For those that don't know Brewer Spruce...

Here is a link that might be useful: Brewer Spruce

I would be very interested if I would live in the U.S.

Thanks for the link to show us the how Picea breweriana is growing in it's natural enviroment.
It would be very interesting to go surch there to find new selections which will be doing great in the trade...

Thanks for the link to the youtube video, it's really illustrating.

Ordered 25. They have lots left.

Thanks much!

Jon, can you show a pic of these seedlings?
I'm very curious how they look like.
Thanks!

Will do...they're shipping out on Monday.

The needles on this species are tiny!

Jon, I'll trade you for one.....

I sent an email thru GW.

Dax

This one looks very nice!
How about it's roots, can you show a pic of them as well?
Thanks!

Sure.

They look nice too.
What are you gonna to do with these seedlings?

Some will be planted here, some will be planted at my grandma's, and some will be put to use in an experiment to induce polypoidy.

Polyploidy is typically induced with colchicine, a highly toxic bulb-derived mutation-producing solution on seeds or a few day old seedlings. It is not typically attempted with 1yr old seedlings which are past the point of a juvenile state. I'm curious if you've read about it being done with any conifer seedlings older than a few weeks.

From what I remember reading a while back, trying to induce polyploidy has been pretty uniformly unsuccessful in all experiments with conifers - they seem to be far more resistant to artificial mutation than broadleaf plants.

I presume Colchicum species - where colchicine comes from - must also be resistant to it.

Resin

Old study attached, but supports successful colchicine treatments in conifers.

Never read about it being done in older conifers (hard to find much literature on it, to start with), but I know it's been done in older plants before (a grafted clematis, specifically). There's no reason it shouldn't work when applied to the meristem of a plant, even if it's older. I have a college science lab at my disposal, and will use a agar medium to apply the colchicine in the spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Observations on induced polyploidy in some conifers

jon.... unpro ...

you got babies at home.. whats this all about... you already have a death wish????

back in the day.. the old farts.. wanted to fool with this on hosta ...

then i found out.. it can either alter your own DNA if you arent careful ...

helping you grow extra appendages...

or causing cancer ...

i then decided. . it wasnt anything i was going to fool around with.. short of a hazmat suit.. or a fully working laboratory ...

just because you read about it ... and/or can buy it on the WWW ..... think long and hard if its actually something you should fool around with ...

ken

ps: the old farts.. they do have a death wish.. so they dont care about fooling with toxic materials... i am not quite there .. lol ....

I have some Colchicum. Had em' for years. Aka Autumn Crocus. Seeds soaked in a solution made from the corms will sometimes be induced to produce polyploidal plants. Back in the sixties I remember marijuana seeds were sometimes treated this way.
I never did it of course. Colchicine is poisonous.
Mike

SEE!!!! .. see what i mean ...

didnt mike admit he was 70 a week or so ago ...

rotflmbo ...

ken

ps: if he didnt... my boot tastes good ... lol ...

pps: EXTREMELY POISONOUS ....

Here is a link that might be useful: in case you dont know

"Old study attached, but supports successful colchicine treatments in conifers"

But from the abstract:
"it is concluded that the possibilities of polyploidy in conifer improvement seem doubtful at present on account of the sterility of the tetraploids"

I rest my case ;-)

Resin

Resin, I agree, I have come to the same conclusions, both now, and in the past.

No use trying, why take the health risk or waste the effort.

This post was edited by brentm on Mon, Oct 7, 13 at 22:14