RE: Typhonodorum lindleyanum/Victorias

From: "Horak, David" davidhorak at bbg.org> on 2000.07.11 at 21:48:56(5052) >You will need to over-winter any you get before you build the g/house. How >do you presently over-winter the trop. w/ lilys?? Well, Victorias waterlilies flower and develop seed in one season. In the fall, the plant dies from the cold. But because seed was produced, one starts a new plant the next spring.< WOW! They do their thing in a hurry! I guess their pools dry out in nature?? Most people think of Victorias as annuals but actually they are quite capable of being perennials. But they are exceedingly demanding in their light and water temperature requirements so that up here in the temperate regions we treat them as annuals. V. amazonica is the more demanding of warm water temperatures but has a more stable environment and probably is a perennial in habitat. But, I have been told that V. cruziana (which may be capable of surviving as a perennial) in nature comes from further south and evidently goes through a cool season and is functionally an annual. Here at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in our Aquatic House we overwintered our Victoria Longwood Hybrid this past year. It certainly regressed significantly but came back quickly as the days lengthened and light intensity increased. This not an aroid issue but thought it might be of interest. Dave Horak +More -----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, July 10, 2000 5:43 PM To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Subject: Re: Typhonodorum lindleyanum -----Original Message----- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Date: Monday, July 10, 2000 12:11 AM Subject: Re: Typhonodorum lindleyanum At 06:40 PM 7/7/2000 -0500, Julius wrote: >I don`t think I understand---one season will give you a plant maybe 12-18" >(INCHES!) tall--it will take several years (3-4???) at the least to get >anything of any size!! Oh! OK. well, maybe I could over winter it in the small indoor pond in the basement.< This is not TOO difficult--an aquarium water heater, a overhead grow-light at the correct height above the leaves, and that should do it! By the way IF you have a couple seed to spare let me know, I know a guy that >wants a couple. I will be looking for seed myself. If I find some, I'll be happy to pass any extra out.< OK. When you do find a source, you should get lots, they produce LOTS of huge, already-germinating seeds from one inflor., and produce multiple inflor.`s at a time. > >Might is be possible to produce seed from a plant in one growing season?< > >NO sir!! This is one of the Aroid giants, my BEST guess is a growth period >of several years before seed! Ah, OK.< This is a BIG plant! >You will need to over-winter any you get before you build the g/house. How >do you presently over-winter the trop. w/ lilys?? Well, Victorias waterlilies flower and develop seed in one season. In the fall, the plant dies from the cold. But because seed was produced, one starts a new plant the next spring.< WOW! They do their thing in a hurry! I guess their pools dry out in nature?? >But most other tropical waterlilies are dug up in the fall, and the tubers stored indoors over winter, then planted again next spring. It is such a big pain, that many folks just buy new tropical waterlilies the next year. Tubers of hardy water lilies can over winter in the bottom of a pond. The pond can even freeze over, but as long as the tubers don't freeze, they will come back the following year.< These must be cheap plants! The late DR Monroe Birdsey in Miami bred quite a few new ones, and treasured his plants. Thanks for the information! Cheers, Julius

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