Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Summer Vacations for Mel's Hoyas and Tropicals, 0 by meltn

meltn wrote:
Thank you all for the nice comments. Reservations are not required and plant loving friends are always welcome. My house remains a disaster area in the summer as I tend to spend all my time off in the garden.

Ok, Koa'ae Godmother. Here is the scoop. Strangely enough, the plant has not fruited, yet, it has pupped. I do not see any sign of a bloom. Last summer it produced 2 very small pups, which were entirely to small to remove. I let the plant go dormant in the winter and did not see a sign of the pups this spring.

Last summer she was planted in a HUGE tub and every time the wind blew, it fell over. (Mind you, I kept it on the edge of the deck and it took a 5' fall each time) Knowing this summer would be it's last year in the garden and the only way I could overwinter it would be digging the plant and laying it on it's side in the garage, I planned to donate it to the Knoxville Zoo. That said, I planted it in the ground. I mulched it with the dead leaves from winter storage and treated it like all the other plants. I had no idea I had pups until I was weeding in that bed and pulled up the dead leaves. I do not think anything has given me such a thrill as finding those pups! Believe it or not, there appears to be 2-3 more pups emerging from the corm.

I will not be getting rich on the pups in terms of money as I have promised pups to friends. I am going to attempt to find the apical meristem to tissue culture after I whack the main stalk, however, there will be no telling where it will be. I have learned that as the plant prepares to fruit, the meristem moves toward the top. After the whacking and tears, I will dig the remaining corm and pot to bring inside. I will then have to keep the corm from rotting while the pups develop roots.

Attached are the 2 largest pups.