going dormant...

From: Kevin Martyn <martyn at telcomplus.com> on 1997.08.04 at 12:56:25(1010) Hi all! Every time I have an Amorphophallus enter its dormancy stage I leave = the leaf alone until it completely abscisses, with the belief that I may = adversely affect the plant should I cut it off. This often leaves a big = mass of leaf hanging off the side of the bench because the stem has = collapsed half-way up. My question is...how far into dormancy do bulbous = aroids drain any remaining sugars from the leaf and stem? Would any harm = come from topping a plant before it drops off completely by itself? Thanks! Kevin +More martyn@telcomplus.com

From: Don Burns <burns at mobot.org> on 1997.08.04 at 13:49:02(1011) Kevin, My experience with Amorphophallus is limited, but generally with any plant I always ask myself what would normally happen under natural conditions with any particular plant. In the case of Amorphophallus, the entire leaf keels over, becomes somewhat slimy, and eventually dries up. Usually at this point I will tug ever so slightly at the dried petiole to see if it is loose. If it is not free I will leave it alone. Granted, having dried up petioles hanging from pots is not pretty, but my feeling is that the time to remove the old growth is when the tuber is willing to part with it. At this time it is reasonable to assume that the tuber has sealed the opening and is capable of protecting itself from disease and other intrusions. Don +More Don Burns Plantation, FL USA Zone 10b

From: "NAME \"Wilbert Hetterscheid\"" <W.HETTER at pbga.agro.nl> on 1997.08.04 at 18:56:16(1012) Kevin, In my 10 years experience with Amorphophallus I learned that no harm is done when you cut the leaf of while in decay but not yet entirely rotten. I also do it to avoid rotting to proceed to the top of the tuber that MAY result in bacterial infections of the tuber. Cheers, Wilbert

From: "Julius Boos" <ju-bo at msn.com> on 1997.08.05 at 12:28:15(1015) ---------- Sent: Monday, August 04, 1997 8:56 AM To: Julius Boos +More Subject: going dormant... Hi all! Every time I have an Amorphophallus enter its dormancy stage I leave = the leaf alone until it completely abscisses, with the belief that I may = adversely affect the plant should I cut it off. This often leaves a big = mass of leaf hanging off the side of the bench because the stem has = collapsed half-way up. My question is...how far into dormancy do bulbous = aroids drain any remaining sugars from the leaf and stem? Would any harm = come from topping a plant before it drops off completely by itself? Thanks! Kevin martyn@telcomplus.com Dear Kevin, I cut the fallen over petiole off about 6 inches above soil level, once I`M SURE that this portion has withered or shrunk, indicating that the tuber can not receive furthur nutrition through it. The basal portion remains attached to the tuber and drops off after a while. Julius ju-bo@msn.com

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