Topic: Gunnera manicata

[barleychown]

Now that more than one of us is trying to grow this plant, I thought one thread just for them would be good. 

Gunnera manicata, or Dinosaur food plant, is a member of the same family as rhubarb. The leaves are stiff and prickly, and can reach up to 8' across. The plant also develops cone-like things from the crown when older.

To have a happy gunnera, they need wet, fertile soil, and protection from harsh sun and wind, which dry them out. They are VERY heavy feeders, and really enjoy being grown in compost.

I made a bog behind my pond just so I could grow one of these monsters, and am really enjoying mine so far! He's waking up from winter now...



Duck egg there for size comparison. 

[Dianna]

 

Thank you once again, Sarah, for the gunnera and for starting this topic to help me keep it alive...



Now for my first question...

Do I just plant him as deep as he is in the pot when I find out where I want to put him? Do I need to go deeper?

Another while I am thinking about it is if it will survive without a windbreak and in full sun? Our trees are still quite small here and the wind can be awful sometimes. Should i put him next to the drainage ditch where he will be more protected. I really would like him out in the front yard, though...

Yet another question is what do I feed him? How much and how often?

I am sure I will think of some more before I get he hits adulthood....

[barleychown]

Now for my first question...

Do I just plant him as deep as he is in the pot when I find out where I want to put him? Do I need to go deeper?

Another while I am thinking about it is if it will survive without a windbreak and in full sun? Our trees are still quite small here and the wind can be awful sometimes. Should I put him next to the drainage ditch where he will be more protected. I really would like him out in the front yard, though...

Yet another question is what do I feed him? How much and how often?

I am sure I will think of some more before I get he hits adulthood....

You plant him just as deep as he is currently. My Dad bought one that was just like yours, and he says the pot they are in is FULL of roots, and was hard to keep wet. He re-potted it into a 5 gallon pot, an it's doing well.

I think once he's settled in, he would be okay in full sun, and maybe without a windbreak...only one way to find out. However, I would also like to suggest maybe looking into building a lattice "wall" behind him, to provide filtered sun, and break up harsh wind. Do you know what I'm talking about? I've seen some really neat looking ones, and then you would have the added bonus of having somewhere to grow a neat vine, like a clematis.

I feed mine fish emulsions, alfalfa tea, and pond water pretty frequently when he's in active growth. I'll ask Dad next time I talk to him how much he's feeding his...

[Dianna]

I have a larger pot, Sarah, so I will repot him today. Would a 10 gallon pot be way too big or should I just opt for a 5 gallon one? I could sit the pot out there in the front where I would like to plant him and could move him if I notice he is suffering. I, also, like the idea of a piece of lattice around him with clematis growing on it. It would be nice to construct him a little "room" and I could keep the clematis in pots to keep them from getting water-logged...

I will look for the fish emulsion stuff this weekend. I already have the alfalfa pellets, thanks to your and Patty's posts about it at earlier times. I, also, have pond water, if Samson and Delilah will let me scoop some out...

by Dianna:

I am sure I will think of some more before I get he hits adulthood....

Thank you for answering my questions. As "threatened", I do have more. Do these plants put out more tubers/bulbs as they grow? Are they easy to separate, if so? To make my bog garden, do I have to use a liner? Would a tarp work? I'm sorry that I have so many questions, but I really would like to see him survive...

I am still trying to think of a name for him!

[barleychown]

A ten gallon pot would be great! I don't think you could ever give hime too much room.

As for the clematis, if you were to build a bog, then put the lattice wall on the outside edge, you could then plant the roots of the clematis on the outside of the wall, and train it up the inside...that would keep it happy.

For my bog, Mike dug a dish shaped hole, lined it with the plastic dropcloth stuff you find in the paint section (was around $5) poked VERY few holes into it for drainage, and filled it in with aged compost. Because gunneras are such heavy feeders, I figured the compost would be good...and it has been. Even the other plants I put in the bog last year loved the compost.

As for dividing them, from what I have read, you do pretty much the same as with rhubarb, once it gets bigger.

[Dianna]

I just got back from Walmart. I bought some Miracle Grow Garden Soil and some fish emulsion for the new baby. The lady at the check-out warned me that the emulsion has a pretty "rotten" smell. Will I need to put a clothespin on my nose while feeding him? Sure am glad I won't have to burp him and risk him spitting up on my clothes!

The dropcloth sounds like it would be a lot cheaper than pond liner or a tarp, Sarah. I will have to give that a try. Thanks for suggesting it...

Guess I'd better get out there and change his "diaper" now!

