Question about the propagation of Phormium Tenax (New Zealand Flax)

[Slifer00]

Does anyone have any experience in propagating phormium tenax? I have about 15 of these flowering stalks filled with flowers, including from the black varieties, although they do not appear to have seeds just yet...

 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

Not sure about propagation via seed ( Don't recall seeing any form on plants in California, hybrids / cultivars esp. ) but dividing them is simple..

[Slifer00]

  On 6/7/2024 at 9:05 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Not sure about propagation via seed ( Don't recall seeing any form on plants in California, hybrids / cultivars esp. ) but dividing them is simple..

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I have seen the division method being used with small plants. However, this one is massive and mature

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 6/8/2024 at 12:25 PM, Slifer00 said:

I have seen the division method being used with small plants. However, this one is massive and mature

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Same idea,  ..though w/ a bigger plant, you might need a little help, and maybe a saws- all / square point sharp shooter shovel -or two-  lol.. 

Many years ago, a neighbor had a BIG ....i'm talking 8ft across X  8ft tall / flower stalks that were 10-12ft in height " standard " P. tenax that needed to be penned in. 

Over the course of a couple days,  he and i reduced it's foot print by about half.  If i'd thought about it, i'd have saved some of what we cut off and planted a few doors down at my grandparents.

Regardless, wasn't too difficult to dig and remove the un-wanted parts. Helps when the soil is moist, but, cutting them up was about as easy as dividing large clumps of Bearded Iris or Day Lilies  ..just a bigger task.

MUCH easier than the time i pursued dividing / get rid of  a couple massive clumps of African Iris ( Dietes ) in my grandparents yard..  Once those get big, they're a pain in da butt to remove, ...or even try to divide / clean up.  I took a couple stabs at one clump ..and gave up, haha.

Phormium, esp. the older cultivars, ( My own personal experiences w/ newer / older varieties only ) are pretty durable / transplant w/ out too much trouble.

I'd use the rule of 3's ..No less  than three " fans "  ..a term sometimes used by Bearded Iris growers.. to a divided section cut from the " mother " plant,  and they should take off once replanted / settled in to their new spot(s).

[Jonathan]

It's possible that they haven't been pollinated?

Here in Australia they are pollinated by honey eaters (nectar feeding birds) and can become quite invasive. From memory their natural pollinators in NZ are also honey eaters, Tui and similar species. If you don't have birds performing that role you could probably try hand pollination, you might get some interesting crosses.

As Silas pointed out though, they are super tough and easy to divide.  Just attack them with a spade.

[Chester B]

I've done it.  Just use a spade and cut off some of the outer "Fans".  You can sometimes pull them out by hand.  I would do that every year to keep them to a manageable size as they like to get huge.

[Slifer00]

  On 6/8/2024 at 11:36 PM, Jonathan said:

It's possible that they haven't been pollinated?

Here in Australia they are pollinated by honey eaters (nectar feeding birds) and can become quite invasive. From memory their natural pollinators in NZ are also honey eaters, Tui and similar species. If you don't have birds performing that role you could probably try hand pollination, you might get some interesting crosses.

As Silas pointed out though, they are super tough and easy to divide.  Just attack them with a spade.

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I am looking at a small bird and a few bees going through the seed pods right now. Maybe I will just give it some time

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 6/10/2024 at 2:02 PM, Slifer00 said:

I am looking at a small bird and a few bees going through the seed pods right now. Maybe I will just give it some time

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Only nectar feeding ( Nectervorious ) birds ( ..Honeycreepers, Hummingbirds / Sunbirds ) will be able to pollinate.  Bees only show up to snag some nectar, lol. If they pollinate, i believe it is by accident, and pretty uncommon.

A couple interesting articles on the subject:  Can skip to the " Abstract " portion in the second link unless interested in the total article.

https://natlib.govt.nz/records/31161189

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0028825X.2006.9513022

[harleyb]

NZ flaxes are really tough. I sometimes pick up flax fans off the beach here after a storm when they've ended up in the sea due to erosion and even though they've been immersed in salt water and bashed to kingdom come by waves, they still put out roots quite happily after they've been rinsed, tidied up with secateurs and then planted say 200 mm deep and kept moist.

Established flaxes are easily divided into separate fans with a sharp spade. Just be sure to cut downwards enough so there's some root base included. Then take off the top half of all but the youngest couple of leaves with secateurs to reduce moisture loss, bung them in the ground, keep them moist and you're away. 🙂

[harleyb]

Oh and yes they do get big, depending on the variety. Phormium tenax in particular. Don't plant next them to a fence or other structure that you don't want to have pushed around eventually. Photo here of one that was originally a washed up fan from the beach, probably about 3 metres tall when this pic was taken.

[Jonathan]

  On 6/19/2024 at 9:58 AM, harleyb said:

Oh and yes they do get big, depending on the variety. Phormium tenax in particular. Don't plant next them to a fence or other structure that you don't want to have pushed around eventually. Photo here of one that was originally a washed up fan from the beach, probably about 3 metres tall when this pic was taken.

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Looks like a very nice spot you've got there...where abouts in NZ are you?

[harleyb]

  On 6/20/2024 at 12:46 PM, Jonathan said:

Looks like a very nice spot you've got there...where abouts in NZ are you?

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I'm in Palmerston North, but the photo is from Tongaporutu (Taranaki) where we have a holiday house. The photo was taken just a day before a storm destroyed the retaining wall and front lawn. Lost the flax as well.

Now rebuilt and we have a replacement flax in the same spot, doing well. This time a store-bought Phormium cookii which is a lot smaller and much less stroppy than the local tenax which can quickly get too big to manage.