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  Amorphphallus Bulbifer hardiness
From: hostas at fuse.net (hostas at fuse.net) on 2007.08.13 at 13:12:14(16086)
I have had Konjac in the ground for about 6 years and it is still doing great. Although it comes up in June, it still gets about 4 1/2 feet tall. I have never had it flower otdoors, but the ones I bring in do flower.

So you think Bulbifer (or any of the others) will survive the winters in a zone 5/6 garden (I am right on the edge of these zones).

Thanks,
--
Betty Davis

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From: ken at spatulacity.com (Ken Mosher) on 2007.08.14 at 03:34:24(16098)
Nope, I don't think bulbifer will survive. I'm surprised that your
konjac has been reliably hardy.

-Ken

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From: samarak at gizmoworks.com (Steve Marak) on 2007.08.14 at 05:07:08(16099)
I've had konjac outdoors now for over 20 years (NW Arkansas, USDA zone 6,
occasional z5 nights, last 7-8 years zone 7), so I'm finally fairly
confident it's hardy here. I've given some to the Denver BG, too, and
they've come back now for some years, so even though DBG is famous for
being a haven of zone 5 hardiness it's starting to look pretty solid to
me. You never really know until something's been through a variety of
winters.

I wonder is if the hardiness of konjac or its adapatbility to my climate
is as variable as everything else about it seems to be. I've acquired a
few other clones here and there, and so far none seem as vigorous outdoors
as the first one I grew. A couple have disappeared out there, in fact, and
none look as happy as that original clone. That one flowers every 2nd year
or so, too - as usual, after flowering they usually decide to split into 5
or 6 and take the next year or even two off.

I know some of you grow a number of clones of konjac - have any of you
tried a bunch of them outdoors in zone 6 or lower winters? And if so did
they all perform equally well?

(I think there is hope for bulbifer, at least for some clones, at least
into my climate - it could be a while before the data is in. But I think
konjac's clearly the toughest, hardiest amorph to date.)

Steve

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