I purchased this recently. It was supposed to be a tuber. But a plant arrived instead.
I have had to move it inside shortly after its arrival because the weather was starting to get cold.
It has put on one new leaf and now has three that are healthy and one older leaf that has recently rotted. All of the remaining leaves look healthy with no signs of rot or deformaties.
I am watering it only when the soil is just barely moist and it also has good airflow and about 4 hours of filtered sun per day.
I am misting all of my aroids twice a day fairly heavily. Is it possible that this particular aroid just doesn't like the heavy misting or could it just be going dormant?
Sauromatum Venosum question
I'm no expert. I would cease misting. Was the dead leaf actually rotted or just turned color and "dried" up. I water while they are growing in summer, but once I see they are starting to go dormant, I cut back on watering and then totally cease watering and tip the pot so it doesn't get rained on while I wait for the whole pot to go dormant. I planted 3 last spring and I dug the pot out a couple weeks ago. They had doubled in size and put off some "small walnut looking baby ones". That's my experience, hope it helps. -B
I have had S. venosum (syn. S. guttatum,Typhonium venosum, etc.) grow multiple leaves during the season, even small bulbs. The oldest leaf will usually yellow and die off at some point, and that is normal and to be expected. The younger leaf (leaves) will still look good and continue to grow.
If you have one that keeps all leaves through the season and then loses all of them at once when the tuber goes dormant--that's an exception. It could happen, though I have never seen it in mine.
I wouldn't mist it it at all inside the house. I would try to up the humidity in other ways if you have very dry air. Try to have them in the best light possible and as AuntB said, start cutting back on the water when it starts going dormant (the leaf will begin to yellow.) Allow to go completly dry as the leaf dies.
Here's some thing new that happened with my largest tuber this year.
It bloomed in March and went dormant in August. I took the bulb out of the pot and took it inside and put in a darkish place at normal room temps, totally dry.
In September, I noticed that there was growth happening. A new leaf was emerging and I could see roots developing around the "point" , so I potted it up and kept it lightly moist but only enough to have the first couple inches of soil moistened. As the roots continued, I would water a bit more so that the dry potting mix further down would get moistened.
It's still growing and I expect the leaf to continue to develop. I don't expect it to bloom next year (S guttatum can take a year off between blooms), but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it did, just delighted.
Robert.
This message was edited Oct 5, 2006 3:42 PM
Thanks B. and Robert
When I read that this tuber can flower if it is big enough when it is just sitting on a shallow bowl of pebbles. I thought I would order one and give it a try.
I was disappointed when a whole plant arrived with 4 leaves already.
I think what happened is the oldest leaf died off as a newer leaf was forming. The dying leaf couldn't dry normally because of the excessive misting and it rotted instead of drying. This plant is still putting on new growth.
Do either of you bring yours inside for the winter? Do you use any artificial light?
I will not get the right kind of light in the area were I have my plants for another 3 to 4 weeks when the leaves are off all of the trees.
Mangosteen, I do not bring the plant in, I will bring in the bulb, store in loosely rolled top, brown paper bag (dark but able for air to circulate), in my cool/dry basement and will replant in spring. I like them because I can store the bulb over winter, as I have a lot of tropicals I keep semi dormant in my basement. If you want it to go dormant ease off and cease watering.
Mine did not flower, but I did not expect them to as they were golf ball sized bulbs. I bought nine in Feb at a garden show for $1 ea. They had a "growth stem" when I bought them and I didn't plant in pot for outside till May. They quickly shot up 4 leaf stalks and I enjoyed their uniqueness. A friend bought some at the same time and potted his up in June. Sometime in August mine started turning yellow and I cut back on watering and finally stopped and put the pot on it's side to keep out rain. A couple weeks ago I unpotted and they had at least doubled in size and had new baby bulbs that looked like black walnuts only smaller. My friend, kept watering his after they turned yellow (until I told him to stop or they would probably rot) just dug his up yesterday. His had a few bublets but the original bulbs had not grown much, if at all.... BUT, there were new "shoots" coming off the bulbs, like it was trying to bloom or leaf out again. I told him I would just let them air dry in a protected area, then store and see what happens. Strange, I didn't see any new growth shoots on mine... neither of us fertilized at all.
B - I add Osmocote to my potting mix. I whipped this mix up in haste and forgot to add perlite or the usual charcoal that I would normally add. I will have to correct that next spring when I re-pot it. I think that I will let it grow some more before I allow it to go dormant. I hope to get some lights set up tonight. I am removing the carpet in preperation for hardwood floors and had to move my plant table farther from the window than I had originally planned. The Philo's can handle the reduced light levels but my other aroids probably won't like it.
The lower light will probably induce dormancy... I hope mine bloom next spring.... I love wood floors... What other aroids do you have??
Rhaphidophora tetrasperma - This Shingle plant has 2 - 3 inch long serrated leaves that are somewhat bronze in color. I am currently training it on a totem.
Philodendron gloriosum - This is currently a small plant with only 3 leaves. I don't think it is the rarer variety.
Philodendron Elgans - I really like the form of this one. It has very slim leaves. I hope to take some pics of my plants soon when things slow down a little.
Philodendron Anderson's Red - a somewhat vigorous climber.
