Re: Hello From Plano, Texas, growing zone 8 a
I keep them in the ground. After first frost I chop anything over a foot tall. Then throw about a foot or so of hay on them. Then I put a livestock feed bag laying flat on top of the hay to just help keep rain out of the corm. I shovel a little sand on top just to hold it in place. Done!
I have and still do sometimes overwinter VC pups. I just plant them in a 50/50 mix of earthgro potting soil (contains 70%+ rice hulls) and perlite. 30-50% perlite is a must!! I mix 50/50. I throw them in the greenhouse and ignore them. I may water once over winter. im trying to keep them alive. Not get growth. If you don't water them all winter it wouldn't kill them. Just remember if you water them you have a HIGH chance of rot. If you don't water them all winter. The only thing it could do is dry out the corm/roots. No big deal. They are dormant anyway.
The big bunches come from established ones! i have one this year right at 8'!!
If that's not an option, you need to store 3' pups or so then plant them mid Spring! VC and most other AA types are very sensitive to moisture. Make sure you have a very well draining soil. Like the 50% perlite mix. Or even pure sand. My greenhouse gets down to 34f or so. I never loose a VC.
Then come growth time, let them hit about 5' then pour on the fertilizer. They love nitrogen and can grow very fast.
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