Operculicarya decaryi

[Jeff Lemm]

Anyone know how quickly these will grow in San Diego? I just got a little one - curious where to plant it in the xeriscape

[Allen Repashy]

Great plant Jeff,

They are supposed to be frost sensitive but I have had one in the ground for two years and it is doing great. I also have a couple O. pachypus in the ground, but they are really slow in comparison. If you just let the decaryi go it will turn into a tree and look totally different than the bonsai forms you are probably used to seeing. I wouldn't put it in the ground unless you rarely get frost and it is about five gallon size. The plant I got from philippe was a bonsai plant that was about 12" tall, now it is about three feet tall and really starting to crank. Enjoy!

Allen

[Jeff Lemm]

cool, thanks for the feedback. I got a foot tall one at Grigsby (at a pretty good price with the sale, I think it was 9$). I'll wait until it gets a little bigger in the g-house, then give it a try.

[Tim Harvey]

They are very tough. Had them out in the ground here for the last 10 years or so, from a 3" pot. When I moved it back into a pot we had the '07 killer frost (perfect timing!)... and it sprouted from the roots. Friends in Simi Valley produces hundreds of seedlings a year from their plants.

T

[Steve Steward]

Mine receives no damage here in tucson. With summer watering they can grow moderately fast. They look best if you hack them back periodically.

Steve

[Ron]

I planted mine out when it was about a 16 inches tall. It has never had any winter rot problems. The trunk is about five inches now and it's over seven feet tall. Actually, it's very drought tolerant too. I don't think I ever water it.

[rpw]

Anyone know where to get a small Operculicarya pachypus starter plant or seeds?
All I ever see offered for sale are fat ones for fat prices...
I would even consider buying a thick root if anyone ever root prunes one...
assuming they will grow from root cuttings like O.decaryi...
Thanks.

Peyton

[agavegreg]

Did you try Miles To Go here in Tucson? I haven't checked his website, but it's worth a click or two.

[Stan]

I planted an old one that had been grown in a 6" pot for a decade or more,outdoors last summer. To my surprise,its still in full red winter leaf,something it never did while potgrown. I doubt it will ever be of any bragging size-I'm sure it wont,but it's gnarly,and colorful, and soon wont need much water as those potbound roots go down.

[palmbob]

I had one in a pot for years and is slowly grew and did fine outdoors.. then I planted a 6" seedling in the ground 5 years ago and it's already over 6' tall... I have had to trim it back every year. I was not expecting them to grow this fast. From what I heard, they can be touchy digging up and moving, so plant it where you want it.

[Stan]

Here it is-red,in leaf,in late February. Euphorbia enopla behind it,Aloe medusa trunk to the left,and P.elliptica to the right in leaf bud also.

[KimchiMonger]

I recently acquired a 10" Operculicarya decaryi myself! Here's a link to photos of the little specimen:

https://picasaweb.google.com/KimchiM...94189801530098