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LilRaverBoi
06-15-2012, 02:22 AM
Hey there banana brethren!

Bet a few of you remember me from the past. Sorry for the hiatus, but I've been very busy with finishing school and seeking employment. I recently graduated from optometry school (YAY), so now I've moved back to Iowa again.

Just some updates on my botanical endeavors.....battled spider mites all winter, as usual, but came out well.

Current tropicals planted in fertile Iowa soil:

Elephant Ears:
-Alocasia porteii
-Colocasia 'Jack's Giant'
-Alocasia 'Borneo Giant'
-Alocasia 'Jurassic Dark' (new)

Corpse Flowers:
-Pseudodracontium hermandii (coming up now, hopefully blooming again, 3rd year)
-Amorphophallus bulbifer (hasn't done much beyond basic sprouts...we'll see. 2nd year with this one, no blooms yet, but it's still small)

Misc:
-Travelers Tree (was doing super well last year, then was dormant all winter indoors, and now it's been repeatedly 'scraped' by something unknown (possibly deer) and is down to two leaves. Still not really growing :(
-Licuala grandis (I have a couple small plants....growing very slowly)

Bananas:
-Musa super dwarf cavendish (was close to blooming, then was broken off by something recently (deer?) but regrowing from the ground, nice color on leaves)
-Musa dwarf brazilian (still a little guy, but he survived winter spider mites and is now doing well, nice color on leaves)
-Musa ice cream (went dormant all winter even though it was indoors, had to cut it off to move, never grew back, entire p-stem died and it hasn't done anything yet.....pretty sure it's done for :( )
-Ensete ventricosum maurelii (new for this year...part of a planter with sweet potato vines. Hated my last maurelii, but decided to give it another chance (if it gives me any trouble this year, it's gonna be an 'annual' LOL))

Brand new bananas (arrived/planted today):
-Musa basjoo (attempting this one....maybe I'll try to overwinter it in Iowa...it manages in Missouri, so we will see how zone 5 treats it)
-Ensete glaucum (always wanted one....they're so beautiful)
-Ensete superbum (had one a couple yrs ago that unfortunately died when it was tiny....been looking for one for a while and found a healthy plant at a good price. Hopefully it will do well for me)
-Musa 'Praying Hands' (excited to have this one....3-4 foot sword sucker that looks very healthy thus far. Seems like a good parent/pup separation with some healthy roots....hopefully hot/dry conditions here aren't an issue.)

It's been super windy here recently as well as dry. Temps in the 70's/80's, so not too terribly hot, but not cool either. I really wish we'd get some decent rain; it's been weeks. Having to water things with the hose till that happens. I'm still trying to figure out what's happening to all my poor plants....I've had several 'vandalized' by nature recently. My best guess is deer....might be putting up some fences soon.

I'll try to get pictures of all of this some time. It's been too long!

Jsherman603
06-20-2012, 06:08 PM
I know what you mean for a week it doesn't rain then when ever we turn on the sprinklers it rains. Also the wild cats completely ate my passion flower "Maypop".

kaczercat
06-20-2012, 06:45 PM
Bryan, great to hear from you! I know It's been a long long time. I'm sorry to hear about some of your edible bananas. maybe put some hot pepper on top of the soil. will that keep them at bay? Those new bananas sound good! the Basjoo should do well for you and over wintering is no problem usually.

I just got a part time job since schools out, so I'll be kept busy. I can't wait for the pics. takecare

saltydad
06-20-2012, 10:36 PM
Bryan, welcome back Doc! Glad to see your naner interests haven't flagged (little pun there).

:waving:

Bananaman88
06-22-2012, 11:26 AM
Good to hear from you again, Bryan. Good luck with growing in Iowa!

LilRaverBoi
06-29-2012, 12:26 AM
Just a photo update...I'll be honest, nothing looks all that impressive at this point, but everything seems to be growing now after being transplanted. We're having a mild drought with 95+ temps recently, so things have been a bit tough for plants around here.

Elephant Ears:
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/AlocasiaPorteii6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942035
-Alocasia porteii...looked rough for a while, but seems to be coming back well.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/ColocasiaJacksGiant6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942100
-Colocasia 'Jack's Giant'....growing fast and leaves getting larger every time.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/AlocasiaBorneoGiant6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942101
-Alocasia 'Borneo Giant'...not what it once was, but it'll be big by fall.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/AlocasiaplumbeaPerfectDark6-28-12.jpg?t=1340941967
-Alocasia 'Jurassic Dark' (new for this year)...doing well thus far. I love the dark foliage.

