|
Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 22, 2023 9:40:45 GMT -6
Well, 2 of my 3, 12-pack batches of sown asparagus seed are sprouting. Almost half of each of the two, that are of the oldest seed, have already sprouted. Fortunately one of them is, ‘Purple Passion’. Hopefully it will thrive in my memorial garden.
|
|
|
Post by chrysanthemum on Jan 22, 2023 15:49:20 GMT -6
“Purple Passion” is one of the varieties that we grow. It is a beautiful color when it comes out of the ground, but it turns green as it ferns out. Then it gets nice red berries when it goes to seed. We find it a bit later to come up than our green variety (though it’s on the north side of the bed, and the green is on the south, but I don’t know if that really makes a difference). It’s also a bit sweeter in flavor. We started ours with crowns, not seeds, in early 2020. We only harvested a little last year. I’m hoping we can do a more full harvest this year. Yesterday I did a lot of garden work, and part of that was top dressing the asparagus bed with cottonseed meal and then covering that with shredded leaves. This fall I planted Crimson Clover among the fronds, and that is growing as a cover crop. I figure it will die back in the spring in the heat, or I’ll cut it if I need to. We still had green ferns from the Purple Passion variety in December (our Sequoia ferns had died back and been cut already). The pre-Christmas freezes killed them all, so my husband pruned them out yesterday while I did the cottonseed meal. The clover is in patches, so the meal and leaves went in between those patches. I watered it in a little (after the picture), but we have a shot at rain on Tuesday, so I wanted to get the soil work in before then. I was surprised to see one Sequoia asparagus spear popping up already.
|
|
|
Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 30, 2023 9:50:52 GMT -6
Two of three varieties planted are now 10 of 12, 'Purple Passion' and 11 of 12, 'Precoce D'Argentuil'. Still no movement from, 'Connovers Collossal'.
|
|
|
Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 31, 2023 14:20:18 GMT -6
At first I was thinking to get more seed of 'Conovers Collosal', but now I'll stick with what I have. In a few years, maybe I'll make hybrids, of my own - just to see.
|
|
|
Post by Tucson Grower on Feb 1, 2023 15:45:56 GMT -6
Both varieties have several individuals that have reached 3-4 inches high and have began branching out.
I was very careful to plant only one seed per cell, so one plant is producing a second shoot. I'll need to mark it for possible breeding potential.
|
|
|
Post by Tucson Grower on Feb 4, 2023 2:26:08 GMT -6
Well, an interesting development in the 'Purple Passion'. There are 7 of 12 germinated and growing plants of this variety. One of which was quite early in producing a second shoot, now a second one of this variety has also started a second shoot. This may be significant, especially if it shows up in plants this young.
|
|
|
Post by chrysanthemum on Feb 4, 2023 8:41:38 GMT -6
It sounds as though you have some nice healthy seedlings started from this variety. That’s good news and good work. Thanks for the update.
|
|
|
Post by FrostyTurnip on Feb 4, 2023 17:19:32 GMT -6
That switcharoo is bizarre! But it’s cool to see this growing.
|
|
|
Post by Tucson Grower on Feb 18, 2023 8:33:29 GMT -6
The first plant to start a second shoot, is already starting a 3rd and 4th. The 3rd is only up about 1/2 inch, but the 4th is already starting to pop out of the media. It seems to be growing like a freight train going down a hill. This individual seems to be extremely productive - to say the least. I wonder how often a seedling grows like this? I also wonder if/how any of its other growth parameters are affected.
|
|
|
Post by chrysanthemum on Feb 18, 2023 9:16:19 GMT -6
That sounds like great news, assuming that it isn’t having a detrimental effect on other growth parameters.
I know very little about asparagus seedlings. I am wondering, though, if you planted individual seeds, or if you planted asparagus “berries”/seed pods. I know when I buy beet seeds, what I get is not the seed itself but a little berry or seed pod that contains up to four seeds. Maybe asparagus seeds are sold the same way. I’ve never bought any, so I don’t know.
All in all it seems that things are going well for your asparagus patch. Congratulations.
|
|
|
Post by Tucson Grower on Feb 18, 2023 9:32:11 GMT -6
I very meticulously, with forecepts, carefully planted individual seeds. Which is why this seems amazing. All of these individual leaves/stalks are nearly all emerging from an area hardly more than 1/4 inch in diameter. Though, for now, each stalk is only about the diameter of a fat pencil lead.
I only have 18 seedlings, all together, of the two varieties I planted, and only one other seedling is showing a growth pattern, similar to this one, and it is lagging way behind this go-getter.
|
|
|
Post by chrysanthemum on Feb 18, 2023 20:29:00 GMT -6
That all sounds good but especially your “go-getter”. Are they purple colored?
|
|
|
Post by Tucson Grower on Feb 18, 2023 23:11:44 GMT -6
I'd like it to look darker purple. I hope it gets darker as the newer leaves become thicker. I imagine it may have trouble with dormancy, since it seems to always be producing new shoots. I hope not, but it may turn out to be a tropical-only variety, if it can't manage a normal asparagus dormancy. I certainly plan to make some divisions, as soon as that looks practical. I wouldn't want to lose it, before I can see what it can do.
|
|
|
Post by macmex on Feb 19, 2023 6:24:41 GMT -6
We've had a plant of Purple Passion for years. I believe I received it from a swap over 10 years ago. It's always produced nicely for us. Some years ago I tried to move our asparagus patch, starting in May. We lost most of the plants. Then, I ordered some Jersey Giant asparagus plants. They've done pretty well for us. Our asparagus always emerges much later than most everyone else's that we know of.
Last summer I saved some seed from our patch. Should be starting it this week.
|
|
|
Post by chrysanthemum on Feb 19, 2023 16:07:12 GMT -6
I have patch of Purple Passion and the spears that come up from crowns are definitely purple. I don’t get a lot of new growth from seeds because I keep the bed heavily mulched, but I have had a few. I don’t see the purple color in the newly sprouted seedlings so much or once the purple passion crowns have ferned. Then it’s all green. That’s why I was curious about the color of your sprouts. My spears are definitely purple, though, so I think you have a treat in store in a few years.
|
|