Boswellia sacra (Frankincense)

I'd been watching Frankincense plants on eBay for some time. Usually they cost $100 or more. Then one particular seller offered six at once for $25 each plus shipping. For the first time I thought the price was reasonable.

I was having real difficulty resisting the urge to buy one when my little brother called wanting a hint for a Christmas present....

He got a big hint. I got a new plant. It arrived yesterday. I am delighted.

According to the item description, I'm to expect the leaves to fall off over the next few days. The plant does this when it is disturbed in order to conserve energy to its trunk and roots. I'd say being yanked out of your pot, having your roots wrapped in a paper towel, getting stuffed into a box for a couple of days, counts as disturbance. Given moisture and warmth, it is supposed to bud out again.

I got to it almost as soon as the mail carrier dropped it off. Better yet, the outdoor temperature that afternoon was in the low 60's deg. F.--just about perfect. I opened the box immediately, loosened the stuffing, and showed the neighbors my new plant. Once I got it inside, I misted it and the paper-towel-wrapped roots with water. Later that evening I potted it into the gallon container pictured. It spent last night indoors on the same heating mat as my clove seedlings. Once my sunroom warmed into the 70's deg. F. this morning, I took it out there. It was an overcast day, so I put it in full whatever-sun-there-was. Tonight I brought it back indoors for the heat mat.

I used Perfect Gardener Potting Mix from Wal-Mart since it was the loosest, fastest draining soil I had on hand. This is the type of medium the eBay seller recommended. I watered it well, then added a couple of pinches of Espoma Bio-tone Starter Plus. The label says this fertilizer is all natural, but more importantly, it contains mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria. These fungi seek plant roots and live with them in a symbiotic relationship.

One clove plant has formed its first pair of true leaves. They are greenish orange and tiny. Number two is developing leaf buds, and number three still has bright red nubs. No sign of progress in number four, but, as I said, I'm not holding my breath. I need a closeup lens so I can get some in-focus shots of these guys.