Corpse Flowers:
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Pseudodracontiumhermandii6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942037
-Pseudodracontium hermandii...up now, finally! I was beginning to wonder since it had sat in the ground about a month without doing anything. It's bloomed the past two years, so it probably will again this year.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Amorphophallusbulbifer6-28-12.jpg?t=1340941962
-Amorphophallus bulbifer...no bloom this year, but it's still pretty small. Should be able to develop a much larger corm this year since it's in the ground rather than a pot.

Misc:
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/TravelersTree6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942167
-Travelers Tree...growing now, finally. I really feel like this one won't grow without hot/humid temperatures. It has never grown indoors over the winter. Looks like hell now after being chewed repeatedly (down to two leaves that are from last summer and are wind shredded). Hopefully I'll get this to come back strong by fall.

Bananas:
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/SDC6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942358
-Musa super dwarf cavendish....after getting broken off, it's come back strong and with plenty of color.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/DwarfBrazilian6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942249
-Musa dwarf brazilian....growing well with nice red coloration.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Planter.jpg?t=1334202793
-Ensete ventricosum maurelii...old pic when it was first planted. Growing nicely and everything in the planter has really filled out since this pic. No weird leaves or loss of coloration so far, so I can actually say that the second chance I've given this variety has proved successful thus far.

Brand new bananas:
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Basjoo6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942315
-Musa basjoo....not much at this point, but it's growing and has done fine with the transplant.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Enseteglaucum6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942298
-Ensete glaucum....wind broke off some leaves and it's just recovering from transplant, so it looks kinda crappy right now. Excited for this one, though.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Ensetesuperbum6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942233
-Ensete superbum....doing great so far. Super excited as this is one of my favorite types of ornamental bananas.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/PrayingHands6-28-12.jpg?t=1340942167
-Musa 'Praying Hands'...hasn't grown any since transplant, but it seems like it's recovering pretty well considering the current conditions here. Once the root system gets better developed, I'm sure it will spring into action.

LilRaverBoi
09-03-2012, 09:10 PM
9-3-12 Just another update....Things have been really taking off. Too bad the growing season is coming to a close in about a month for us here in zone 5. Here are some pictures:

Elephant ears


http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/AlocasiaBorneoGiant9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721668
Alocasia Borneo Giant

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/ColocasiaJacksGiant9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721573
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/JacksGiantLeaf9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721557
Colocasia 'Jacks Giant'...leaves getting pretty big, but still quite small compared to what this type is capable of.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Alocasiaporteii9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721443
Alocasia porteii

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/AlocasiaplumbeaPerfectDark9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721109
Alocasia plumbea 'Jurrasic Dark'

Other tropicals

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/TravelersTree9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721794
Travelers Tree...getting chewed off this summer has really set this one back and although it's growing, very slowly and leaves are small compared to what they were last summer. Glad it's sorta recovering, but it's still heavily fortified to protect it from further damage.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Pseudodracontiumhermandii9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721456
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Pseudodracontiumhermandiiseeds9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721338
Pseudocracontium hermandii...four stalks are up now and it's bloomed twice this summer. Has some seeds on there that hopefully will mature. Kind of a slow start, but it's done a lot this year.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Amorphophallusbulbifer9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721120
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Bulbiferbulbs9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721350
Amorphophallus bulbifer...three stalks are on there now and another just coming up. Also starting to show more of the bulbifer traits like the bumps/warts on the petiole branches. I've read you can remove them and they will form new plants. Maybe I'll try it sometime.

Bananas

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/SDC9-3-12.jpg?t=1346722273
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/SDCpups29-3-12.jpg?t=1346722160
Super Dwarf Cavendish...doing quite well. To my surprise I found three pups on there today! It didn't have any the last time I watered it. You can see two in the pic and the last is behind the p-stem (you can just see a part of its little leaf on the R).

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Basjoo9-3-12.jpg?t=1346722110
Basjoo...wasn't doing much of anything before, but it's finally springing up. Still tiny compared to the two others of the same size planted the same day.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Ensetesuperbum9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721898
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Superbumbase9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721919
Ensete superbum....doing great, nice fat bottom. Planted with basjoo, same date, same size.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Enseteglaucum9-3-12.jpg?t=1346722026
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Glaucumbase9-3-12.jpg?t=1346722005
Ensete glaucum...planted at the same time as basjoo and superbum, but is now much larger than either and is now the largest of all my bananas!

