yerba mate (forum)

Peter starts with ...
I am trying to source the Ilex paraguariensis plant (yerba mate)in Perth. I think the chances are slim, but you never know...

Time: 8th April 2011 1:38pm

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About the Author Peter36
Perth
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Rowan says...
I am about to put in an order for some seeds if you want some as well. It is supposed to be easy to grow from seed.

Time: 8th April 2011 5:20pm

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About the Author krazykangaroo1
Casterton, Vic
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Peter says...
Rowan,
be aware that seeds once dry have a dramatically lower germination rate and when about one year stored the germination rate is down to 3% and will take a much longer time to germinate.
Thanks anyway for your offer, but I try the lazy way to get a potted plant.
The other thing: If you drink mate, it is worthwhile to look for seeds - sometimes there are a few in there (from brand Cruz de Malta) and I tried these - no luck yet to germinate them.

Time: 8th April 2011 6:12pm

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About the Author Peter36
Perth
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fruitist says...
I tried cuttings a few times to propagate my tree but no luck yet.

Time: 10th May 2011 10:56am

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Peter says...
Hi Fruitist,
may I ask where you are growing this plant? If in Australia, this would be the first incidence I heard of the plant growing in Australia even though the plant is quite adaptable to different environments according to the CSIRO book 'Discovering fruit and nuts' by Susanna Lyle (which I think has reliable information)...

Do you think the plant is available in Perth?
Have you tried a few tricks with the cuttings? Has it fruited yet?
Have you tried to air-layer it?


Time: 10th May 2011 12:09pm

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About the Author Peter36
Perth
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fruitist says...
I am in Brisbane. No fruits or seeds yet. The tree about 6 years old has been deliberately kept in a more or less dormant state in a pot. In the Spring just gone, tried a few cuttings dipped in growth hormone and misted the container but none struck. Same result as previus attempts. The branches look strikable by cutting. May try air layering next Spring.

Time: 10th May 2011 1:03pm

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Peter says...
Very interesting, thanks for the info.

Time: 10th May 2011 1:17pm

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About the Author Peter36
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Peter says...
Hi fruitist,
Reading about the tree, I came across the information, that there are male and female trees. Unfortunately then there is no chance of fruiting with one tree (Exept there is another tree nearby).

Time: 14th May 2011 12:37pm

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fruitist says...
Thnx for the info. Some male trees can fruit on their own. Hope this is the case if mine turns out to be male.

Time: 14th May 2011 1:18pm

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Wombat. says...
Re Yerba Mate: The scientific name Ilex paraguayensis would suggest that the plant is a holly and there is a good chance that it could be grafted on to a holly root stock.The fact that the plant appears not to grow out of its native range suggests that there must be some mycorrhizal fungi in the soil that bind to the plant roots. There may also be some value in importing explants from Argentina plants raised from tissue culture but you would have to approach the Argentinians about that. The translator on Google translate is said to be very accurate and if you wrote in Spanish with an English letter accompanying this they may be more talkative. Please note stories about overseas attempts may be Argentinian attempting to keep their monopoly but maybe I am being too cynical here. I will research the soil of the lands surrounding Rosario and see if their is any special soil type there. I will also research grafting members of the Ilex genus. Maybe it has been tried already.

Time: 19th January 2015 2:02am

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