Re: Colocasia burgandy stem

From: Steve Marak <samarak at arachne.uark.edu> on 1998.06.11 at 03:51:10(2269) On Wed, 10 Jun 1998, Lester Kallus wrote: > I obtained a Colocasia "burgandy stem" from Plant Delights last summer and .. > I thought I'd have plenty to go around this summer, but had miserable luck > saving the tubers from last year. Actually, they weren't even tubers, it > was just stems that hadn't formed tubers. Les, Don't give up hope on your "not even tubers" from last year. You would not believe the resurrections I routinely perform on pieces of various Colocasias (and I am no saint). I can't winter them over outside, and though I'm careful with the largest pieces of each one (and, for a few such as Black Magic/Jet Black Wonder/Voodoo, with every piece) I always have pieces I don't find - especially with the 'Burgandy Stem' because it sends out those crazy runners. Most haven't formed any tuber at all. I treat them with callous disrespect - shake most of the dirt off, them toss them in a box in a heap where they winter over with no - and I mean literally NO - water at all. Any leaves that are up dry up and they look ghastly. Whenever I think about it in the spring, I fill a shallow pan with water, chunk them all into it, and when I see a new growing point start up, I pot them up or give them away or whatever. In fact, I found a piece of another Colocasia cultivar a guy in S. Arkansas gave me last November in a sack just a few days ago, dry as a bone since he dug it up, no real tuber at all. After about 4 days in water, it's sprouting nicely. I'm not recommending this, you understand, but these plants are really tough, so don't count them out too early. Steve +More -- Steve Marak -- samarak@arachne.uark.edu

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