Manihot

From: Lester Kallus <lkallus at earthlink.net> on 1999.03.04 at 22:26:19(3100) One of my favorite plants has always been a Manihot esculenta variegata (the variegated tapioca plant). I grew three last summer and watched them flourish in our hot summer. The wait for a warm house during my fall construction has unfortunately done them in. The tops died and then dried. Now that my greenhouse is 95% inhabitable, I've started transporting some plants there. I found the Manihot pot and dug up the dried plant to see some tubers which appear viable. Does anyone out there have any knowledge about what I can do to re-initiate growth? Can it be done? Can I get more than one plant out of this? I know I can replace it for $15-$20 but the sticker shock of my renovations has me looking for alternatives. Les

From: "Don Bittel" <dbittel at treco.net> on 1999.03.06 at 05:42:47(3103) Lester, I would be surprised if you could kill Manihot at all. Here in central florida it loses all leaves but comes back quickly in the spring. any size cutting or broken stem roots just by falling on the ground. I have to be sure to throw the clippings away or I would have half my yard taken over by that beautiful variegated 'weed'. Just try watering and light fertilizing and stand back! Don Bittel +More ---------- > From: Lester Kallus > To: dbittel@treco.net > Subject: non-aroid question: Manihot > Date: Thursday, March 04, 1999 5:28 PM > > One of my favorite plants has always been a Manihot esculenta variegata > (the variegated tapioca plant). I grew three last summer and watched them > flourish in our hot summer. The wait for a warm house during my fall > construction has unfortunately done them in. The tops died and then dried. > > Now that my greenhouse is 95% inhabitable, I've started transporting some > plants there. I found the Manihot pot and dug up the dried plant to see > some tubers which appear viable. > > Does anyone out there have any knowledge about what I can do to re-initiate > growth? Can it be done? Can I get more than one plant out of this? I > know I can replace it for $15-$20 but the sticker shock of my renovations > has me looking for alternatives. > > Les

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 1999.03.06 at 16:53:32(3104) Dear Lester, I`d be interested to hear if/when these plants regenerate IF only the tubers are viable, and NOT any of the stem portion, as cassava (manihot) is propagated from stem cuttings, not the swollen SOMETIMES edible roots. I would NOT try eating the roots of this varigated one, as the leaves of the edible ones are not varigated, and NO ONE wants to play around with the 'bitter' cassava, which is the poisonous var. that is processed by natives to make cassava bread and other edible by-products, but only by experts. Good luck and good growing, Julius +More ju-bo@msn.com

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