Alocasia dormancy

From: Piabinha at aol.com on 2000.03.05 at 23:15:10(4163) dear aroiders, i'm having some trouble cultivating some Alocasias. i have found that several will go dormant and never sprout again. the tuber will sit there, not rotted, not dried up, not shrivelled up but it will not start new growth. does this happen to others too? tsuh yang chen, nyc, USA

From: GeoffAroid at aol.com on 2000.03.06 at 00:42:57(4165) Tsuh Yang this happens to me all the time, as I speak I have Alocasia X amazonica sitting dormant like this, they can stay like this for months and months. I am convinced it is low soil temperatures that cause this. Giving them the 'hot-house' treatment in a very warm, steamy enclosure usually kicks them back into growth. Other species seem more tolerant. Which species is doing this for you? Geoffrey Kibby +More London

From: Piabinha at aol.com on 2000.03.06 at 03:28:10(4167) In a message dated 3/5/00 7:43:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, GeoffAroid@aol.com writes: > this happens to me all the time, as I speak I have Alocasia X +More > amazonica sitting dormant like this, they can stay like this for months and > months. I am convinced it is low soil temperatures that cause this. Giving > them the 'hot-house' treatment in a very warm, steamy enclosure usually > kicks them back into growth. Other species seem more tolerant. Which species is > doing this for you? geoffrey, right now i have A. Black Velvet, villanovii, micholitziana, Elaine, Hilo Beauty, all dormant. interestingly enough, reversa has proven to be more resilient, and it is still green, although i can't seem to keep more than 2 leaves going at a time. i guess my apt. is just not warm and humid enough? in the summer, when the weather warms up, i hope they'll sprout again. tsuh yang chen, nyc, USA

From: GeoffAroid at aol.com on 2000.03.07 at 03:49:16(4169) Tsuh Yang chen, I also have Alocasia Black Velvet but this lives permanently in a lighted (but unheated) tank in my bedroom. Average temperature is about 70 degrees F (20 Celsius) and with the added humidity of the tank (about 60-70 percent) it has stayed green and growing throughout the year and indeed flowers like mad. I would love to try crossing this with amazonica but the two never seem to flower at the same time! Geoffrey Kibby

From: Richard_Berry at doh.state.fl.us on 2000.03.08 at 03:16:03(4178) I have encountered this problem, I have about 35 different Alocasias. My experience is to let patience rule. Sometimes new growth will begin only after months of inactivity. Alocasias have minds of their own and they grow when they want to grow, sometimes with no logical plan!

From: "Gabe Thomas" CDANIELLE at prodigy.net> on 2000.03.08 at 05:26:42(4180) I wonder if some Alocasias might need a little colder temerature during their dormant period to get them going again. I have an A. sanderiana that has been flowering for a good nine months, six flowers and no leafs in that time. I have central air so the temp in my house never drops below 70 degrees F. The biggest leaves I've seen on this plant were from a couple years ago when I put it out in a cold frame early spring. After a few days in the cold frame I got scared I might be pushing my luck so I brought it in the house where it then proceeded to put out a couple 24" leaves. Since then it has stayed in the house and the leaves, when it puts them out, haven't gotten any bigger then 19". I also had a problem with dormant cormels that I found when transplanting that don't seem to want to grow. If anyone out there thinks they know how temperature influences growth in a an Alocasis sp. or have some tricks to break dormancy it might make for a good contribution to the journal. Gabe Thomas +More zone 8 cdanielle@prodigy.net To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 7:16 PM Subject: RE: Alocasia dormancy > I have encountered this problem, I have about 35 different Alocasias. My > experience is to let patience rule. Sometimes new growth will begin only > after months of inactivity. Alocasias have minds of their own and they grow > when they want to grow, sometimes with no logical plan! > >

From: DBurch2345 at aol.com on 2000.03.08 at 22:49:16(4183) I used to use tubers of an alocasia (more or less A. amazonica) as a demonstration of dormancy in a plant propagation class. Someone had once told me that the little dry scale leaves at the tip of the tuber were inhibitory to growth, so I would carefully remove those until the little new whitish/pinkish/greenish bud was exposed. Planted in my usual "interior plant" mix, it usually worked like a charm - close to 100% starting into growth in a few weeks versus perhaps 10% in the "control" unpeeled group. I do this as a matter of course now, and get good growth on most of the common types that I have. All of this is in South Florida, so warm and wet is a given for us unless we work hard to avoid it. Derek

From: "Gabe Thomas" CDANIELLE at prodigy.net> on 2000.03.09 at 03:34:35(4188) Thanks for the tip Derek! I wonder how the dry scales inhibit growth. Do you leave the growht point exposed so that it can receive light or do you bury the whole thing? Gabe +More cdanielle@prodigy.net ----- Original Message ----- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2000 2:49 PM Subject: Re: Alocasia dormancy > I used to use tubers of an alocasia (more or less A. amazonica) as a > demonstration of dormancy in a plant propagation class. Someone had once told > me that the little dry scale leaves at the tip of the tuber were inhibitory > to growth, so I would carefully remove those until the little new > whitish/pinkish/greenish bud was exposed. Planted in my usual "interior > plant" mix, it usually worked like a charm - close to 100% starting into > growth in a few weeks versus perhaps 10% in the "control" unpeeled group. > > I do this as a matter of course now, and get good growth on most of the > common types that I have. All of this is in South Florida, so warm and wet is > a given for us unless we work hard to avoid it. > > Derek > > >

