Brazilian Rain Tree Development

[4WeirdBooks]

No offense taken on the Detroit comment ... I was just trying to point out what a tough little tree it is!!!

Took the tree over to my local nursery, they said it is a "Texas Ebony" (Pithecellobium flexicaule) apparently not a BRT, even though I bought it from them about 5 years ago ... so that may account for it's dislike of bright light. It also hates cold and cold to it is about 65 degrees (in Michigan, that's considered Summer!)

Sorry for the mis-information, but at least I learned something.

 

[reg-i]

Here's one of mine I just found two 5 footers at a nursery down south of miami that im gonna air layer the crap out of I have alot of rooted cuttings and seedlings they take to air layering very fast and well

 

[reg-i]

oh yah this is right before repotting and cleaning up

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

Quick update -- this is how the tree currently looks:

 

[tmmason10]

That growth looks great. I am thinking about getting a mh and if I do I will be buying a brt this winter inreally like them.

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

I've been using one of those large CFL bulbs for this. It actually didn't drop nearly as many leaves this year in comparison to last. That's not to say I would welcome a metal halide, of course.

 

[jason biggs]

hi alex, looks like a nice potential flat top.if i were you ,i would go for something like sammiboii's tree on page 2....wedding bells??yes,no,maybe....

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

Hey Jason, sorry, I didn't see this until just now. I considered flat top for a while, but I like where it's heading right now. I won't completely case the idea aside, however, as the tree seems like it would make a pretty rad flat-top.

Quick update here. This tree seemed p-i-s-s-e-d this spring/summer. Once I brought it in -- and most importantly, a humidifier was added to the "greenhouse" or whatever this is -- it seemed to cheer up. This picture is after I made significant cuts to try to get some back budding. It went from maybe 1/4 or less of the foliage it has now (plus it was always drooping, even when the sun was out) to pushing out a dense, green canopy in less than a month.

It's still a bit lanky, but hopefully those cuts will pop some buds.

 

[JudyB]

Oddly enough Alex, mine put on more growth after I moved it in this fall, than all summer, and looks much healthier and happier. Odd weather?

 

[Poink88]

Oddly enough Alex, mine put on more growth after I moved it in this fall, than all summer, and looks much healthier and happier. Odd weather?

Same here...but...it could be attributed to the fact that I butchered mine recently so they will fit in my winter storage. It just burst and sprouted all over!