Hey, I have you all in my little book!
New Bat Flower- Tacca thread
Sorry, ceejay, I'm just trying it out myself.....I wonder how many the place up by Chicago are selling for $95? A $20 experiment I can justify (and did), but it would be a s t r e t c h to pay $95, EVEN if I knew they would like my care. Guess I'll mist mine a couple times a day, IF I remember. The bud stems are getting longer, but seems it's taking forever, hope it doesn't like me, all ready!
I just don't want to kill such a beautiful plant. And I can't get a handle on what it needs in the way of care.
Ok, ok I am ready to give in. I cannot take it anymore I must have one. Someone just tell me where to order the $20.00 one again. :o)
I think it was www.naturalselections.safeshopper.com..... seedpicker, I believe found the bargain. Oh Marie, you held out longer than me!
My link above won't work, so just type in (after the www.) naturalselections.safeshopper.com, looks like they still have some. -B
Marie-
d-mail me, please.
-T
pdoyle, where did you buy your T. nivea? What kind of medium are you going to put it in?
I read somewhere that they like high humidity, but not to the point where droplets form on the leaves.
tigerlily123, I potted mine up in MG potting soil. It was pretty pot bound when I took it out of the pot it came in. Roots were going in a circle at bottom. I loosened them up some and trimmed them too. Not a lot, just took some length off them. I put it in a pot just a little bit bigger than the one it came in. I had it in the house in a room where it got bright light all day. I was misting it once a day. After reading it likes high moisture, I wondered if that was enough. It seemed to be doing fine but I haven't had it lond enough to know. The sunroom where I store my outdoor plants for the winter is really high in humidity so I have since put it out there. It is unheated but right now the temps are not cool enough to think about it. Once it starts getting cold and that room drops below 50 I will move it back in the house and start my misting again. That's the plan anyway
Dawn
Equilibrium
Oct 19, 2006
I also read somewhere that Tacca did not like droplets forming on the leaves.
Hey Dawn, where did you purchase your plant?
I've tried to grow Tacca several times. I've killed them each and every time I've tried to grow them which sort of blows my mind given this is one of the few plants I can't seem to get to live no matter what I do. The nurseries that I bought them from sent healthy plants so that wasn't an issue.
I went on line and found these sites that I don't think I've run across in the past-
http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/New_plants/TACCA.htm
http://www.nurseriesonline.com.au/Articles/GIANT%20BAT%20PLANT.html
I think next time I'm going to try a different planting medium more similar to that which would be found where Tacca grows naturally.
There was an entire site out there that focused exclusively on growing Tacca. It was a great site and had many hints. One of the hints was to use H2O2 to water the plants. I'm trying to find the site that suggested H2O2 boosted waterings but so far I can't locate it... not that the H2O2 helped me because the plants that were watered with Hydrogen Peroxide also died. I think I should write a book on "How Not To Grow Tacca" because I have killed this plant so many times I now feel qualified to share my expertise with everyone.
Hi equilibrium. I got mine from here.
http://naturalselections.safeshopper.com
So far mine is doing good. The leaves and flower stalk feel & look really healthy. They were kinda weak feeling when I first potted it up but now doing good. This is my first time with this plant so I will let you know what happens.
Dawn
Equilibrium
Oct 19, 2006
Since I've killed every one I've ever bought... please let me down easily when you report your successes with this genus- ok?
lol. If it dies, i'll be disgusted!
Wow!, Lauren!
Those are two very fantastic sites with great information. Thank you for finding those.
After reading those two links, plus the one on rareflora.com, I feel a lot better about having untangled the roots, and planted them in the ground.
That last reference also mentioned the white are much easier than the smaller black bats.
ceejaytown-
Quoting:
This has puzzled me since you quoted it. I don't know where you read that, but it does not make sense. Like you said What I read says they like humidity, but not lots of heat.
Quoting:
These other links(like equilibrium's links) say warm moist, which makes a lot more sense, to me.Where is there lots of humidity and no heat? Does that place exist?!
I've read over and over that they pretty much like the same conditions as phaleanopsis orchids. I would think that anyone wanting to try a white blant, should try a phal, first. Although at $20 for a white bat, it would be hard to justify buying an orchid(which usually start at $20!), lol...