From: Krzysztof Kozminski kk at netgate.net> on 2000.03.11 at 03:38:12(4203) On Sun, 5 Mar 2000 Piabinha@aol.com wrote: > geoffrey, right now i have A. Black Velvet, villanovii, micholitziana, > Elaine, Hilo Beauty, all dormant. interestingly enough, reversa has proven > to be more resilient, and it is still green, although i can't seem to keep > more than 2 leaves going at a time. i guess my apt. is just not warm and > humid enough? in the summer, when the weather warms up, i hope they'll > sprout again. +More I can only advise re: A. Black Velvet: keep it humid and in low light. Mine was languishing in the greenhouse (under 50 % shade cloth) and only after I dumped it into the holding area under the table for soon-to-be-junked pots, that it started growing and instead of the usual 2 leaves, sprouted about 10 of them. Seeing that it recovered so nicely, I put it back on the table, and it promptly went down to 4 leaves. So now it lives back under the table... KK ==================== "Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking" Krzysztof Kozminski kk@netgate.net http://u1.netgate.net/~kk/

From: DBurch2345 at aol.com on 2000.03.11 at 03:39:20(4206) gabe - I just plant them normally, say 1/2 -1 inch deep. Perhaps I have been too casual about getting them going. I will start to worry more in future! At a guess, the dry scales might have some water-soluble material inhibitory to growth. I can visualise an unfavorable growing period in the annual cycle of the plants which has led them to evolve this as a mechanism to hold back germination until the corm has been exposed to enough water to wash out these inhibitory substances - at which time there would be enough water around to sustain growth. This sort of thing is common in seeds, but may not make any sense at all for these guys if they are from an area with very little seasonal change. As I say, just a guess. Let's hope the method works, then we can look at the whys! Derek

From: "Jay Vannini" interbnk at infovia.com.gt> on 2000.03.12 at 04:11:18(4207) I most definitely concur with Mr. Kozminski's comments viz a vis light levels and Alocasia sp. 'Black Velvet'. Grow mine outside here (cool Guatemalan highlands) and they do fine as long as they are kept in deep shade. Ditto for A. sp. 'Elaine'. Interestingly, same conditions for A. guttata 'Imperialis' resulted in die-back/dormancy during the winter - just now starting to come back to life. Dewey might have a different take on all this, though. His shadehouse plants looked great late last summer. Cultural conditions in S. Florida may permit higher light levels to be acceptable for some forest understory Alocasia spp.. J. Vannini +More interbnk@infovia.com.gt ----- Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L" Sent: Friday, March 10, 2000 9:38 PM Subject: Re: Alocasia dormancy > On Sun, 5 Mar 2000 Piabinha@aol.com wrote: > > > geoffrey, right now i have A. Black Velvet, villanovii, micholitziana, > > Elaine, Hilo Beauty, all dormant. interestingly enough, reversa has proven > > to be more resilient, and it is still green, although i can't seem to keep > > more than 2 leaves going at a time. i guess my apt. is just not warm and > > humid enough? in the summer, when the weather warms up, i hope they'll > > sprout again. > > I can only advise re: A. Black Velvet: keep it humid and in low light. > Mine was languishing in the greenhouse (under 50 % shade cloth) and only > after I dumped it into the holding area under the table for > soon-to-be-junked pots, that it started growing and instead of the usual 2 > leaves, sprouted about 10 of them. Seeing that it recovered so nicely, I > put it back on the table, and it promptly went down to 4 leaves. So now > it lives back under the table... > > KK > ==================== > "Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking" > > Krzysztof Kozminski > kk@netgate.net > http://u1.netgate.net/~kk/ > > > >

From: "Bonaventure W Magrys" magrysbo at shu.edu> on 2000.03.16 at 04:04:16(4218) What are your winter temps? Do you grow any Arisaema, especially the more tender to subtropical species, there? Would like to know your successes. Alocasia (=Colocasia???) 'Black Velvet'? Bonaventure Magrys +More Elizabeth, NJ "Jay Vannini" on 03/11/2000 11:12:47 PM Please respond to aroid-l@mobot.org To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L cc: (bcc: Bonaventure W Magrys/ADM/SHU) Subject: Re: Alocasia dormancy I most definitely concur with Mr. Kozminski's comments viz a vis light levels and Alocasia sp. 'Black Velvet'. Grow mine outside here (cool Guatemalan highlands) and they do fine as long as they are kept in deep shade. Ditto for A. sp. 'Elaine'. Interestingly, same conditions for A. guttata 'Imperialis' resulted in die-back/dormancy during the winter - just now starting to come back to life. Dewey might have a different take on all this, though. His shadehouse plants looked great late last summer. Cultural conditions in S. Florida may permit higher light levels to be acceptable for some forest understory Alocasia spp.. J. Vannini interbnk@infovia.com.gt ----- Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L" Sent: Friday, March 10, 2000 9:38 PM Subject: Re: Alocasia dormancy > On Sun, 5 Mar 2000 Piabinha@aol.com wrote: > > > geoffrey, right now i have A. Black Velvet, villanovii, micholitziana, > > Elaine, Hilo Beauty, all dormant. interestingly enough, reversa has proven > > to be more resilient, and it is still green, although i can't seem to keep > > more than 2 leaves going at a time. i guess my apt. is just not warm and > > humid enough? in the summer, when the weather warms up, i hope they'll > > sprout again. > > I can only advise re: A. Black Velvet: keep it humid and in low light. > Mine was languishing in the greenhouse (under 50 % shade cloth) and only > after I dumped it into the holding area under the table for > soon-to-be-junked pots, that it started growing and instead of the usual 2 > leaves, sprouted about 10 of them. Seeing that it recovered so nicely, I > put it back on the table, and it promptly went down to 4 leaves. So now > it lives back under the table... > > KK > ==================== > "Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking" > > Krzysztof Kozminski > kk@netgate.net > http://u1.netgate.net/~kk/ > > > >

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