I’d also cut off all the leaves prior to doing so.

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

Hmm, now it’s starting to sound a little bit complicated!!

I think I will fall back on trial and error – I’ll just pot ‘em in sand like dad said and see what happens :) But I think I will hit the sand with some wetting agent first.

This is assuming enough of them survive to make it home – at the moment they’re at work (since I’m giving a bunch away), and they’re having to stay here overnight just sitting in crates with minimal sand. Hope they’re hardy buggers!

Hope they’re hardy buggers!
that they are if ..
a) you don’t allow them to dry out.. ie: keep them in moist sand..

b) you don’t let them stay to wet.. ie: don’t wrap them in wet plastic. ;)

Fingers crossed then.. at the moment some of the roots are in sand, but others are just exposed to the air. I will pour some water over them before I go home, and again when I get to work in the morning.

Maybe this will weed out the wussy ones :D

wrap them in a wet hessian/jute bag(sans asbestos) and that should save any exposed bits.

Longy said:

I’d mix coarse sand with a quality regular potting mix (no ferts added) and pot them in that.
I’d also cut off all the leaves prior to doing so.

Cheers Longy.

They’ve already been pruned back pretty heavily, but there are a few long bits in there so I will do that.

roughbarked said:

wrap them in a wet hessian/jute bag(sans asbestos) and that should save any exposed bits.

Would love to, don’t have any available where I am though. I don’t think I’d be looked on in a friendly manner if I pinched the teatowels, either..

The weather’s pretty mild here so I reckon they’ve got a fighting chance.

bon008 said:

Longy said:

I’d mix coarse sand with a quality regular potting mix (no ferts added) and pot them in that.
I’d also cut off all the leaves prior to doing so.

Cheers Longy.

They’ve already been pruned back pretty heavily, but there are a few long bits in there so I will do that.

coarse is correct… didn’t anyone read pit sand and fine gravel?

Pruning.. please prune like Iris.. cut off old leaves totally and leave the new green leaves uncut.

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

wrap them in a wet hessian/jute bag(sans asbestos) and that should save any exposed bits.

Would love to, don’t have any available where I am though. I don’t think I’d be looked on in a friendly manner if I pinched the teatowels, either..

The weather’s pretty mild here so I reckon they’ve got a fighting chance.

I don’t even ask.. she throws all manner of old cloths away.. I recycle the bluddy lot. ;)

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

Longy said:

I’d mix coarse sand with a quality regular potting mix (no ferts added) and pot them in that.
I’d also cut off all the leaves prior to doing so.

Cheers Longy.

They’ve already been pruned back pretty heavily, but there are a few long bits in there so I will do that.

coarse is correct… didn’t anyone read pit sand and fine gravel?

Pruning.. please prune like Iris.. cut off old leaves totally and leave the new green leaves uncut.

I’m pretty new to gardening RB, so things like “pit sand” don’t mean much to me :)

Will remember that re the pruning, cheers.

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

wrap them in a wet hessian/jute bag(sans asbestos) and that should save any exposed bits.

Would love to, don’t have any available where I am though. I don’t think I’d be looked on in a friendly manner if I pinched the teatowels, either..

The weather’s pretty mild here so I reckon they’ve got a fighting chance.

I don’t even ask.. she throws all manner of old cloths away.. I recycle the bluddy lot. ;)

Oh I’ve got stacks of “rags” at home – just I’m at work now and it’s al ong drive to get home.. not going to go home then come back and then go home again!!

(this whole plant rescue operation wasn’t planned in advance, hence why it’s a bit all over the shop!!)

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

Cheers Longy.

They’ve already been pruned back pretty heavily, but there are a few long bits in there so I will do that.

coarse is correct… didn’t anyone read pit sand and fine gravel?

Pruning.. please prune like Iris.. cut off old leaves totally and leave the new green leaves uncut.

