Hum Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Usually it is a simple matter, involving a sheet of newspaper, a trowel and a bag of compost. But when the future of the world's oldest pot plant is at stake, repotting becomes a much more complicated process. It took nine gardeners, a crane and three months of meticulous planning to place a one-tonne tree believed to be the oldest plotted plant in the world in a new container. The plant was then lowered into the mahogany pot, which stands the height of a seven-year-old child, and a tonne of soil packed round it. The delicate operation was successfully completed this morning. Wes Shaw, keeper of the Palm House where Encephalartos altensteninii cycad is on display, said: 'It is a very special plant. 'It came to Kew in 1775 and was last repotted 20 years ago. 'The container was breaking down and for aesthetic reasons and for the health of the plant it was time to have a go at repotting it. 'We were quite worried about what would happen. None of us had done this before, it was a steep learning curve but it all went without a hitch and it looks fantastic. 'When I think of how many gardeners have cared for this plant over the years, it gives me a real sense of the heritage and importance of the living collection that we are all responsible for here at Kew - and the incentive to ensure it keeps on thriving through my time in the Palm House. 'Cycads are fascinating prehistoric plants, and this one is the don of the Palm House. 'It has been slowly growing year by year since the Gardens began. 'As Kew celebrates its 250th anniversary, it's a fitting time to re-pot this gem to ensure that it remains healthy for future generations.' The ancient cycad was collected in the early 1770s from the Eastern Cape in South Africa by Kew's first plant hunter, Frances Masson. It was one of 500 species gathered for the botanical gardens during Captain Cook's second voyage around the globe. For the last 160 years, the tree has been housed in Kew's Palm House, where its nobbly trunk has grown outwards and upwards at an inch a year. It now stretches to 14ft 5 inches and because it is growing at an angle, is propped up by stilts. The cycad family comes from the Jurassic era and pre-dates flowering plants. They can live more than 500 years and provide botanists with clues about the nature of early plants. Kew has one of the oldest and most diverse cycad collections in the world. source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnast Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Wow, interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnsonBox Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Is the pot in the pic the mahogany pot? "Awesome" I said to myself when reading. And then I feel it looks a crappy pot! :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kazuyette Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Wow, interesting. +100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gio Takahashi Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 That is just really cool with an interesting history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agreenbhm Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 It took nine gardeners, a crane and three months of meticulous planning to place a one-tonne tree believed to be the oldest plotted plant in the world in a new container. Sounds like a huge waste of time, money and human resources to me. It's a tree. In a pot. Woopdee damn do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gio Takahashi Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 >_> While it seems that 'it's just a tree' to you, it's a rather important tree. Even trees have values to people, you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted August 1, 2009 Member Share Posted August 1, 2009 Awesome. Why isn't the tree growing straight up? I thought plants grew toward the sunshine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasty2k2 Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Plants grow to wherever there is light. No limits on that, and its dumb as hell in the case of this tree here - no way could it ever support its own weight on that angle, but the tree doesnt know that, so does it anyway haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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