I recently bought an A. konjak tuber off of ebay that is about 3" in diameter. There's already leaf growth starting and I want to plant this guy, but I'm confused on how deep to plant it in a pot. 1/2 sites say plant it with 2/3 of bulb sticking up and many others say to plant it 6-8" deep in a container at least 3x as wide as the tuber. The stated reason for doing this is due to the roots growing from the top of the tuber instead of the bottom. That seems to make sense. I've also heard that these tubers are really prone to rotting, which supports the first planting method. Any advice?
Also, how much and how often should I water? What kind of fertilizer?
Growing A. konjak tuber. How do I plant it?
I've just put my two 2" bulbs in 6" pots, 1-2" below the surface.
My instructions say not to water until I see the tip above the soil, then water only when dry and to use a balanced fertilizer, something like MG every 3rd or 4th watering. I used my cactus soil mix to make sure it drains well and a clay pot.
I hope this helps.
Mary Ev.
Mary,
Thanks for your reply. My tuber already has the beginnnings of a leaf and the tip is about 3" tall so no need to worry about buring it too deep. As far as fertilizing, I've read to use a fertilizer that is high in potash so I'm going to use my nana fert that is 15-5-30. Everything I've read said to use a well-draining soil so I bet you're right on with the cactus soil. I think I'm going to throw some orchid bark in there as well since I plan to add some peat and a small amount of compost. These guys are supposedly hard to kill, but we'll see.
You're a little ahead of me, but I sure hope you'll post pictures when you can! I am really excited about my bulbs and can't wait to see what the foliage looks like! I'm several years, I think, from having to "worry" about the flower's smell!
So far, mine have not sprouted, but I just put them in dirt yesterday....I'm just a little impatient!
I got this with my bulbs.....
Voodoo Lily (Amorphophallus) Care Sheet
The voodoo bulb should be planted in a pot large enough to support the plant while it is growing
. About 3 to 4 inches larger than the bulb. Plant the bulb about an inch or two below the surface of a potting mix.
Once the tip emerges above the soil you can start watering the soil. Let the soil dry out before watering again.
Use a balanced fertilizes, like Miracle Gro, every third or fourth watering.
You can grow the bulb in sun to shade, but the bulb will get larger if grown in sun.
Before a frost, you should bring in the pot and place in a cool location for the winter. DO NOT water again until the tip emerges above the soil in spring.
Let the foliage dry and wither down. When dry, throw away the foliage. When the bulb reaches about 4 inches in diameter, the flower will start coming up in early spring.
Although it is very cool to see, you will want to cut it down. It will start to smell like rotting flesh. Just cut it down and wait for the foliage shoot to start emerging in a month or two.
Don’t water the bulb when it flowers.
Every year it is advisable to go up in pot size about 2 inches. You can also take out the babies and replant them into separate pots. Every year you should get a few more babies. Share them with your friends.
When the bulb reaches mature size, the foliage can reach 5 to 6 feet high
.
In warmer climates, zone 7 to 10, you can plant the bulb in the ground and leave it.
You can dig the bulbs out and spread them out as needed after they start going dormant in the fall months.
Enjoy your very exotic and unusual voodoo bulb!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But we all know we will let the first bloom open just to see and smell the fragrance .... lol
emilyrasmus and scooterbug, have either of you seen any sign of life? I don't have even a hint of a sprout and I'm not sure what I should do...dig it up and check for rot? Leave it alone and see what happens....?
Any suggestions?
Mary Ev.
You should be able to see something like a point in the middle of the tuber. That is the up side.
I wrote the seller and this was his reply ...........
Hi,
There are two ways to do this.
Easiest way is leave them unplanted until the tips start to grow. Remember even if you
plant them, NO WATER until their tips clear the top of the soil, so it won't hurt to let them
reveal themselves to you.
OR , look really close and there should be evidence of a tip on one side. It's where last
years growth fell off or where the Parent bulb was attached to it. On the smaller bulbs
it's probably best to let them reveal . Just set them on a shelf and watch . Don't leave
them to cook in a sunny window though. But bringing them up to basic room temperature
should help.
Good luck to all of us
*/;-)
hmmm, so perhaps I should dig up....
I'm glad you thought to write the seller. I guess a warm shelf, no direct sun, out of the pot.
Did a Google and all I could understand was something about cocktails and full monty..........honest! What other uses are there for this plant?
"eyes"
Other uses?
The only use I know of for this plant, is the plant starch is somehow rendered from the bulb and then used to thicken sweets (which are now largely illegal in the US due to choking hazard.)
[rant]
I really liked the sweets. One of my pet peeves about this ban, was the problem with the sweets wasn't the konjac thickener; but, the form of the sweets. They came in little cups and you were expected suck the jelly out of the cup. Some children did this and ended up with them in their wind pipes. Instead of banning the candy cups, or trying to work with the manufacturers to make them safer, the FDA just banned the use of konjac jelly in sweets. So now, you can buy similar candy cups made with Gelatin, which are probably just as dangerous and not as good.
[/rant]
I think the starch is also used as some sort of diet aid.
Yes, the top has started to grow so I just potted it last night. As for soil mixture, I used potting soil with sand, perlite, a toss of peat added in. I used a 1-gallon container. For a 3-inch bulb, I wonder if this is large enough.
I peeked by moving soil away from some of them today. All are progressing nicely albeit S L O W L Y ! !
Here's a pic of my Amophophallus konjak. It's the one on the left.
These guys grow fast! Another pic only 5 days later.
Emily,
Those both look like Voodoo Lily, Sauromatum guttatum, to me.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2055/index.html
Amorphophallus konjac have more tree-like leaves.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/52603/
The one on the right is Sauromatum venosum. The two tubers did look different even though the plants look the same.
I bought one in the pot and I think it grew legs and walked off.. can't find it..
ely