Just wanting to know what people's views are on the right temperature to store Amorphophallus during their dormancy. If there's differences between species, then this question is more particularly for A. bulbifer. But ideas for other species are welcome as well. Thanks in advance for anyone's comments.
Amorph temperature question.
There is a great deal of information regarding Amorphophallus species with some temperature information in an article by Amorphophallus experts Dr. Wilbert Hetterscheid and Stephen Ittenbach found in Aroideana, Volume 19, 1996 entitled Everything you Always Wanted to Know about Amorphophallus, but Were Afraid To Stick Your Nose Into!!!!!
This article is quite detailed.
Aroideana is the annual journal of the International Aroid Society www.Aroid.org and the issue can be purchased separately or individual articles downloaded from the IAS site for a small fee. IAS members receive Aroideana every summer and this year will be the 33rd volume.
My Konjacs did fine at mid 60's during the day. I'm sure they could stand 50's just as well.
Thanks for responding. The situation is that my A. bulbifer is yellowing off and I've collected the bulblets. But I've never stored them before, so not sure what temperature they should be kept at. I have a room constantly airconditioned down to 18C to 21C (64F to 70F). Not sure whether to keep them in there or just at ambient temperatures which will get a lot higher than that. I guess when the mother tuber is ready I'll be keeping it with them.
Tommys right, I keep my bulbifers colder than that. They have been at around 50F all winter long and are sprouting right now. Hotter is better than cold, they just might sprout early.
This message was edited Apr 15, 2010 3:19 PM
Growin_stinkies, my other alternative for them is the fridge. Tne temp in there is about 7C (45F) and I was thinking that would be really too cold. By the time they'd have been a few months in that, the core of the tuber will have been that cold for a long time. I'm just looking for the right balance. The prainii I got last year was full grown around when it should only have been starting. When we had a dry spell in the middle of the wet season it shut up shop and went dormant, with still at least 2 to 3 months of growing season left. I want to try and avoid that sort of thing happening. Thanks for your input..
I wouldnt put it in the fridge. If you want to try and keep them on a normal cycle youd be better off at 64-70F
Agree with Growin_Stinkies.
Thanks for that, I'll go with those temps. It's the room I keep photos, documents, books, and other items that need protection from our heat and humidity. Why not add Amorphs to that list? :O)
When I got home today (work takes me away for a fortnight at a time) the bulbifer was just a withered stem, couldn't see it at first. Surprisingly, the symonianus had totally collapsed, never noticed previously it was calling it quits for the season. More surprising were a couple of paeoniifolius starting to wilt. All the rest are still looking great, especially the giant one. The galbras aren't much more than seedlings and still growing well. And my titanum looks like it's only just grown up and ready for a full season.
The thing in common with those that have wilted is they were growing close together. Probably the automatic sprinkler wasn't soaking enough in that area. I know that paeoniifolius can take a lot of water. It grows wild here, often along rivers. I've seen it flooded (totally submerged) for a few days at a time during the wet season. Comes out leaflets coated with silt that eventually washes off with subsequent rains. The ground they're in stays very wet. And the plants look great afterwards. I wouldn't try replicating though. Nature has the "right touch" and knows just how much she can get away with.
The photo is of the symonianus showing the thickening at the top of the petiole, where the leaflets branch out. Have no idea what that is - simply a thickening or some sort of organ/structure?
Your in luck! Your symonianus is making babies. They make bulblets in the canopy of this plant unlike others that make them in the ground. When the leaf dies back let it totally dry up then you can harvest the bulblets. Just store them dry or in some dry/ barely moist peat if the bulbelts are very small. The larger ones will survive dry storage on their own, but the really small ones sometimes dry up so I store them in peat moss, on the drier side and they survive great until spring planting time. Hope this helps. :0)
This message was edited Mar 25, 2010 8:33 AM
Growin_stinkies, that's good to know, thanks. I'll do the same with the bulbifer bulblets. Would sphagnum do as a substitute for peat moss? I've already got some of that on hand.
I am not sure if the sphagnum works as well. I guess it would be ok as long as you keep the moisture level right (barely moist) Like I said only the tiny ones need to be in it the larger bublets will do fine storing dry. I just haven't used the sphagnum very much at all.
I dug out the A. bulbifer, it's gone from weighing 424 grams to 663 grams. That's a 56% increase.
The swollen stem of the symonianus now looks like it's got bulblets inside. The plant's withering around them. I'll take them out soon and store them. I'll look around for some peat moss to do that with.