This is my second year with them... They were slow to "nub" after blooming and still haven't broke the surface. I had them in the ground last year and dug in fall. I put them in pots this year, maybe not a good idea. I dug down and the nubs are still there. This pic is from last September.. my son was almost 6ft tall. Thought maybe everyone's is slow.... They are kind of weird, but I love em'.
I had a few beautiful ones last year this year I brought them in and put them in pots of peat instead of just putting them in a paper bag. They all died. :( I will have to start over. The largest one was melon sized tuber.
It seems that from time to time, the sad and lonesome Amorphopahllus grower asks if he/she is really alone:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/565140/
What species is yours? It seems to be wokring how you are growing it. I grow A. konjac. Amorphs are naturally slow to grow and emerge late. What is the plant to the right of it, behind your son's right hand?
Mine looks like yours and is growing in a pot. I dig it in the winter and sit it on a shelf and replant it the next year. Don't you just love them?
Hi James & Makshi, guess we are the amorph lovers? Thought DG could use an aroid forum, but just for the 3 of us? The plant by Drew's hand is a banana I started from seed that spring, I didn't save it. I thought my amorph was a Konjac... whatta you think? My uncle gave me 2 large bulbs in the spring of 05, I'd never seen them before. The pic I posted is last summer, planted in the ground. This Spring, after they bloomed, I waited till they "nubbed".. it seemed a lot longer wait than last year. I planted them in pots because it was too scary digging last fall. I was afraid I'd stab into them, so that's why I put them in pots. They've been planted for about 3 weeks and I dug/scratched down to see if they'd rotted and the nubs seemed to have grown a bit and the bulb tops were still solid. It'll be time to dig before they reach "maturity"... I do the same with mine in the winter, Makshi. I salvaged 3 small bulbs and gave to a garden buddy down the street and sent one to Oklahoma. I did have 6 new babies come up in the spot where I dug the big one last fall. That was a sweet surprise! The pic of the bloom is from last year also. The pic I took this spring with the bulb showing mysteriously disappeared after Drew used my camera. How long have you both had yours? How big are the bulbs? Got any pics?
Iam .. or I was.. an amorph addict... now Im just an aroid addict.
I have a few species of amorphophallus ... some different Arisaema.. some Arum.. Dracunculus.. some Pinella .. one or two different Calla varieties.. and a few others.
The thing with amorphs if you are a northern gardener is that they like to take their precious time. For that reason Im starting to like the smaller species that I can start indoors at room temps early .. and get outside.. Some amorphs from certain areas like VERY long growing seasons ... thier dormancy periods also dont really correspond to our growing periods .. so you may have some of the more topical amorphs wanting to come out of dormancy in late august.
Ive had konjac for around 4 years now and it does pretty well here in the Seattle Wa. area. But, Iam finding out that there are other aroids that do even better for us northern colder climate gardeners... like Dracunculus Vulgaris( which can get pretty large with nice large stinky flowers) Arum Italicum ( wich actually grows through winter and goes dormant in summer) ... Arisaema ... very nice.
I also agree that we need to try and get an Aroid forum on DG .. would be nice !
chris
Maybe we could submit a request? Well, I figure my uncle had these bulbs for years in my area, so if he can do it, I can too. Maybe I should have put them in the ground..... Anyway, Chris, I want the 2 arum you mentioned; its Vulgaris an arum? I'm in Zone 5, b I think. Could I keep the Italicum in a pot, do you? I don't mind the "stink", as long as I can get away from it! They are such different plants. I'll see about an aroid forum. Thanks for the info. -Bonnie
I have had my large bulb for 4 years and have a couple of small ones that I just planted this year. They are just cute little guys that look just like Mom. I don't know a lot about them only that I really love these and it does really well for me. I wish I had a few more but they tend to be pricey and not on my budget at the moment. I would really like some of the other types but as I said don't know a lot about them so am not even sure which one I have.
I'm attempting to get an Aroid forum started. Please follow the hyperlink to post positive feedback. We can learn more and maybe even get some trades going. My uncle gave me mine and he was selling loads of baby bulbs for $1.00 and a few big ones (larger than softballs!) for $5.00 at his garage sale!
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/631478/
