Tacca nivea (bat lily )

Kelley-
Those mister kits are really cheap...you can even find them at Homer depot, and lowes...

I have just a single mister nozzle hooked up in my tropical bed (the personal mister kind you hook up to a hose). I only use it in the very worst parts of summer. They work really well.
-T

LOL Seedpicker, I think my DH may finally put his foot down if I set up misters in the dining room. LOL!!

So do you have a GH for overwintering your tropicals?

Oh, yes,...that might be where he has to draw the line with you, lol...

Yes...really it is just our back patio, and we wrap it in plastic in winter, and heat it. Turns back into our patio/porch in Spring...

Oh right, I actually saw your cool set up on another thread. I have a lathe porch but so many different vines on it I could never cover it up. Shucks. I do put up a hoop house but it will be full.

Sure you girls can empty your porch/hoop house/patio........But what do I do with a yard that it getting so crowded I can barely get around to weed some of it......hehehe You can tell I just hate it, right?

Hap

Hap-
I used to think I could never fill up half an acre....now I think I need 40!, lol...
-T

I can understand that....

I was warned within the first few months of moving here, Do Not Over-plant. That was 23 years ago and I still don't believe it. I am constantly moving things because they are under something else because I planted them so close. UGH,,,

It is so hard when you have such a great need to deny it and use common sense. Thankfully plants die.

Hey Hap, HAPPY BRITHDAY nice Lady!

Thanks, Kell. This is turning out to be quite a day.

Hap

Kell-
I've been thinking...do you have any bathrooms in the house, that not only get steamy from showers, but also have a window and/or skylight?

This is the environment I keep many of my orchids in, and they do great with that constant humidity, and bright diffused light...

Just trying to help you figure out how to get one!, lol...
-T

Kell. that shower idea really works. I live in San Bernardino where it's super dry a lot of the time, and my orchids do great here. Either give them a weekly "shower steam" or just mist them a lot. I've got about 10 growing on either side of my kitchen windows.

So, before that link was posted, after seeing the San Francisco Conservatory pics, I ordered a black & white from Eldonaccess.com. The black one was extremely healthy and in bloom. The white looks good but it's pretty little. Sooooooo, after seeing the link up above and the plant that came from that purchase even cheaper, welll, yup you guessed it. I had to order a white one from them. This plant is just incredible. It's totally in bloom and has another nice sized bud as well. Here's the black from Eldon Access, and I'll post a pic of the new huge white hopefully before the end of the day.

Talk about a group of enablers! I was a plant junkie before I joined this site, now just imagine. I have to add one more thing that added to my desire for this exquisitely unusual plant. Not only do I love tropicals (in the yard, in the house, in my car hiding from my husband, etc.), but I'm a bit of a Halloween maniac and I have a lot of bat figurines too :-) Go figure, lol!

Here's a pic of Tacca the Black, and then one close up of its cute little bloom.

And here's the little baby bloom:

Aw, that black bloom is so cute!

I need to call that nursery and at least get a verbal "pat on the back" for all my referrals!, lol...
-T

I did "IT"!!! Like AuntB I got more too.... I'm a bad girl

Yes you should SP...
They were out of the black... arrrrggggg

Viv

This message was edited Sep 29, 2006 4:37 PM

This message was edited Sep 29, 2006 4:38 PM

I got my that black from Eldon Access. Although not even half as large as the white I got from Natural Selections, it was nonetheless a beautiful, super healthy blooming plant. Plus, I understand that the blacks are smaller than whites and bloom sooner too. Brigitta from Eldon also sent along some nice instructions, with thoughtful notes for my zone.

It'll probably be morning before I post the pic of the white, but you will all want one of these whites from Natural Selections :-) I'm aiding the frenzy, lol! I found such a lovely pot to put the white in, I've got to get it potted up first.

Anybody get black & white striped/red legged worms with their bat? Wondering if I got a bonus... ;)

Have'nt got mine yet.. its in the mail..... waiting, waiting.....

Viv

Just got three more in the mail, today. They sure are nice, healthy plants.

I wrote Enid and told him this thread has sent many people his way, and he said yes, there had been a huge run on bat plants, and he was sure wondering what the deal was!, lol...

AuntB-
Yes! Mine had a centipede, or millipede. Think it was a millipede. One of the two produces a serious sting, so I squished it, (so I didn't have to worry about being stung)

Psst, Enid is a girl, her DH is Sam, they are both pictured at the middle of this link. ☺
http://naturalselections.safeshopper.com/about.htm?183

So, seedpicker, did he offer up your commissions? A free plant? anything? I just picked them (centipede or?) out with a letter opener and trashed em......... 1 was still alive.... My plant is just as nice as it can be with 2 buds.... seems small for the pot... shall a repot or wait till the blooms are gone or wait till next spring?

