It's phosphorus that you want to avoid. What else can you tell me about the conditions they are growing in?

It seems to be a common belief that they are susceptible to root rot in pots. For me this only seems to be true if I water them too much - I have lost a few this way. I am trying Embothrium seedlings in a variety of different soil mixes. While I'm not yet sure what will give the best results, it seems that they appreciate a very fine textured soil mix, some shade, and not too much water. You could bump up the N (use something slow release) but if it is a root problem, they will not be able to take it up.

Ian, these are in a mix of roughly 2/3rds #4 Sunshine (Sun Grow) and 1/3 course sand. All recieve about 8 hrs of sun a day. Regular but not heavy watering. I'll examine a seed pot to see if there's something obvious.

Cheers, Barrie.

I've put lawn fertilizer on a couple of mine (growing in the ground) and had their appearance and growth improve markedly (probably due to the N content), so that phosphorus thing isn't 100% true.

Granite grit is supposed to help with damping off, a friend tried it with embothrium once and got copious germination and survival.

My embothrium in a pot, from h'wood died out, possibly from over or under watering, no fertilizer, or ? before I got it planted out.
I usually like to get plants up to a reasonable size before planting out.
I was worried about the phosphorus thing so good to know they are not so sensitive.

I would love to try some from seed myself and get one of these going.

My plants in ground may have been protected by mineral component of soil somehow, with potted stock in soilless media not having that protection. But I don't know if this supposed hypersensitivity has actually been verified by long, sad experience or is just another horticultural myth. Heronswood had a big red warning on their site, when I e-mailed them about mine responding to lawn fertilizer the people handling my communique apparently didn't get what I was saying and sent back a reply reiterating the warning about phosphorus.

If yours came in one of those skinny bands and it was already pretty big it may have simply used up the space and petered out after you got it. If you are going to grow plants on to larger sizes before planting out you will have to keep them potted on in the meantime. Ideally plants are potted up BEFORE the roots reach the walls of the pot and begin to circle, roots appearing at the drain hole is a signal it is time to pot on. Roots hanging out of the drain hole is a signal it is time to put the plant back and leave it at the nursery. Retailers will not stop displaying rootbound garbage until there is a consistent history of rejection by the public. Growers will not stop producing it until retailers report back to them that it is no longer being accepted.

A close friend watered his 8'embothrium with soluble Peter's fertilizer in mid May and watched in dismay as it declined and is now completely dead. One of my embothriums is decidely unhappy and declining since I built my chicken run next to it....well, ok, around it with a wire exclosure 3' from the trunk....

All circumstantial, of course, and not a real trial, with multiple test subjects, multiple treatments and a control group (same as my fertilizing a couple here and getting a good response - alot more would have to be done before a generally applicable conclusion was at all safe to make). Did the fertilizer kill it, or something else? Did the P in the fertilizer kill it, or something else? Anyway, since P is seldom needed here he shouldn't be pouring it on anyway, whether a plant is supposed to be sensitive to it or not. So, putting it on his emobothrium may have been a double mistake.

Yes, my reasoning is, it doesn't need the extra P anyways so why use it? I have had good results using just N. So there is no reason to fertilize with P. It's possible that soluble fertilizers in general are bad news.... Proteaceous plants are adapted to low nutrient soils. If you examine their root systems, they have clumps of numerous fine, fibrous roots which, when deluged with nutrients from soluble fertilizers, may take up so much that it kills the plant. I have a friend who killed his potted Telopea oreades (closely related to Embothrium) by feeding it with ammonium nitrate. (at least we think that is why it died... my plants from the same batch are still alive.)

Barrie - that soil mix sounds good to me. I'd say keep them a little drier and shadier. Maybe they're just roasting in the sun. But when it cools off, I would move them to the sun.

Ian,

I've moved these into a area where they'll recieve about 4 hours of sun and the temps should be a bit cooler. It been about 30C (86F) nearly every day except a day or two last weekend. Our forcast is calling for increasing temps into the low 90's soon.

Thanks, Barrie.

Could any one tell me how long does it take the inca flame variety to flower from seed? Thanks

You should get bloom after several years, depending on how fast they develop and so on. But don't call them 'Inca Flame', as that is probably supposed to be a vegetatively propagated clonal cultivar rather than a seed strain--although I do not know how Duncan & Davies produces it (or if they still do).

Being fully evergreen it will be less hardy than the deciduous form that has been grown for years here in PNW. A friend gave his daughter an 'Inca Flame' and it froze out (in California!).

I've got one about 15 ft. tall but we have not had a trial winter since I planted it.

Hello bboy.Thank you for your relpy.I don't think the more tender one would survive here in the U.K. I understand Inca flame is supposed to be a little more hardy so I may try to buy a plant if seeds don't come true to the variety.Also I have been told it's small enough to be grown in a pot and can flower when young.Is this correct?Thanks again
Hazel.

You've got it backwards, evergreen forms like 'Inca Flame' less hardy than deciduous ones. Try pinching tips of new shoots during growing season to induce compactness.

Hello bboy. Thankyou for the information. I have just aquired a nice specimen from the local nursery of Embothrium lanceolatum.It is around 18 ins - 2ft from top of the pot and is a nice shape.I would like to plant it in a suitable place before the weather turns cold and while the soil is warm.I live in the West Midlands of the U.K. is this the more hardy type?
Thanks Hazel.

Yes, it's the more hardy type.