Amorphs unleashed

i have mine in pots and out on the table in the sun. Hope they get warm enough to pop up.

Here they'll often show up on Ebay just about the time that dormancy is ending. Other times of year people don't seem to advertise them.

They seem to pop out of the ground a bit late even here. I've noticed they send the roots out first like "feelers". Probably checking if conditions like soil temperature and moisture are okay before starting to grow the flower or leaf.

Tina a "wonderful person" from another country sent me some seeds of A.Gallbra and if they sprout soon, I'd be happy to share with you.So far I think it's still too cool at night for those. I got some that are growing here in my yard and those haven't sprouted either so I'm still waiting to see when it gets warm enough what they are gonna do. I have A.Konjac that is hardy here. And when I find them, should have several so can share one with you of it too. Contact me in a month or so when it is warmer at night here.
This is my grandmother standing with one several years ago in her yard. This is A.Konjac.

Mekos,
I would truly appreciate it if you were to send me some. If there is anything that you would like to have just let me know. Tina

That wild A. paeoniifolius is magnificent.
I would love to see the size of that bulb,
it must be large as a car ^_^.
If anyone has any extra Amorphs to share will be glad to make a trade or pay postage.


This message was edited Apr 29, 2010 3:25 PM

The A. paeoniifolius plant in the first photo on this thread has died off for the winter. It started off as a 2016 gram (4.44 pounds) tuber and grew up to 227 centimetresl (7.45 feet) tall. The other day I took the tuber out and tried to weigh it. The scales (electronic) only go to 5000 grams (11.02 pounds). When I started to lower the tuber the scales just bottomed out straight away. Have to find someone with scales that'll go up to about 7 to 10 kilograms.

Apart from about 4 small A paeoniifolius plants, my only Amorph still showing no sign of going dormant is A. titanum, even though we're half way through the first month of winter. The way it's going it might keep going right through to next summer.

This is the large Amorphophallus paeoniifolius tuber now. There's lots of pups formed for next season.

WOW! Nice!!!

Finally got scales that could weigh my A. paeoniifolius tuber. As mentioned above, started as a 2016 gram (4.44 pounds) tuber and grew to 227 centimetresl (7.45 feet) tall. Now dormant it weighs 6.4 kilograms (14.1095848 pounds).

I put that down to the fact it didn't flower this last season, it was in a pot without competing tree roots for the first time, it got a good feed throughout the growing season - mostly seaweed/fish emulsion. I think next season I'll put more Amorphs in large pots to get them growing without competition.

Now I'm curious about the size of my A. titanum tuber, but it's still not showing any signs of going dormant. Quite a while back I put a rope on it because the leaf seemed loose and I was afraid the wind might knock it over. Later I took the rope off because the leaf became secure, obviously firmly attached to a large tuber. So it's a waiting game.

what an interesting read. I have a small plant, it is called voodoo lilly, it is in a small pot, it did not bloom this spring, it was a bulb in a small pot inside all winter. These are not freeze hardy right? the bulb was about an inch round when I first got it. it was about two and half inches round this spring when I transplanted it.

Debra, if yours is the A. Konjac, I believe they would be cold hardy for you. Mine are hardy here but I'm in zone 7 although I believe I read they are hardy to zone 5. Some are not but I believe these are.

Where is a good place to order all these different kinds Amorphs?
Someone was going to send me some but it never happen :(
Thank you for any info.

christmas, put them on your want list. watch the swaps and trades. that is how i got mine, in a swap.

It's not so much a question of hardiness, the tubers usually go dormant during the colder part of the year. Provided they're insulated from the cold they'll be okay. They just need a reasonable length of warm weather during growth. Some of them need warmer and/or longer growing seasons.

very nice everyone! this give me hope even in my desert climate. i'll be watering the heck out of mine!

You shouldn't have too many problems. Just beware of hot/dry air. They can usually put up with heat, but not if the hot air has very low relative humidity.

that's tucson for ya! i just need to keep it moist until the monsoon season starts. i actually had to water it about the same. the nice thing was the added humidity to keep the leaves from burning. i gave it some dappled sunlight and it did fine.

here they are from last year. the largest pot is 7-gal. i am using fabric pots this year. lots of roots wrapped around the inside of the plastic pots.

Those look great. You should get a flower out of the large one this year.

thanks! they will definitely get more nourishment and better attention this year. a flower would be nice, albeit stinky! LOL

I just had one finish stinking up the place. Fist sized tuber.

right on tommy! LOL i have a fist-sized one, too. looks like it might be a flower. of course, it could just be wishful thinking. haha!

No problem with hoping, wishful or otherwise. This season I had an A. bulbifer flower when I wasn't expecting it. Now I'm going to be expecting it each year. Another interesting thing, my A. prainii started early in the season and then withered just into the start of summer. All the same, the tuber had trippled in size. So I put it away in a polystyrene box but now, with only 6 weeks to the official start of winter it's started sprouting again. I'm beginning to suspect it's a winter grower and that I've been 'forcing' it to grow in summer. They're full of surprises.

well, we will see what happens this summer. it is still cool at night. i put them ziploc bags with some soil so that they could at least start pushing out roots. i'll get them outside in the next couple of weeks.

