Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris

From: DAVID LEEDY <djleedy at sbcglobal.net> on 2013.07.03 at 18:20:50(22842) When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy HTML +More ---334495122-146905324-1372875650=:74698-- --==============80169043377820877==

From: The Silent Seed <santoury at aol.com> on 2013.07.03 at 19:07:52(22843) Hi David, This is a fun plant - but in my experience, it does not like heat. I have about a dozen young plants starting now - they usually sprout around the same time (spring) and grow all season until the fall. They should never dry out when growing, and like slightly loose, well draining soil. Semi shade is good. Hope this helps! HTML +More ______________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you want to receive my plant newsletters via email? santoury@aol.com The Silent Seed - Rare and Unusual Plants thesilentseed.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: DAVID LEEDY To: aroid-l Sent: Wed, Jul 3, 2013 3:04 pm Subject: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l ----------MB_8D04637C06EE4C8_FF0_17A4E4_webmail-d281.sysops.aol.com-- --==============u65131472032372225==

From: "Marlena" <electrocrypt at shaw.ca> on 1970.01.01 at 00:00:00(22844) Hi David...I live in Vancouver BC and have a good stand of Dracunculus that starts pushing up from the winter dormant tubers in late spring...( late April early May) ...and reaches open flower stage in last half of June to early July They are growing in a fairly shaded area on the North side of the house. The ground they are in is ordinary poor soil really...a mixture of loam,clay and general dead plant remains and decomposed old etc. (not augmented in any way) but they seem just fine. I don't fuss with them at all. They just do their thing. HTML +More -------Original Message------- From: DAVID LEEDY Date: 03/07/2013 12:04:08 PM To: aroid-l@www.gizmoworks.com Subject: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy --------------Boundary-00=_OHKDYHI1VA4000000000-- --------------Boundary-00=_OHKD36E1VA4000000000

From: "D. Christopher Rogers" <branchiopod at gmail.com> on 2013.07.03 at 20:07:52(22845) Hiyer, David! I had the same experiences when I moved from northern CA to Kansas. I put my tubers in the ground in a well drained soil with lots of leaf litter and mulch. Over four years they went through shock (possibly indignation), and eventually started to put on size. I got a small bloom last year, but none this year. The plants are still getting larger. Cheers! HTML +More On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 1:20 PM, DAVID LEEDY wrote: When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l -- D. Christopher Rogers ((,///////////=======

From: Steve Marak <samarak at gizmoworks.com> on 2013.07.03 at 20:14:30(22846) David, I'll add my two cents. I've grown D. vulgaris outdoors here in NW Arkansas for almost 30 years now, acquired locally from people who had grown them here for at least 40 years before that. Mine put up leaves usually in February, sometimes early March, far earlier than I think they should, but don't seem to be bothered by frosts down into the 20 F/-7 C range. They flower in early to mid-June, and are making seed now. They will tolerate a fair amount of shade but seem happiest in half-day sun. Some get a little irrigation, just because they are near other things that must have it, but there are also some that survived the extreme drought and heat (in excess of 110 F/44 C at times, no rain for at least 8 weeks) last year with no supplemental water and seem no worse for it this year (they flowered and are setting seed too). The soil is former cow pasture and probably slightly alkaline, but I've never checked the pH. They will probably be in full dormancy around the end of August, maybe a little sooner if there isn't much rain. Steve HTML +More On 7/3/2013 1:20 PM, DAVID LEEDY wrote: When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy --------------000400080607070502070405-- --============== 45397210702472237==

From: Tony Avent <Tony at plantdelights.com> on 2013.07.03 at 20:18:59(22847) David: In the wilds of Crete, Dracunculus grow in the most brutal of climates...full baking sun, excessive heat, and in very dry soils. Occasionally, you will find them growing in shade as well. Dracunculus vulgaris hate being in containers...especially small ones, for very long and will almost always rot there. In the garden, they must be planted where they will stay fairly dry in winter. Larger shrubs/perennials that help keep the soil dry are great. You can see photos of them in situ in our trip diary at http://www.plantdelights.com/Crete/departments/570/ Tony Avent HTML +More Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdelights.com phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent From: aroid-l-bounces@www.gizmoworks.com [mailto:aroid-l-bounces@www.gizmoworks.com] On Behalf Of Marlena Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2013 3:23 PM To: Discussion of aroids Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris Hi David...I live in Vancouver BC and have a good stand of Dracunculus that starts pushing up from the winter dormant tubers in late spring...( late April early May) ...and reaches open flower stage in last half of June to early July They are growing in a fairly shaded area on the North side of the house. The ground they are in is ordinary poor soil really...a mixture of loam,clay and general dead plant remains and decomposed old etc. (not augmented in any way) but they seem just fine. I don't fuss with them at all. They just do their thing. -------Original Message------- From: DAVID LEEDY Date: 03/07/2013 12:04:08 PM To: aroid-l@www.gizmoworks.com Subject: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy --_000_DFCB5D1A8384BE489004AF8F4035D324579773D7FBPDNRALSRV01pd_-- --_004_DFCB5D1A8384BE489004AF8F4035D324579773D7FBPDNRALSRV01pd_