[barleychown]

Yep, fish emulsions stink...but you get use to the smell. I've learned to use them last thing I do in the garden, before going in for the night.

[Triss]

You are too funny Dianna... I am glad you are enjoying your new baby.. had I known he was arriving, I would have made him a blanket to keep the wind off of him.

[Dianna]

Thanks for telling me that you wait to feed him last thing in the evening before you go in. Might save me from gagging if the smell is that bad, Sarah.

Triss, I didn't even have a clue that I was expecting! Funny to think that you might have made a blanket for him!

[Triss]

Well ya know I am a lil low on my expecting list... only 3 on it right now...

[Dianna]

I have changed Baby Huey's britches to a size 10 now. I believe he will be looking better soon. He was pot-bound. I had to cut his other diaper off of him...



I think I will leave him on the deck for the weekend, so that he can have a little protection from sun and/or wind. If he seems to be adjusting well, I will move him out to where I want to plant him to see how that goes...

Sarah, do I need to wait awhile to feed him or should I do that this evening?

[Triss]

Looks good Dianna.  Huey is a good name... especially when he grows up to he "Huge"...

[barleychown]

Any updates on Huey? How is he liking his new pot? Did you feed him yet?

[Dianna]

When he grows up, Triss, he will be called Hugo....

I still have him on the back deck. He seems to be perking up. I think I will leave him there for a bit longer to make sure he is "settled" and then I will place his pot out in the yard...

Sarah, I haven't fed him yet, because I wasn't sure I should since I just repotted him. Is it safe to now? I bought some fish emulsion, per your instructions...

[barleychown]

You bet! They are big eaters, and need lots of food through the growing season. Dad has his sitting in a saucer of water, and he puts the fish emulsions into that, diluted, of course, so that it's feeding him when he drinks.

[Dianna]

Well, Baby Huey will have breakfast in the morning, then. How often should I feed him and how much if I find a saucer big enough to hold him?

Oops! Just remembered that I need to feed him in the evening I am planning on working outside. Will feed him tomorrow evening then before I come in for the night.

I am still trying to figure out where I want to plant him...

Thanks, Sarah!

[Triss]

Could you get a bigger planter and line it with a garbage bag to keep the water in place until he gets into the ground?

[Penny]

Awwww.....what a cute Huey!!

[Dianna]

I found Huey a tray to sit on, Triss, so that should work. Thanks for the suggestion, though...

Sarah, I forgot to tell you that I fertilized the baby the other night. I can't say that I wasn't warned, but that fish emulsion really smells terrible. *holding nose graemlin here*

Patty's topic on her rhubarb got me to wondering if Baby Huey will throw up seed pods and flower stalks. Have you seen them on your gunnera plant?

[notherdigger]

     I started reading this and I was fixing to ask all the questions you just did so I will spare you the redundancy Barleychown.  I knew they were in the rhubarb family, I have done extensive research on them in the past though never got around to growing them yet. I was really interested in how you made your bog and now I'm going to have to find one to buy.  And Dianna, you get used to the emulsion, after a while you'll catch yourself sniffing the bottle just before quitting timeROFLMAO....mayby...not........lol  You can get lots of info on the gunnera by typing in "great gunnera".

[barleychown]

Patty's topic on her rhubarb got me to wondering if Baby Huey will throw up seed pods and flower stalks. Have you seen them on your gunnera plant?

I have not had them on mine yet, but have seen them on others in the area. It's pretty neat looking...like a giant spiney pinecone.

[barleychown]

      I was really interested in how you made your bog and now I'm going to have to find one to buy. 

No need to buy one! Making the bog was really easy. First, my husband and I laid out the shape with a garden hose, then dug it out in a dish type hole, deeper in the middle, sloping up on the sides.

Next, you line the bog with plastic...no need for the pond grade stuff. We used the thickest clear plastic sold at the store in the paint section. Then, fill the bog with a mix of peat moss and compost...heavy on the compost for the gunnera.

Now, poke a very few holes through the plastic for a bit of drainage...remember, you can always add more holes, but it's hard to undo them.

And, plant away! Be sure to check the wetness level every day or two during dry weather. I drain water from my pond into the bog, then add fresh to the pond. I figure the gunnera would like fish poo water.

[Dianna]

There is a big difference in Baby Huey now than when Sarah first sent him to me. I think he likes having me as a Mommy! I sure don't like the smell of his formula, though...



I will have to start calling him Hugo before long!

[Triss]

Looks like he is getting a new leaf.  He looks great Dianna!

[barleychown]

I agree with Triss, he is sure doing well. You make a good gunnera momma.