From: jk1492 at gmail.com (John Kawamoto) on 2007.10.24 at 21:09:39(16604)
A couple of years ago when I knew I was going to receive
Amorphophallus titanum seed I didn't have the slightest idea about how
to grow it. I had previously taken a look at the International Aroid
Society website and this forum, so I came here to learn what I could.
The information turned out to be very valuable, as the plant is still
growing. (Any further suggestions, by the way, would be most
welcome.) I'd like to share information about my experiences that may
be useful to a newbie like I was trying to grow A. titanum. Most of
the information is not new, and it confirms what is already known.
The seed germinated in a growing mix of 1 part peat moss and 1 part
perlite, if my memory is correct. The plant was watered daily,
keeping the medium at least moist. The leaf eventually grew to a
height of about 18 in., and later the plant went dormant. I dug up
the tuber, rinsed it with water, and soaked it for 10 minutes in a 10%
solution of Clorox to prevent rot. The tuber was left in a box in my
garage and planted again after it began to sprout. One leaf came up,
then another, and they reached a height of about 3 ft. After the
plant went dormant I dug up the tuber and found that it had divided
into two. I separated the tuber into two pieces, then rinsed them
off, soaked them in a Clorox solution, and stored them in my garage as
before. Each division weighted a couple of pounds. After they began
to sprout they were planted in separate pots with the tops of each
tuber about 3 in. below the surface of the growing medium. The plant
in the photo grew from one of the divisions, and another plant grew
from the other division.
The plant is outdoors in Honolulu, which has a subtropical climate.
It gets full sun for several hours a day and bright shade for the rest
of the day. The current growing medium is something like 1 part lava
rock, 1 part perlite, and 1 part Kellogg's (brand) N' Rich (name of
product), with about half a cup of Nutricote slow release fertilizer
mixed in. The plant is watered twice a day and is fertilized every
two weeks or so with a concoction of half-strength fish emulsion
fertilizer, seaweed extract, and SuperThrive. Sometimes I add a
product called "EM" (effective microorganisms) and molasses. I don't
know if all of these ingredients are helping, but I don't think any of
them hurt. Despite the first photo, I don't feed Coke to the plant.
The can is there just to provide an idea of the size of things.
The second photo shows a rip or tear in the plastic pot that is
partially covered with tape in an effort to keep the growing medium in
the pot. At first the tear annoyed me. But then I thought it might
be due to the expansion of the tuber and the growth of the roots.
That might be worth sacrificing the pot.
I'm sorry I don't remember all of the details of what I did and what
happened to the plant, and now I realize I should have written things
down. I hope to submit a more accurate update some time in the
future. Thanks to all who provided information that I used to grow
this plant.
[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2367/1702696723_eab191503b.jpg[/img]
[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2064/1702698349_382825c1fd.jpg[/img]
[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2295/1702700355_a4e0f9bb1a.jpg[/img]
| |
IAS on Facebook
IAS on Instagram
