How to identify the TRUE Thai Socotranum: Golden Crown?

Hi Socotranum Lovers;
I have got many questions on how to notice the TRUE Thai Socotranum : Golden Crown seedlings. As you know, Thai Socotranum: Golden Crown is the most popular and rarely hard to find. The mother plant can give seeds only 2 times a year.

Here below are some points you can make decision to get the real Golden Crown.

1. Big caudex base, grey brown for 2 yrs up and for 1-2 yrs caudex might be soft white to grey white.

2. Branch Joints (Inter-Node) are very clear and some on the top might be black.

3. Flowers are rounded shape with pink curly border. The petals are soft pink. some flowers are also fresh deep pink border like Diamond Crown.

4. Leaves are shiny, fold up and some can have red under leaves. Old leaves might have red bone. Top leave is dark green but bottom one is soft green.

5. Here is the most important thing to classify: branches are almost parallel with the earth and consist of 2 layers. The branches on top layer or main middle stem will span like finger spread. Middle main stem is special character for this Thai Socotranum

Unfotunately, most of Thai Socotranum seedlings are almost similar or hard to identify when their age are 6-7 months or 2-3" caudex. Golden Crown seedlings will mostly represent the distinctive form when seedling age is over 7 months.

It's hard to identify if they are 100% Golden Crown with baby seedlings. Mostly identified as Golden Crown distinctively when their ages are over 8-9 months.

We can guarrantee that you will get the TRUE hybrid coz our seedlings are from the 1st mother plant and we do hybrid zoning distinctively, not mixed with other hybrid. our true Golden Crown seedlings with 1-1.5" will be available on ending of Aug.

For more information about Golden Crown , please visit this link.

Why do we need to cut the leaves?

I have got many questions why we have to cut the leaves on Arabicums. Here below are the benefit from my experiences:
1. Protecting the diseases mostly come from insects but not get over with them. If you like to get rid of insects you can use the insecticide chemical.

2. Help maintaining the better form especially with the branches. The reason is that more leaves, the branches will bend down and look not so good.

3. Help making more joints coming up, not lengthy. The reason is that branches will recieve more sunlight and make branches stronger which you can notice that branch color will change from green to brown.

4. You can see the plant very clear with every angle clearly so we can maintain the form as direction we decide easier.


5. Good for moving plant to new pot because this will help root decrease pulling the water from media which also helps root spread and recover faster.

6. This can help stopping the longest branch growing and make the side or rest branches growing faster until they are in good form balance.

Cutting leaves also have disadvantage too..
1. You can face the rotten from cutting if you use dirty knife or scissor so you should clean them up first before cutting. It could be risky if you do it during rainy season.

2. Top Branch might get "Sun Burn" if you made a mistake on cutting young branch instead of leave during heavy sunlight. This can make more new unwanted branches coming up and make plant form lose.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) From Arabicum Lovers:

1. How often has we cut leaves?
- I will cut the leaves when 5th-8th leaves not fall from the top. Normally leaves will fall by natural but if plants grow very healthy and strong leaves won't fall but might make branch bend down.

2. How deep can we cut?
- It depends on your consideration. You should let the young leaves grow and cut the mature leave instead. Young leave is too short and easier mistaken if you accidentally cut to branch instead which might make branch get rotten.

3. Should we move them to the shade after cutting leaves?
- No, please leave them with the sunlight because sunlight can help leaves dry faster but if raining you can move them to the shade and take them out when sunlight comes up again.

4. Can we watering as usual?
- yes. No problem. It will be better if you are more careful not to watering to cut leaves.

5. Should we smear with the Red lime?
- No need. Normally we use red lime for cutting branch for grafting case.

How to prepare and maintain plants before joining the contest?

How to prepare and maintain plants before joining the contest?

Usually we prepare and maintain plants at least 3-4 months before contest begin. Here below are things we have to focus based on my experiences.

1. Flower preparation, (20% points)

- Flowers have to be bloom all as much as they can. The trick I did is to reduce watering for a week and then use the flower liquid fertilizer watering instead. One more thing, flowers should be fresh and not yellow or almost fall down. Flowers should fully bloom in bunch forms on the top of each branch or also bloom circularly balance all of trunk (This depend on hybrid bloom characters). The advantaged plant for this item is RCN, you know well.

2. Caudex, Trunk and Branch (30%)

This part is pretty higher score especially with symmetrically balance.
- The main middle stem is to be short and bigger than other sided branches. The main stem is also surrounded with the side branches like Crown and Pagoda (Depending on natural plant form or hybrid). For example, PMK is monument or tower style and consist of many bunches of flowers on the top. PNW is muscular form with distributed flowers around branch. RCN, ha ha ha, flowers bloom every branch even around stems come from buds.
For Thai Socotranum will treated differently eg; Golden Crown: Big base root and caudex, short trunk, 2 branch layers from main stems and also many branches paralleled with the earth; Petch Ban Na: Higher trunk with big main stem decorated with side branches.
- Branches must not be cut or trained to make them differently from natural form but it’s fine if the wound is dry for long or almost the same as their mother skin.
- Branch joints are also important, more joints more score. Mostly from RCN or Black Arabicum especially RCN plant sown from seeds harvested from mother plant will be clearly seen.

3. Leaves (10%)

- The color of leaves should be healthy, fresh green, no yellow and no burnt from disease or insecticide. The leaves can also represent the hybrid origination. More TRUE hybrid close to mother plant you will be get more score. Some mixed hybrid is good as well especially PNW mixed with RCN or RCN+PMK. Mostly I like to use PNW or mixed PNW to put in the contest because she is very easy to maintain the Dwarf and Contest form: Muscular branch and big flat caudex.

4. Root Section (10%)

- Caudex skin should be bright or shining , no wound, scratch or sun burnt. Putting more chemical fertilizer can make the caudex skin not fresh, please be careful using it.
- The condition of caudex and root must be healthy and succulent, not wrinkle or soft .
- Root should be spread out like spider, flat base style and strong. This different between Thai Socotranum and Arabicum because Thai Socotranum we like to show the root and caudex so mostly contest players like to lift it up as much as they can from the media and make it looks like “Mountain” style unlike Arabicums.

5. Misc part (5%)

- Pot (pot should be matched with plant style), for instance, chubby and short plant should be used shallow and wide pot.
- Plant should be positioned in the center of pot
- Media should be clean and no grass covered with media.

Please kindly share your comment

Cheers,
Choochart S
www.siamadenium.com