Flowering in konjac

From: Michael Marcotrigiano <marcotrigiano at pssci.umass.edu> on 1999.04.09 at 17:20:22(3254) Can any one tell me. Will a A.konjac survive if it is left to flower while dry or unpotted and then potted later to induce the leaf to come out? In other words is the flower feeding off the tuber without getting any water or nutrients from soil? I've never dug up a flowering one to see what is going on. Has anyone else? Also, does any one know if the flower bud is intitiated and resting from the previous season or is it formed during the long dormant phase? Wilbert? +More ************************************************************* Michael Marcotrigiano (email: marcotrigiano@pssci.umass.edu) Professor Rm 211 French Hall Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences Univ of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003 USA ------------------------------------ voice: 413-545-5227 fax: 413-545-3075 att: Michael Marcotrigiano

From: "C. R. Waldron" <cwaldron at frognet.net> on 1999.04.09 at 21:13:42(3257) ------ =_NextPart_000_01BE82A7.26642840 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable +More Yes, it will survive. In my experience, even if potted, no roots are = formed during the flowering process. I have had three bloom--one = prompty took a 13 month rest before sending up a leaf, the other two = produced a leaf the same season after 2-3 months rest. Clarence ---------- Sent: Friday, April 09, 1999 1:23 PM To: cwaldron@frognet.net Subject: Flowering in konjac Can any one tell me. Will a A.konjac survive if it is left to flower = while dry or unpotted and then potted later to induce the leaf to come out? In other words is the flower feeding off the tuber without getting any = water or nutrients from soil? I've never dug up a flowering one to see what is = going on. Has anyone else? Also, does any one know if the flower bud is intitiated and resting from = the previous season or is it formed during the long dormant phase? Wilbert? ************************************************************* Michael Marcotrigiano (email: marcotrigiano@pssci.umass.edu) Professor Rm 211 French Hall Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences Univ of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003 USA ------------------------------------ voice: 413-545-5227 fax: 413-545-3075 att: Michael Marcotrigiano ------ =_NextPart_000_01BE82A7.26642840 Content-Type: application/ms-tnef Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 eJ8+IioUAQaQCAAEAAAAAAABAAEAAQeQBgAIAAAA5AQAAAAAAADoAAEIgAcAGAAAAElQTS5NaWNy b3NvZnQgTWFpbC5Ob3RlADEIAQ2ABAACAAAAAgACAAEEkAYAEAEAAAEAAAAMAAAAAwAAMAIAAAAL AA8OAAAAAAIB/w8BAAAAQQAAAAAAAACBKx+kvqMQGZ1uAN0BD1QCAAAAAGFyb2lkLWxAbW9ib3Qu b3JnAFNNVFAAYXJvaWQtbEBtb2JvdC5vcmcAAAAAHgACMAEAAAAFAAAAU01UUAAAAAAeAAMwAQAA ABIAAABhcm9pZC1sQG1vYm90Lm9yZwAAAAMAFQwBAAAAAwD+DwYAAAAeAAEwAQAAABQAAAAnYXJv aWQtbEBtb2JvdC5vcmcnAAIBCzABAAAAFwAAAFNNVFA6QVJPSUQtTEBNT0JPVC5PUkcAAAMAADkA AAAACwBAOgEAAAACAfYPAQAAAAQAAAAAAAACky4BBIABABgAAABSRTogRmxvd2VyaW5nIGluIGtv bmphYwArCAEFgAMADgAAAM8HBAAJABAACAADAAUAAwEBIIADAA4AAADPBwQACQAQAAQANQAFADEB AQmAAQAhAAAANzUxQzFENzc5NUVFRDIxMUI5NjY0NDQ1NTM1NDAwMDAA3AYBA5AGAOgFAAATAAAA CwAjAAAAAAADACYAAAAAAAsAKQABAAAAAwAuAAAAAAADADYAAAAAAEAAOQBgGrisxIK+AR4AcAAB AAAAGAAAAFJFOiBGbG93ZXJpbmcgaW4ga29uamFjAAIBcQABAAAAFgAAAAG+gsSssKARbMLulRHS uWZERVNUAAAAAB4AHgwBAAAABQAAAFNNVFAAAAAAHgAfDAEAAAAVAAAAY3dhbGRyb25AZnJvZ25l dC5uZXQAAAAAAwAGENBfLNoDAAcQCQQAAB4ACBABAAAAZQAAAFlFUyxJVFdJTExTVVJWSVZFSU5N WUVYUEVSSUVOQ0UsRVZFTklGUE9UVEVELE5PUk9PVFNBUkVGT1JNRUREVVJJTkdUSEVGTE9XRVJJ TkdQUk9DRVNTSUhBVkVIQURUSFJFRUIAAAAAAgEJEAEAAABhBAAAXQQAAMwHAABMWkZ1M3DszP8A CgEPAhUCpAPkBesCgwBQEwNUAgBjaArAc2V07jIGAAbDAoMyA8YHEwKDujMTDX0KgAjPCdk7Ff94 MjU1AoAKgQ2xC2Bu8GcxMDMUIAsKFCIMARJjAEAgWQeQLCBpKwVAA/BsAyBzCHB2aUB2ZS4gIEkD oG1geSBleHAGcQnwYzplGxBlHAADoAaQIHCObwJACYAbEG5vIANgpx4ABCAKwGUgAhByB4AYZCBk CHEZACB0aNsfIRWQdwZxH/FwA2AdMPsEEBwiIBHAHAAhsR+QICCNCdEgAmAesG0tLQIgWx8gIQFt BTAckHQesGuxHvAgMTMccAIhaB6QeweQBUBiDcAFsB8gEfBuEmQf4nVwJCFsZWE+ZhsQICIeACAw BcB0d38egCEBH7AdMB+QJlQgE3PmYQeAJZFhcwIgHvABgLknQTItJGUEICTiLgqFfQqFQwtgFgAd ISscCvRsEGkxODAC0WktMTw0NA3wDNAuUwtZMTb3CqADYB4gYwVAIwAwdgqH1y8rDDAv9kYDYTox fi/2qwyCBdBpEbFlAyBNCsA1BaB0BRBnBzAecFtTME1UUDoAwDXZQHDhBBBjaS51AMAhUQmA/HVd MR8yLQZgAjAzXzRroTMQaWRheRsQQSEAyQMRMDkbEDE5PhAkQGQ6MiRgUE04zzItVKZvOw80a2N3 B0BkA2D0bkADUWcjMCrwQ5E+z/E53nViajAxQO88HCB36QuAIGsCIGoA0Cx/LYPcMzYu9xo1L/ZD A5EAcL8ckCMiHiAbgQeAHCBXG3L5JDBBLkkkG6YdshsxBADfJmEBgCPRIFUbUGgDECxm50MATOEF wHVuHfRMsSIy/x2RUiULYCnSUDELgCfiIBOfKGQegAWgKREIYHQ/HEH/CoUnFCeACyAEIE+xICgf MNsJ4CXTbw3QIBN0RhBQoqUbMGhVoSBnEgB0H+LfTMJC0CnSBbAKhW5VsBzytx7RA1IboG8DEFXR JyHh9yMwHABRcXUmBSBoTQMegN8R8B8gUNBToE+iZ1ywGQD1VhZuHCBIKWBMsiMiNYBVEfA/KxxB YdBvGxBk9m8HkUzGax5wB+AdwVd5/GJ1H5BPsQuAWjBaMFOh/1J0JOIf4lxTICEKhSEAHXD+aQhg BCApRQWxZZIFQB9PfyZgAiAgAGNQH2AAcAVAcL8RwGHhTcJZQVXACoUqbQ8/bh9vL2/HCoU1PzZC ICh+ZQDAAxBGcBxwNv84CSm9CoVQA2BYIAQQWydSXID8MjEawDMQHREkwGEQG4D5CoVEZQUwHCBY oD6QGOF7BUBSklNcsQYAN/AdEnP1CoVVAwB2eGI1sAQQANDOaGiAWhF6BkFtJzElAHkbEE1BPbAZ IBkwHDBVvFNBCoUweH6vMI52XLALHTBGcDQkUC01NDURgWAyMjcKhWZheOGBGDMwNzUe8AJARnD/ cU82QiscSY9Kn0usCoUVIQIAibAAAAADABAQAAAAAAMAERAAAAAAQAAHMCC7UDvEgr4BQAAIMCC7 UDvEgr4BHgA9AAEAAAAFAAAAUkU6IAAAAABjqQ== ------ =_NextPart_000_01BE82A7.26642840--