-T
This message was edited Oct 19, 2006 8:46 AM
Equilibrium
Oct 19, 2006
Hey sp_TX- I grow phaleanopsis orchids with no problems- tacca I kill. I baby them and they still die. Just call me the tacca killer.
Quoting:
Hey pdoyle- What's that old saying, misery loves company? We can shed tears in our spent tacca medium together. lol. If it dies, i'll be disgusted!
When I get home I will look in my super duper secret special plant file and see if I can pull up any of the information from that tacca site that is no longer appearing on the web. I do recall the woman said she wouldn't be hosting the site any longer so I'm pretty sure I saved all of her Inernet "tacca goodies". I really do think I have the content of the entire web page, I just can't get to it as I'm on a friend's computer right now. Who knows, maybe somebody will pick something up from that gal's information.
Thanks. I'll prolly move it agian. Everytime I read something different, I move the darn thing.!
Wow, Equilibrium, Thanks for the info..... oddly, I misted mine with diluted peroxide mixture at lunch time yesterday. I guess it's doing okay, now I'm getting scared but guess I'll just do my best and hope it likes me. I know what you mean, Dawn... okay more light.... no less light, ...let it dry out? No, keep it moist... don't mess with the roots?... doesn't matter..... I guess from info I've read they grow naturely, on the forest floor...... not much light there.... moisture level would probably be high.... Well, gosh, I don't have access to the forest floor.... at work, or at my house. I've already had $20 of fun, so whatever else I learn about it, is just free education and more fun!
Yeah, that's how I'm seeing it to. I'll do my best and see wht happens. It was worth the $20 bucks to see it bloom anyway (to me that is)
Equilibrium
Oct 19, 2006
Disclaimer- tacca killer getting ready to post!
Oh Dawn, goodness gracious! Don't mess with success. If your tacca is doing well where it is, leave it. Maybe yours will live.
I don't recall misting with H2O2 having been what one was allegedly supposed to do, I believe it was 1C of H2O2 to a gallon of water and you actually watered the plant with this mix to oxygenate the medium. I must admit that when I began watering that tacca with that mix, it was the one tacca that didn't die within 10 days so maybe there is something to this? Other than that, I probably need to start taking the AuntB approach to these rotten (sour grapes comment) plants that keep dying on me at $20 a piece plus shipping and handling.
Hmmm, possibly a good New Year's resolution for '07?
Get a tacca to survive for longer than 3 months?
***Disclaimer***
I have never been able to successfully get one of these to survive longer than 3 months and generally most die much quicker than that. I will not be beaten by this plant and plan to try again and again until I get it right. If I can grow phaleanopsis orchids, one would think I should be able to get growing tacca down pat sooner or later.
***Disclaimer***
Well, I am NOT in the tropics (even though I like to think I can create it) so this tacca is out of it's eliment. I am hoping to bribe it. I promise to baby it as much as I can and give it all the tender loving care possible (along with all the other plants I have)
Lauren typing under Tigger's user name here for a moment-
Here's a link to that tacca site I couldn't find-
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/662881/
Way to go sitabrothers! You found the ever so elusive tacca site with lots of good information!
Wonderful site!
Lauren, don't feel bad about killing off your Tacca, I have killed every tropical fish that I ever owned. My DH and kids suggested that I was buying them just to watch them die!
That was great! thanks!
Dawn
Wow!
Lauren you've found the best three sites, ever!
That last one is a lot to digest. I need to print them out.
I sure hope the "don't let them touch each other" thingy is wrong, though. I planted three in one spot, and sure don't want the other two to die sacrificially, to let one of them hog all that space...
-T
"They like shade, and good air circulation. They don't like too much heat and air that is too dry."
Seedpicker -I got the info you questioned from the same site I suppled on Oct 17...This is the quote from that site..
Warm doesn't equal hot. It gets HOT here. Got the humidity for it, though.
Ceejay-
I have a brother in Spring very near you. I know all about the humidity you have there. We get really hot here, too, but not as humid as you.
I'd think if mine survive in the heat, that yours would, also. In August and September when it gets over 98 degrees(and up to 105-ish) , I turn a mist system on(which you won't have to do, lol), and put a shade cloth over that area to help drop the heat even more...
-T
Here is a picture of mine yesterday. This is the neatest plant.