Looks like my formerly 13 pounder (but now it's an 8 pounder) is going to bloom AGAIN.
Oh the humanity!

LOL don't you just love it! so, what caused you 13 pounder to lose weight tommy?

It flowered last spring, my theory is that that caused the weight loss.

okay. that makes sense.

a person told me they sort of eat them selves and then form the tuber again. ugh. I have three.. all of them are up, three different kinds, not big enough to show yet.

Hi All,

Came across this thread when searching for info on Amorphophallus Bulbifer. I have some seeds (? Tiny bulbs?) I started recently and they are just barely starting to push through the surface. This is my first experience with them.

My question for you all is what are the maximum temperatures yours have experienced without irreversible harm? I'm in southern California where we have very hot and dry summers. I have an area in my backyard that remains shaded most, if not all, of the day, and that is where I am thinking I will keep these plants. However, summers can be as hot as 110 degrees, so I'm not sure if these can handle temps that hot.

I read earlier that they can usually do pretty well with heat as long as they have moisture. I'm thinking maybe watering them everyday (if needed) and humidity trays? If I have them grouped pretty well together, and maybe have some of the other plants that require higher moisture together with them, maybe that would be sufficient to keep them healthy?

Any thoughts, advice, etc. are welcome. =)

Most Amorphs grow naturally in shady or semi-shady situations. I think A. bulbifer can cope a bit better with stronger sun than some others. But the important thing is humidity. They usually grow through the wet season (summer) when humidity is high day and night. It would be difficult in a dry climate to maintain that sort of situation. Wind would be constantly bringing in new dry air. If you focus on getting that humidity up you shouldn't have a problem. The hottest part of the day is also the driest part. And wind around that time would stress the plants.

Thank you TropicBreeze. Gives me something to think about. It sounds like I may be better off keeping these inside for now, at least until I can get things set up out back in a way that would shield them from the wind. I think for now, I can better keep the humidity higher inside, especially as we go in to the hottest part of the year here.

I read that it can take several years when growing from seed before they are ready to bloom. Have you found that to be true, or found that it can vary? I would like to hopefully have a good place for them outside before then, as I do not want that smell in the house. =)

i get them to grow well in the desert. they do get some direct sunlight early on in the day. then, it is shade the rest of the day for the most part. i just make sure to keep the moist.

Ooh, very pretty! Thanks for sharing that! What do you do to make sure they remain moist Just watering and keeping them in the shade, or do you use any kind of misting or humidity trays or anything extra? I'm home all day, so even if they end up requiring multiple waterings during the day, I can do that.

Also, they are just starting, and I have them in a small 4 inch plastic pot inside a ziploc baggy. I'm not sure when I should take the pot out of the baggy and at what point to repot. Did you grow yours from seed or buy them larger? Did you move to larger pots slowly as they grew, or directly into a 1 gallon or something like that?

By the way, I like your name. I'm trying some plumerias from seed too. =)

hi sharon - i do not mist in arizona. the water evaporates as it leaves the spray nozzle. LOL j/k but i does not last long enough on the plants. i just water, fertilize and keep them under the shade cloth. the monsoon will start up in about a month the humidity will increase. however, i still have to water them because the temps also increase.

i bought my bulbs last year. i have always just started them outside. i don't like to fuss with the transition from humid environment to blast furnace. LOL the larger one in a 10-gal container. the middle one is in a 7-gal and smaller one in a 5-gal. they are in fabric pots that allow for better air circulation and more fibrous roots. plus, the pots stay much cooler in the heat.

i see that you have started from seeds. they might require different conditions for a while until they get larger. i am not sure though. the gurus can surely help you on that one.

we can get really hot here. we will push 110º and more come july and august. the fun is just now starting. 105 today...brrr! LOL

I haven't tried them from seed, my first plant was a reasonably sized tuber.that flowered in the second season I had it. The bulblets from that plant all produced bulblets in their first year. Seeds possibly would be slower in all respects. I did an article on my Amorphs earlier this year.

We're at the opposite part of the year to you over there, right into winter now. And looks like this year is turning into the coldest winter on record. Yesterday it only got to 32C (89.6F).

This photo is the second season (last summer). The pots are on inverted bakers trays to stop tree roots getting into them. The large (mother) plant had flowered and then put up this big leaf. The red container behind it has all the previous seasons bulblets growing in it. The bigger the bulblet from the mother plant, the bigger it grew and the more bulblets it itself produced.

Interesting, Tucson. How often do you typically fertilize and what strength do you use? Monsoon season, huh? I guess at least it brings some humidity! Wow, I can’t believe you guys already broke 100 degrees. It was nice here today, maybe 80s, but it started raining a little while ago. Weird weather. But we will definitely have our share of 110 degrees. We usually don’t go over that though.

