bulbifer answer

From: Roger Sieloff ISDH sieloff at doe.state.in.us> on 2000.09.01 at 15:16:51(5323) On Thu, 31 Aug 2000, newton wrote: > > nick of time, of my various greens, I noticed that my 2" dia. A. bulbifer is > sending up a small shoot from the base of the leaf. While I find that > > Q: How common is this behavior? Plenty of pot space, mild fertilizer and I have two bulbifer doing exactly the same thing. In fact, A. bulbifer has always behaved like this for me. It is about as seasonal as konjac, but leaves only last about 2 months before being replaced. My bulbifer produce two leaves in succession each season. Sometimes the original dies, sometimes it dosen't. I rest the bulb in october just like the knojac. Of course, my bulbifer are still too small to flower yet. Perhaps mature specimens behave differently. Finally, I find that Amorphophallus in general need full sunlight to reach their maximum size. Roger L. Sieloff

From: "Bjoern Malkmus" bjoern.malkmus at verwaltung.uni-mainz.de> on 2000.09.07 at 14:27:12(5353) > On Thu, 31 Aug 2000, newton wrote: > > nick of time, of my various greens, I noticed that my 2" dia. A. > > bulbifer is sending up a small shoot from the base of the leaf. While > > I find that > > Q: How common is this behavior? In my cultivation smaller specimens of Amorphophallus bulbifer usually set up a couple of leaves (2 to 5) one eafter each other for about 5 months before they finally go dormant (if not growing all year round, which is not uncommon in this species). Adult specimens show a strict dormancy and produce only one leaf in a single growing cycle. +More Other Amorphophallus species have the same tendency to produce two or more leaves as long as they have not gained flowering size (e.g. A. albispathus, A. krausei, A. muelleri, even A. titanum made three leaves this year). On 1 Sep 2000, at 10:16, Roger Sieloff ISDH wrote: > (...) Finally, I find that Amorphophallus in general need full sunlight to reach their maximum size. Maybe its because I am living in Central Europe with extended days in summer, having daylight from 5:00am until 10:30pm in June til August, that most specimens being grown in full sun may face severe leaf burnings from excessive radiation. That's why I keep them during these months rather in a half-shaded to shaded place and from September onwards in full sun (at present daylight time is reduced from 7am til 8:30pm already) and which has positive effects in weight gaining. As far as I know that accumulated radiation in summer in C Europe may be much higher than it is in the tropics due to our very long days. And the more leaves burn the smaller the surface to produce nutrients which are necessary to increase corm size. Best wishes, Bj?rn Malkmus Dipl.rer.oec. http://www.rareplants.de

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