From: paulindr at gmail.com on 2013.07.03 at 22:43:26(22848) Hi! I lived in Basingstoke (UK) so had cold (sub zero) winters, warm but n ot hot summers. Some years it rained a lot and others were dry. My soil wa s fairly neutral and nothing special, though not inclined to be muddy. The grow site was in full sun with literally no overhanging plants or other sh ade. I grew starting from one Druculculus. I inadvertently covered the plants wi th grass (lawn) one year (and the grass stayed thereafter). Before grass t here was bare soil, no mulch. My plants started sprouting in mid-spring and died down in late summer. >From the initial plant, which started well without apparent shock going fro m shop to garden, I ended up with 60 in just 3 years (I gave them all away to growers in London). I did get viable seed without any human interventio n and some germinated, though I gave these seedlings little attentions as I really didn't need more plants (at the time)!!! So to me, this is a not v ery fussy plant and is fairly indestructible. (Regretably, I emigrated to the Dominican Republic without plants and where plants would thrive but are unavailable!!!) Cheers Paulindr +More Constanza Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

From: "PlantsAndStuff.com" <ironious2 at yahoo.com> on 2013.07.04 at 00:02:07(22849) All of the ones Ive grown no matter where Ive gotten them, begin sprout roots in the fall, grow leaves, flower in the spring then die back when it gets warm. They dont like any sun or heat it seems. From: DAVID LEEDY To: "aroid-l@www.gizmoworks.com" HTML +More Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 11:20 AM Subject: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list href="mailto:Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com">Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l --944242502-385752549-1372896127=:66177-- --============== 70684221233915566==

From: Kyle Baker <kylefletcherbaker at yahoo.com> on 2013.07.04 at 11:06:08(22850) I think this is what I have, I get great foliage but never any flowers, I overwinter indoors in basement at 50* and dry. bring it out and it grows fantastic foliage. Mr. Kyle Fletcher Baker, MCN Maine Zone 5 HTML +More From: The Silent Seed To: aroid-l@www.gizmoworks.com Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 3:07 PM Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris Hi David, This is a fun plant - but in my experience, it does not like heat. I have about a dozen young plants starting now - they usually sprout around the same time (spring) and grow all season until the fall. They should never dry out when growing, and like slightly loose, well draining soil. Semi shade is good. Hope this helps! ______________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you want to receive my plant newsletters via email? santoury@aol.com The Silent Seed - Rare and Unusual Plants thesilentseed.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: DAVID LEEDY To: aroid-l Sent: Wed, Jul 3, 2013 3:04 pm Subject: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l ---1505502989-1148607239-1372935968=:45171-- --==============b55102436601753481==

From: Sheldon Hatheway <sfhatheway at yahoo.com> on 2013.07.04 at 19:39:45(22851) I've grown Dracunculus v. for about 40 years here in Canby, Oregon, USA, zone 7B or 8 (depending on whatever). Our winters vary from cool and wet to cold and wet. One winter it got down to 7 deg. F. In all of this, I've done nothing to (or for) them. Leave them in the ground all year. No fertilizer. No sprays. Nothing. They are growing under a Japanese maple so they get filtered sunlight all day and they get some water when the irrigation comes on 3 times a week during the summer. They emerge in early Spring, flower in mid-summer, and die back in the Fall. I should probably divide them because they've been in this particular location for about 15 years and the individual plants are not as large or as vigorous as they used to be. They seem to do well for me if I just ignore them. Sheldon Hatheway HTML +More Canby, Oregon USA From: PlantsAndStuff.com To: Discussion of aroids Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 5:02 PM Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris All of the ones Ive grown no matter where Ive gotten them, begin sprout roots in the fall, grow leaves, flower in the spring then die back when it gets warm. They dont like any sun or heat it seems. From: DAVID LEEDY To: "aroid-l@www.gizmoworks.com" Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 11:20 AM Subject: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com">Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l ---944809811-290847573-1372966785=:97042-- --==============H16102282103318544==

From: "Marek Argent" <abri1973 at wp.pl> on 2013.07.04 at 20:49:07(22852) My plants are growing in a sunny place. They wake up in autumn, but they start to put up the leaves next spring. In my garden the soil is very heavy clay and tubers often rotted in the early spring. Now I add some ceramic granulate as the drainage and peat to make the soil lighter. I water and fertilize them only when the are in leaf and start to bloom. Watering dormant tubers is a risk of rotting. Best, Marek Argent HTML +More ----- Original Message ----- From: PlantsAndStuff.com To: Discussion of aroids Sent: Thursday, July 04, 2013 2:02 AM Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris All of the ones Ive grown no matter where Ive gotten them, begin sprout roots in the fall, grow leaves, flower in the spring then die back when it gets warm. They dont like any sun or heat it seems. From: DAVID LEEDY To: "aroid-l@www.gizmoworks.com" Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 11:20 AM Subject: [Aroid-l] Cultivation of Dracunculus vulgaris When I lived in Los Angeles, I just placed some tubers of D. vulgaris in the ground and forgot about them until they sprouted and bloomed. Here in North Texas, the circumstances are a little different (eg. temperatures, humidity, etc.). I tried growing 7 tubers in containers. Four sprouted, two did not sprout - but still look viable, and one rotted. The four that sprouted did so in April - May, looked terrible, and were down within 6 -8 weeks or so. When do they ordinarily sprout in the Northern Hemisphere? How long do the ordinarily grow before going dormant again. Is there a particular soil acidity/alkalinity requirement for this species? I had them in partial shade (early morning only). Do they require more shade or more sun? I watered them with a weak plant food when I thought they needed it (more often in warmer weather). Should they be allowed to dry out or should the soil remain moist? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. David Leedy _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l ------=_NextPart_000_0146_01CE7908.B0B08220-- --==============r06716122550940221==

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