I am overwintering a bunch of EE.
The Illustris are in pots in a sun room next to a east-south facing window (floor to ceiling). The room is surrounded on 3 sides by windows. The high temp is 75F/low about 65F. I have fan to increase air circulation and I mist the leaves every week.
Most of the EE are doing fine/well, but the illustris look tired. The leaves are slightly browned at the edges ad some are curling a little.
Any ideas? I can put them in the GH which has a little more sun and humidity.
Thanks, ROX
Overwintering Illustris
I've found Illustris to be a little more needy than the others in Winter.
Unlike the others I do it in a pot sitting in a bowl of water.
As the Winter progresses I start weaning it from the water.
I've also found it to be more of a pest magnet than the others.
Safer once a week on the underside of the leaves.
I'd say hit the GH w/ it.
Ric
Thanks Ric, I'll try it. Any issues with leaf burn with Safer?
ROX
Sorry, what is Safer? Better than sorrier?
LOL!
Safer Insectical Soap.
As long as the plant dries before being put in the Sun, no problem.
NEVER use it on Succulents though.
Ric
While I've had issues overwintering Illustris before, I thought I had figured out the problem. This year I'm storing them in the pots they grew in. But I was intending to let them go dormant; Do they go dormant? I allowed frost to get the leaves, then cut them off and brought the pots in to dry. They are sending up a few smaller leaves. Should I keep them growing?
Rox, thanks for starting this thread! I did'nt know how differently the various Colocosias needed to be treated for winter.
Neal
This message was edited Oct 24, 2006 9:30 PM
Neal-
I have never let Illustris go dormant so I am also eager to see what is said.
ROX
Rox, how long have you been growing Illustris?
I get very poor light in the house, so I use lights. There's so much that needs to be kept growing, anything that can go to sleep is a big help, lol.
I have been growing it for 2 seasons now.
Over the winter it doesn't do as well (in the pot as a house plant near a sunny window). Brown edged leaves and the leaves get smaller and don't last as long on the plant. But it never defoliated completely. In the Spring it rebounds beautifully.
ROX
I have an Illustris which I got as a tiny plug, and I mean tiny, late in 2004. It is getting some size on it now, I keep it on a low table near an east window but it gets little real natural light. I have a radiator near it, under the window, which is only used in the coldest weather (6 months last winter!) and the central heating pump is switched off at night until the next afternoon. The temperature rarely goes below 16C but it can be a little lower, and sometimes up to 20C but rarely higher.
I water it rarely, but don't let it dry completely, and it starts to go dormant as winter is ending, just when you think it would want to start growing. When the weather improves I put it in the garage for a start under a south and east window, it started to grow again in summer and it's been outside for most of the summer, it still is and is still green.
I made some go dormant in the fall of 05, withheld water and let them die back, dug them up and stored the tubers along with my caladiums in the basement. They did fine this last summer. Guess I never thought about storing them in the pots. I grew some in my little pond, they liked it there, too.
A couple of years ago I thought I could just dig up the tubers like the others I was used to growing, but what I dug up was just a bunch of fleshy roots. It did'nt look like there was enough there to have stored carbs, but I stored them in a bag of soil anyway. I did have sprouts to work with the next spring, but a late frost killed them (after all that!!).
The long wait for them to sprout in spring (as well as caladiums) drives me nuts. I must get a heating pad to warm the soil faster, but the size I would need is expensive. Visualizing them clearanced with my fingers crossed, lol.
I give my EE's, Caladiums and other 'warm' bulbs a jump start by putting them in the furnace room.
Once they peak out or the soil I throw them in the GH (which has great sun but minimal heat).
Forget any new sigificant EE growth (at least w/ the most common Colcasia) outdoors until you're getting temps in the mid 60's at night.
They will pretty much just sit there.
Ric