Thank you for setting me straight, Sue!, lol...
oops!

AuntB-
nope...said thank you, though.

Have you seen the roots at the bottom of the container? Once I untangled mine they were a foot, or more, long! I dug them in really deep with a sharpshooter shovel. I'd sure think once yours blooms, it should be repotted. They are pretty root-bound.

I didn't wait...mine are already in the ground, lol...
-T

Looking at this thread again, I'm seeing that I didn't post my pictures. Here's a couple so you can see the size of the plant, the bloom a week ago, a couple days after the plant arrived, and now. The bloom has opened beautifully and the bud looks great. I'm a "misting maniac", lol and the Count seems to be happy in his new home :-) Thanks so much for the terrific recommendation of Natural Selections. Although I love my little black bat from Eldon, this white is absolutely outstanding!

First the size of the plant (it would have been nice if I had thought to finish cleaning the kitchen and put away the Soft Scrub before taking the pic, but oh well ;-)

Here's an "up close" of the bud right after I got it:

And here he is today in all his batty glory!

Wow! That looks so nice!...too bad my bud/bloom got snapped off in shipping ;0(

I hope my other ones I just got will bloom like that. They are so pretty!

Did you untangle the roots when you potted it?...and it still bloomed just fine?
-T

Will they do well in pots? I feel an urge coming on.
Dawn

Ok I need to know if they will do well long term, say permanent, in pots. Also are you guys keeping them in the house all the time vs. bringing them in for cold weather? I've got to know!
Thanks

I wanna know too. As I live in a z7/z8 methinks it would have to stay in a pot. I really want one though.

Yeah I think I'd have to keep my potted we have been known to have days of freezing or below w/o a break and I don't think it could handle that.

I'm going to keep mine in pots full time. I spoke with Brigitta from Eldon (a WEALTH of information, very nice too), and she said the pots should be fine - just pot them in miracle grow potting soil then fertilize with a super bloom type fertilizer. I left the roots as much as I could, alone. Brigitta said it's important not to disturb the roots, so I took her word for it. Never ever let the soil dry out, she told me. Not sitting in water, but moist to kinda wet all the time. Mine is in a front window so it gets plenty of sun and I've been misting it heartily in the morning and evening. I wouldn't be able to grow this, no way, outside here - too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I've had great success with orchids, and other tropicals inside my house, so I'm just crossing my fingers. My kids call me "the crazy plant lady", and their friends are always coming over to see what's new. I guess I've been called worse, and it does smack of the truth a bit, lol!

I pretty much disturbed mine, lol...

I completely untangled mine, so they could go deep into the soil, and not swirl around in a circle. I think mine will recover from being handled so much, but it may halt the buds :0(

Beautiful, amarantha00! Join the club of crazy plant people! You fit in perfectly! My DH & DD get disgusted with me because know that it is getting colder, I've had to start bringing in all my plants I want to overwinter. I'm still not done...pssst.....don't tell them that....lol.

Taylor, I'm sure yours will be fine. Can't wait to see my suprises.
:) Donna

I just ordered a bat plant!

Hello all,

I have been following this thread with great interest, mainly because I have personal experience with this plant. If interested you can go to my postings in the "Texas Gardening" dated Sep. 19, 06.

The best link I found about this plant is: www.sleepyoaks.com
When you get there, type the word "tacca " in the search column. You will find the article called "Growing Bat Plant". This is very informative and also has many, many beauiful pictures. Also, you can find info on growing tacca from seeds.

Hope this helps, have a lot of fun with the plant. If you failed, don't despair, there are many ahead of you.....:)

Sita

Perrineal Girl, I have to ask because I keep seeing this acronym - I've figured out that DH = husband (I think), but for a newbie, what is DH? Dumb Husband, lol? Okay, probably not but I have to ask. Your comments totally made me laugh since my husband is only "tolerant" of my plant addiction because it makes me happy, and I was telling him about all the people on these boards that live in colder states across the country and how they are bringing in all their hibiscus' and brugs, etc. and how WONDERFUL their husbands must be and he just gave me a look like, "don't even consider it" then shook his head laughing. Ahhhh, what we make them put up with, lol! I told him if we didn't live in So California, he'd just have to find another place to store his quads for the winter ;-) He's already worried I'm going to be out in the cold putting blankets on all my tropical hibiscus' this winter...

sitabrothers, says "website not available"

pdoyle-
Did you get the white, or black?

Sita-
...having trouble with that link. I typed in tacca, and it teases you with three links, but the links are broken ;0(

amarantha-
LOL! (that means laughing out loud)...DH means "dear hubby", but I guess in some cases it could mean "dumb hubby", like you said, lol...

I got the white. I sure hope there are still some good sized ones left! I can't wait. How long did it take to receive yours?