Pakistan Gardening Forum

Hi,

I have a petrea plant and a double variety rangoon creeper that I was planning to train on a electric wire. RC started twinning perfectly around the wire but pertra didnt for a year now. Then suddenly petrea found a twig of adjecent oleander plant and started twinning like hell around the whole plant.

It doesnt make sense to me. And how to make petrea twin around the wire.

Thanks

You have very good observation skills, like a good scientist. It turns out newly growing plant tips can sense surrounding chemicals to preferentially climb a certain plant or tree and reject others. It makes perfect sense to me that this vine did not prefer an electric wire rather it chose a living tree. If you are interested, you can see the studies done on the tomato plant and Cuscuta (akaas bail or amar bail). Note in the picture, the baby Cuscuta plant is sensing that there is a tomato plant is growing nearby. It is preferentially growing in the direction of tomato plant. No eyes but the baby plant is just sensing traces of chemicals emitted by tomato plant. This is nothing but signs of God's creation; just like a mosquito can sense our presence from far away by its heat and carbon dioxide sensor ...similar things can happen in plants.

Excellent analysis sir.. I have experienced quite the same. When you dig a small hole and transplant your seedling the tender roots that otherwise hang straight suddenly cling on to the soil sideways while going down the small hole... its sort of tough to get them at the desired location in the hole without letting them touch the hole sideways..

MOHAN SINGH wrote:Excellent analysis sir.. I have experienced quite the same. When you dig a small hole and transplant your seedling the tender roots that otherwise hang straight suddenly cling on to the soil sideways while going down the small hole... its sort of tough to get them at the desired location in the hole without letting them touch the hole sideways..

That is another interesting phenomenon. Roots prefer gravity (gravitropism) and stems just show the opposite behaviour, seeking light (phototropism). It seems that the growing roots cells can sense "gravity". It is nothing but amazing!

Thanks for your replies guys. Anyway to make it twin around the wire?

farhan wrote:Thanks for your replies guys. Anyway to make it twin around the wire?

I think Petrea may not like to twine like morning glory on a single wire. It is rather a bushy-climber. I recall seeing it being supported on umberalla like support i.e. a metal pole in the center and a wire mesh shaped like an umbrella.

M Farooq wrote:

farhan wrote:Thanks for your replies guys. Anyway to make it twin around the wire?

I think Petrea may not like to twine like morning glory on a single wire. It is rather a bushy-climber. I recall seeing it being supported on umberalla like support i.e. a metal pole in the center and a wire mesh shaped like an umbrella.

Yes it does not twine you have to train it by other supports.

The umbrella thing is a canopy I guess

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A little off topic, what's it called locally?

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basheergadit wrote:A little off topic, what's it called locally?

Local nurserymen call it by its Latin name Petrea (with many variations in its pronunciation). There is no Urdu equivalent as far as I know.