Hey fellow horseradishers!! albert135~thanks for sending the info from the pdf. I read through the information but it doesn't even mention the fact that horseradish flowers ... but I appreciate that you took the time to send me the info in html format cyrus_gardner- Mine was planted in July last summer so they've been in the ground for almost a year. I found them at a nursery. They were small but already had leaves so it was easy to plant. From what I read you should not have trouble seeing yours grow but take a browse through the info sent above for planting instructions ... I do know some people who treat them as annuals instead of letting them get invasive and well established. They can be hard to remove because just the tiniest piece(s) of root will grow. So be sure not to locate your plantings in an area of your garden that you might not want it 'forever'. I've read also that some people plant them using various methods to control their spread. Submerged containers being one of the ways. Good luck with yours. cassieinmass- I'm going to experiment. I've got 3 plants all planted at the same time and now very close to blooming. I'm going to remove the flower stalks from 2 and leave one to see how it affects their growth. Aside from my interest in their roots I'm also partial to the clumps of glossy green leaves they develop. My plants are not getting very bushy! Not how I remember horseradish to be as a kid. That's why I was wondering if removing the flower stocks would perhaps cause more leaf development as it does with rhubarb. I'm going to cut those stocks off now--------> snip snip

You're having a bad time, aren't you Penny? Have you been fertilising? If you have been, stop it at once! As Mallee points out in reply to your banksia question, fertiliser can be poisonous to some natives, expecially those in the Proteaceae family, which include banksias, grevilleas and waratahs. Some people fertilise those plants with a special native fertiliser, which, if sparingly used, can hurry up young plants a bit. However there's no real need to fertilise native plants at all. If you have fertilised your potted grevillea it may be possible to flush some of the excess phosphorus out of the soil by lifting the pot so the water can run out the bottom easily, and then watering generously. Mallee's other point about poor quality water is another good one. Have you been using water polluted with detergent? If you are in a position to use rainwater only on your Proteaceae it's a good idea. Can you use bore or townwater where you are? If you are restricted to greywater, you could try keeping a jug beside the sink where you put the detergent-free water (such as the rinse-water from the teapot). Trish

It would seem that we have had the opposite experience. I grew 4 from clippings taken in February and 3 of them are already flowering, even though they are no more than 15cm high! I've even considered snipping the flowers off to give the plants more time to develop leaves. One possibility that springs to mind is that yours could be planted in high nitrogen soil, which would encourage leaf growth. Another, what about light availability? If they aren't in direct sun that could inhibit flowering.

Thanks MM, think I will just have to be a bit more patient - but it's good to know they're quite normal. Popi, they all get at least half a days sun (mostly morning / midday sun), so that shouldn't be a problem, altho the one that has flowered so far probably gets part shade, not full shade in the afternoon as well. The grevilleas are all types with the prickly leaves and little spider flowers, so I don't know whether the different varieties vary a lot in their flowering, but I think I just need to be a bit more patient! Thanks. J