I’m pretty new to gardening RB, so things like “pit sand” don’t mean much to me :)

Will remember that re the pruning, cheers.

mortar sand is very fine.. pit sand is very coarse ;)
orchids/iris/kangaroo paw are much alike.. ;)

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

coarse is correct… didn’t anyone read pit sand and fine gravel?

Pruning.. please prune like Iris.. cut off old leaves totally and leave the new green leaves uncut.

I’m pretty new to gardening RB, so things like “pit sand” don’t mean much to me :)

Will remember that re the pruning, cheers.

mortar sand is very fine.. pit sand is very coarse ;)
orchids/iris/kangaroo paw are much alike.. ;)

Never grown any of them before :)

Did inherit an orchid when we bought the house – in a pot in the garden – gave it to dad :)

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

Would love to, don’t have any available where I am though. I don’t think I’d be looked on in a friendly manner if I pinched the teatowels, either..

The weather’s pretty mild here so I reckon they’ve got a fighting chance.

I don’t even ask.. she throws all manner of old cloths away.. I recycle the bluddy lot. ;)

Oh I’ve got stacks of “rags” at home – just I’m at work now and it’s al ong drive to get home.. not going to go home then come back and then go home again!!

(this whole plant rescue operation wasn’t planned in advance, hence why it’s a bit all over the shop!!)

some of the secrets of nursery work are wet cloths.. and yes an old broccoli box.. polystyrene with a lid. A cool room can be of assistantce but cool wet sand is great stuff.

Anyway I can talk about Kangaroo paw from seed to flower and back again all night but..

I’m late for a dinner date with two women..

pity they are my wife’s mother and sister.. but they’ll do. ;)

Jury-rig to the rescue!

In the absence of hessian, I have covered the exposed roots with paper towels and wet them down. They were still nice and damp from the watering when dad dropped ‘em off (maybe 4 hours ago now) so I reckon they’ll be OK overnight.

Enjoy your dinner party RB, thanks for the info as always :)

bon008 said:

Jury-rig to the rescue!

In the absence of hessian, I have covered the exposed roots with paper towels and wet them down. They were still nice and damp from the watering when dad dropped ‘em off (maybe 4 hours ago now) so I reckon they’ll be OK overnight.

Enjoy your dinner party RB, thanks for the info as always :)

Perfect.. I always leave something out .. for the reader to discover for themselves ;)

OK.. half of ‘em have been potted up, half have been bunged straight out into the garden – there were so many I didn’t have the energy to put them all in pots.

I’ve never had so little confidence in a potting operation.. but we’ll see.

bon008 said:

OK.. half of ‘em have been potted up, half have been bunged straight out into the garden – there were so many I didn’t have the energy to put them all in pots.

I’ve never had so little confidence in a potting operation.. but we’ll see.

I know how it feels to have so many things to pot up that you can’t be bothered doing the rest!
I’m sure that the plants will do alright. They are fairly hardy things. You have to have confidence.
What potting medium did you use in the end?
Let us know how they go. :)

fresnel_chick said:

bon008 said:

OK.. half of ‘em have been potted up, half have been bunged straight out into the garden – there were so many I didn’t have the energy to put them all in pots.

I’ve never had so little confidence in a potting operation.. but we’ll see.

I know how it feels to have so many things to pot up that you can’t be bothered doing the rest!
I’m sure that the plants will do alright. They are fairly hardy things. You have to have confidence.
What potting medium did you use in the end?
Let us know how they go. :)

Thanks fresnel chick :)

I ended up just using garden sand, and treated in with wetting agent first. I was a bit worried I got the sand too saturated and thought the roots might be in danger of rotting =/ I watered them in with some worm juice, too. Was going to add a teeny bit of seaweed, but by this stage it was dark and the mozzies were all over me so I couldn’t be stuffed.

Be nice if the ones out the front take off – I’ll try to remember to post an update every now and then :)

sand too saturated and thought the roots might be in danger of rottingsand too saturated and thought the roots might be in danger of rotting

>>>
i doubt it.. the only way that can happen with sand is when the sand is kept full of water