From: Craig Smith <craigsmith at sprintmail.com> on 1999.04.10 at 04:03:21(3258) Michael, Having done this several times, I can answer both your questions. When you plant the tuber in the spring (??), the tuber puts out roots from the top surface of the tuber and a shoot from the top, center of the tuber. This shoot grows to becomes the plant. One big umbrella shaped leaf. That pretty much consumes the tuber so the size of the old tuber controls the size of the new plant. The plant then grows a new tuber (usually with the remains of the old tuber stuck to the bottom). The size of the plant and the growing conditions control how big the new tuber becomes. Under good conditions, the weight might double. Then the plant wilts and falls off in the fall. Inside the bottom of the stalk of the plant you will find a conical 'bud'. If this bud is somewhat pointed with slightly concave sides, it will become a new plant the next year. If it is rounded on top with slightly rounded sides, it will become a 'flower'. Usually the tuber has to be about 1Kg before it will have a flower. There is not enough light inside the house to increase the size of the tuber much, so they will seldom flower inside. I grow mine in full sun and they usually more than double. There are exceptions. Last year I had one that looked sort of like a plant bud but it turned out to be a flower. Also, a tuber that I expected to double in size got only slightly larger, though it did have a flower as expected. You don't have to have the Konjac planted in the winter to have it flower, since it doesn't have any roots at all. Mine sits calmly in the cellar on a shelf until the bud gets a couple inches long. Then I bring it upstairs and it sits in a basket on the floor while the flower grows taller by the day. On evening it grew a couple of inches while we were having dinner with friends nearby. It took about 3 weeks to grow over 7 feet tall. The flower weighed 5 pounds. And the 13 pound tuber ended up weighing 8 pounds. This year I cut the flower bud off my largest tuber (sigh) so that I could start the season earlier with an unshrunken tuber (16 pounds) so the plant will grow larger this summer. BTW - I tried this with an A. Saurmatum and the flower dried up just before it opened. Bummer!! +More Regards, Craig

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