Dawn
Equilibrium
Oct 20, 2006
ENABLER! Enabler! Enabler amongst us!
I'll go order another one!
LOL
for all of you who want to mist your tacca, instead of using a humidity tray, or greenhouse, I just read this, this morning, from the great site that sitabrothers posted.
Quoting:
THE BIG NO-NO
Misting.
Misting a Tacca which is in a dry-air environment is an express ticket on the Death Express. What happens is the pores of the leaf surfaces are opened up, and the mist quickly dries up. While the plants pores are opened, and the leaves lose more moisture through their pores in the dry environment. After this process is repeated a few times, the leaves develop large yellow splotches and holes begin to form in the leaves, then the leaf edges turn brown and crisp. Soon one has a leafless plant which can no longer process sunlight into food for the roots for the rest of the winter months. Soon after, the remainder of the plant turns into a mass of blue fur, which runs to spores, and all is done.
I have mine sitting in with a bunch of other plants hoping to make the "tropical" feel.
pdoyle-
I'll bet that couch is definitely a favorite spot to sit!
I just also read this:
Quoting:
~When you get one by mail-order~
For the sake of the plant, you should actually remove the bloom from the plant~ if it is showing one~
So that the plant does not put its energy into keeping A bloom alive or making seed~
And instead the plant can put its energy into re-establishing its own self. I hope I have been explicit enough with you on this point.
I did not remove mine. Just couldn't do that.
Beautiful sunroom, pdoyle! Luv all the plants to. It would definitely be hard to cut the flower off.
:) Donna
I couldn't either, lol...first one I've seen in person, in my entire life.
Just couldn't thank it by killing it.
-T
Ok after reading all the care quotes... I've stopped spritzing,,, removed it from humidity tray in my arid kitchen and put it in a high humidity plant room... but I cant look at it any time I want.. It will make me pay more attention to the needs of the plants that are out of sight. There is a method to my maddness. And I'm not going to cut the bud.
Viv
Hello all,
I am not kidding when I said that the "Sleepyoaks" website is the most informative on the subject of tacca. I put it as a link on this thread, and was horrified when some people mentioned it was not to be found. Seedpicker, I believe, wanted me to scan my print-out of this website. I didn't like the idea, but wanted so much to recover the lost site.
With the help of some nice folk in Australia, my husband found the two websites I was looking for: "Sleepyoaks Tacca Site" and "Misty's Passiflora's Seed Germinating Site"."Sleepyoaks'(David) site is not copyrighted, I believe, but "Misty's" (Marilyn) is. As I could not get hold of any of them, I decided to put them on my website. If anybody can help me find out how to contact David or Marilyn, please let me know.
On purpose I put the recovered websites on a different thread, so that it can be found easily. When a thread gets to be too long, it is difficult to find relevant info anymore. From the few comments I read here, it seems like David's tacca culture article is doing some good.
There are some links on the tacca site. The ISFA is the one mentioned by TIgerLily. There is also a Google link, which will show you a whole bunch of tacca pictures from all over the world.
I have one request to everybody who bought the plant. Just as suggested previously, please share your experience in growing this plant. At around early fall next year, please make a new thread, maybe "One Year in the life of Tacca" and tell us what happen to your plant. We have many people from all over the US buying this plant, so far the one successfully growing them are people in Fla or areas with high humidity. My own result was reported on Texas Gardening, dated 09/19/06. Hope to hear a lot of good result next year.
Sita Brothers
sitabrothers-
Quoting:
Seedpicker, I believe, wanted me to scan my print-out of this website. I didn't like the idea, but wanted so much to recover the lost site.
I just suggested a print-out, so people could benefit from the valuable information you read on that site. I'm just glad you found some way to recover it, that pleased you.
I'm sure we will all benefit from your efforts.
Thank you
-Taylor
Mine is almost bloomed out.. I'll get a pic tomorrow... yippee
I've been eyeing this thread on and off since it started but had never seen a live plant untill tonight at HD. They had white ones in bloom for $50 and a whole load of black ones in bloom for $6.50 which seemed like a deal to me. This one was one of the only ones that had pups and its just about to bloom which i prefer because i like to watch flowers open..
This message was edited Nov 9, 2006 9:16 PM