Hmm. Fabric pots, huh? I was planning to put mine in plastic, because I figured the plastic would not allow as much moisture to evaporate out. With that extra air circulation, don’t you lose a lot of moisture? When the weather is up in the 100s, how often do you find that you need to water? Where do you find fabric pots? I have never heard of that before.

I’m thinking I will probably keep them in pots inside for now until they get bigger. Since they aren’t supposed to flower until they are older, I should be okay keeping them inside for now. This will give me time to figure out how I want the back patio set up and then time to talk the hubby into making it happen for me. =)

I shared a picture of my little plants starting on Facebook so some of my friends could check them out. They think I'm crazy for being fascinated by a plant that stinks when it blooms. =)

Fantastic article, tropicbreeze! I was already fascinated by this plant and knew it had relatives out there, but didn’t know a lot about them. Now I want to find out even more and see which ones I could grow here. I loved all the thorough pictures you took as well! It kind of gives me somewhat of an idea of what to expect.

It’s always strange to me to imagine other parts of the world having the opposite seasons of what we have here. I really have zero experience with travelling to other countries, so it’s quite interesting.

It sounds like you have big problems with tree roots, huh? Even with the pots just sitting on the ground, the tree roots will make their way into the pots? That’s so crazy. The only tree I really have is a big magnolia, but I don’t see much of the roots. Plus, I can’t really plant anything under it anyway, as it keeps everything in shade during the morning, but came afternoon to late afternoon, and anything sitting under it would bake in the afternoon sun.

So I am figuring that my seeds will probably develop slower than the bulblets. How many bulblets did you have in that red container? How long were you able to keep them in there before it was too small? I have the five (four have sent up sprouts as of this evening) in a 4inch small plastic pot. I’m thinking they may need to be repotted soon, because right now they are just in a pot of moist vermiculite and there really isn’t any nutrition they are getting that way.

I did notice in your article that you did work with some seeds of the A. Titanum. It looks like you may have started one each off in a 4inch pot. How did you handle those? What kind of potting mix did you have them in? I’m thinking maybe I should split them into individual 4 inch pots for now in a soilless seed starting mix (it has nutrients in it, or should I move directly to a different mix for mature plants?). I’m just afraid of transplanting too early and doing more harm than good.

i am fertilizing at 1/2-strength with 10-16-38. i usually water and then fertilize the next day. i guess i am fertilizing 1-2x per week.

our summer rains begin in july. it is usually muggy and we don't get rain everyday. it can actually dry out somewhat for a few days. then, it rains again. definitely nothing like the monsoon in india.

i have mine planted in earthgro potting soil. i try and keep them very moist. and i have to be careful that they do not dry out.

the fabric pots really help to distribute the moisture. this is my first summer with them. the pots do stay cooler because of evaporation of moisture. i am not having to water every day, yet. random full sun container soil measurement from yesterday - fabric 85.8º and plastic 114º @ 4:30p.

i use the dirt bags manufactured by hydro farm. http://www.hydroponics.net/c/612 i like the fact that i can get a 30-gal container for $12. i have some bananas in a 30-gal container right now.

Those fabric pots are fantastic! And cheap too! I am amazed at that temperature difference you saw. If it's that big of a difference, that could help me a lot during the summers here. I will definitely have to order some of those.

How strong are they when it comes to plants that have stronger roots? Are they good at containing those, or can they get through pretty quickly?

Using light colored pots or bags will help keep them cooler as well as they reflect light/heat.

Sharon,my garden depends a lot on shade. Our sun is very intense and I've got a lot of understorey rainforest plants. So I try to balance it out with plantings of tall sun tolerant plants and then fill in underneath with the sensitive ones. But then the trees themselves bring problems, wandering root systems being a major one. I did two articles on my garden.

The thing with most Amorphs is that they go dormant for a period. In that time tree roots (or any other roots) can grow in and dominate the growing space. When the Amorphs wake up and put roots out, there's mature roots out there which have already sucked out most of the nutrients.

Bulblets are really a clone of the mother plant, so already a bit advanced when compared to seed. The time needed for a seed to develop is extended because of that. Much the same as grafting/marcotting will produce a plant which is close to being an adult.

I did plant seed of A. galbra. And later I bought some A. titanum seeds, 10 but received 14. One already mouldy, one seedling succumbed to mould, and 2 are not 100%. And 10 that are, so far, pefect. The galbra were all put in the one large pot, the titanum went into individual small pots. There was good soil in the bottom and then sand on top. The seeds went into the sand and not the soil. I'd heard warnings about having organic matter touching the seed and promoting fungal infections. I give them fish/seaweed and ordinary chemical fertiliser alternately.

The rest of the Amorphs have all been tubers, including the first A. titanum. With the A. bulbifer it's been the original tuber and bulblets.

I'd be inclined to move them into individual pots sooner rather than later. You're likely to do more damage to a larger root system in a large plant than to a smaller root system in a smaller plant.

The red container (mango crate) was fairly large and had 12 bulblets in it. They were in there for the whole season, until they went dormant. Next season they'll go into individual pots with new soil.

This is my mother bulbifer plant after it flowered and then sent up this leaf. It's in a 300mm pot.