Philodendron Autmn
Philodendron Domesticum - unfortunately not the variagated veriety
Philodendron Fenzlii - I think that this one is currently flowering. The spath is small so I can't tell. I am fairly sure that it is not a new leaf.
Philodendron Hope - This one grew so fast that I had to re-pot it after only 1 month.
Philodendron prince of Orange
Philodendron Red Emerald - BlueSea sent this one to me. Similar in form to Anderrson's Red but with largerr leaves.
Remusatia vivipara - I read about this one in one of my books and decided that I had to have one. It is called the Hitchhiker Aroid. It sends up stolons on which potential baby plants form. These babies have hooks of sorts that attach themselves to the fur of animals. It is believed that this is the primary way this plant reproduces.
Mine currently has 2 stolons, and I can see the beginnings of the babies forming as the weeks pass.
Colocasia heterochroma 'Dark Shadows' - I bought this because of its unique look and its small size.
Sauromatum venosum
Alocasia Sanderiana - This is an extremely slow grower for me. It still has only one leaf since I purchased it over 3 months ago. The leaf looks healthy with no signs of yellowing, So I guess I am doing something right.
Caladium Lindenii - This was sold to me as Alocasia Lindenii. It is finally putting on a new leaf after 2 months of growing.
I also have a Zanthosoma variety that I think is Black Magic and also a Colocasia variety. These I will allow to go dormant with the exception of one spot where I planted them in the garden next to the house with a southern exposure. I will mulch these heavily and hope for the best.
Nice list, I'd never heard of the remusatia, VERY interesting... how long have you had it? I think the Zanthosoma will come back. I have a spot next to the foundation on the south side and I think it is a whole zone higher there. I have cannas, which come back each year. Gardening sure teaches us patience.
B - I've had the Vivapara for only about 3 months now. It already had two stolons about a half inch long and 3 leaves. The stolons are about 5 inches long now and forming little nubs that will mature into the 'Traveling pups' I guess you could call them. From what I have read there could be as many as 25 - 50 pups or more per stolon when they mature. Yes gardening does teach patience, but the anticipation can be a killer.
Mango~
Last night I wrote a book (LOL) length response but when I hit "send", DG or the net didn't cooperate, and lost it all. I tried for another half hour to get thru to DG and couldn't pull anything up. I had the same problem with some other websites, but could pull up lots of others with no problem, so I don't know what netlink relay was having issues, but today everthing seems OK.
Anywho, I don't know why the one leaf rotted--maybe something in transit and the conditions just after that with bringing it indoors or something, just don't know. But your plant seems to have recovered well enough.
My plants can stand a lot of cold, but it does push them to dormancy. The only ones that seem to want to go on, despite lowering water levels, are the newest youngest offsets. Wouldn't be surprised to have them go non-stop for quite a while given warmth and continued moisture......
I unpotted all I had, and may lose some of those tiny new corms, due to their not maturing enough to hold moisture. They were whitish and hadn't developed their browinish bark-like skin.
I could have kept them going a bit with continued waterings to the pot--nice fre-draining mix and three other large plants in there to take up the water as well--not a lot to focter any rot. But since it's getting much cooler here, I emptied the pot anyway. Not enough window space to work with them up and green.
Posted this on blooming without being potted: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/584713/
Warning: Do make sure the bulb is *firmly* supported!!! It will fall over easily and could be damaged. I put mine in a marble mortar and stuffed oaoer toweling around it to steady it firmly in the bowl, and it would still flop over if not supported by leaning against something. The inner bowl of the mortar was smooth, soit wouls all tend to shift during the night as the scape lengthened and made it top-heavy. I was a fairly large bulb that had bloomed before.
Tony at Plant Delights rates this plant as hardy in zone 6 as well as konjac. Both survive here outdoors with no protection. You might want to plant a little deeper than we do here in a winter-dry site and maybe mulch over that. Do a search on Amorphophallus at PDN and see the great collection he's offering.
Nice collection of plants!
Robert.
Thanks for the advice Robert. I will allow mine to go dormant this winter but will definately plant it deep in the spring and mulch heavily next winter. Because a whole plant ws shipped to me and I didn't want to disturb the soil around the tuber I don't know how large it really is. I will find out when it is fully dormant and I un pot it.
I jumped the gun early in Sept. by bring all of my plants indoors. We have had many days with temps in the high 70's and only a few nights with temps in the low to mid fourties since I brought them in. This weekend will be the first nights in the 30's my way, a few miles from Philadelphia. I will definately check out PDN when I get a chance. I am running out of window space thought so if I buy anything it will have to be small in size.
I have also decided to bring a Zanthosoma pup indoors for the winter and I know that will be very demanding on my limited space.
I purchased a "sunlight" florescent light and have that set up nor for my plants. It seems to be helping.
I have had occasional problems viewing and writing in the forums here on DG. It seems to be very rare though.
This message was edited Oct 11, 2006 4:31 PM
Do you have a photo of this one?? Rhaphidophora tetrasperma I would be interested in seeing it.
I've been meaning to take pics of all of my plants but neveer seem to have the time. I will take some pics as soon soon as I get a chance.
Brian - I didn't forget about your request. I have been extremely busy lately but will try to take some pics soon.
The variety I have is unfortunately not the tightly clinging variety if the Rhaphidophora Sp. I have seen pics of various species and most that I have seen are very snug against the tree or support on which they are growing. Mine does not exibit the type of behavior.