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/DwarfBrazilian9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721813
Dwarf Brazilian....coming along nicely.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/PrayingHands9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721694
Praying Hands...leaves are getting pretty big now.

And lastly, a view of behind the bananas. Beautiful Iowa :)
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Corn.jpg?t=1346722308

EuroBanana
09-04-2012, 02:24 PM
9-3-12 Just another update....Things have been really taking off. Too bad the growing season is coming to a close in about a month for us here in zone 5. Here are some pictures:

Elephant ears


http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/AlocasiaBorneoGiant9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721668
Alocasia Borneo Giant

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/ColocasiaJacksGiant9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721573
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/JacksGiantLeaf9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721557
Colocasia 'Jacks Giant'...leaves getting pretty big, but still quite small compared to what this type is capable of.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Alocasiaporteii9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721443
Alocasia porteii

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/AlocasiaplumbeaPerfectDark9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721109
Alocasia plumbea 'Jurrasic Dark'

Other tropicals

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/TravelersTree9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721794
Travelers Tree...getting chewed off this summer has really set this one back and although it's growing, very slowly and leaves are small compared to what they were last summer. Glad it's sorta recovering, but it's still heavily fortified to protect it from further damage.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Pseudodracontiumhermandii9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721456
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Pseudodracontiumhermandiiseeds9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721338
Pseudocracontium hermandii...four stalks are up now and it's bloomed twice this summer. Has some seeds on there that hopefully will mature. Kind of a slow start, but it's done a lot this year.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Amorphophallusbulbifer9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721120
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Bulbiferbulbs9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721350
Amorphophallus bulbifer...three stalks are on there now and another just coming up. Also starting to show more of the bulbifer traits like the bumps/warts on the petiole branches. I've read you can remove them and they will form new plants. Maybe I'll try it sometime.

Bananas

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/SDC9-3-12.jpg?t=1346722273
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/SDCpups29-3-12.jpg?t=1346722160
Super Dwarf Cavendish...doing quite well. To my surprise I found three pups on there today! It didn't have any the last time I watered it. You can see two in the pic and the last is behind the p-stem (you can just see a part of its little leaf on the R).

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Basjoo9-3-12.jpg?t=1346722110
Basjoo...wasn't doing much of anything before, but it's finally springing up. Still tiny compared to the two others of the same size planted the same day.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Ensetesuperbum9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721898
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Superbumbase9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721919
Ensete superbum....doing great, nice fat bottom. Planted with basjoo, same date, same size.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Enseteglaucum9-3-12.jpg?t=1346722026
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Glaucumbase9-3-12.jpg?t=1346722005
Ensete glaucum...planted at the same time as basjoo and superbum, but is now much larger than either and is now the largest of all my bananas!

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/DwarfBrazilian9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721813
Dwarf Brazilian....coming along nicely.

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/PrayingHands9-3-12.jpg?t=1346721694
Praying Hands...leaves are getting pretty big now.

And lastly, a view of behind the bananas. Beautiful Iowa :)
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Corn.jpg?t=1346722308

Hi Brian,

Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures !
I liked corn field too.
Iowa ? I've heard you have got the most tasteful (Mac Cain ?) potatoes there ! Do I mistake ?
Nice area !


Phil

john_ny
09-04-2012, 02:53 PM
Idaho, not Iowa, is the state that is famous for it's potatoes.

LilRaverBoi
09-04-2012, 06:20 PM
LOL yeah, we grow mostly corn and soybeans in Iowa. We are actually #1 for corn production in the US (~20% of US production and ~7% of the world production). Idaho is the potato state, not Iowa.....people do confuse that fairly often, though...even here in the states.

willy1der
09-05-2012, 06:33 PM
Love the E.glaucum,I have 3 glaucum seeds that have sprouted this week,looking forward to them!!!

LilRaverBoi
09-05-2012, 09:39 PM
Yeah, glaucum is one I've wanted for a few years now and finally took the plunge this summer. Thus far, I have to say I'm very impressed with the rapid growth and overall form.

EuroBanana
09-07-2012, 03:50 PM
Sorry for having mixed Idaho and Iowa !
But......Giant green corn is even tastier than Mc Cain potatoes !

Phil

LilRaverBoi
09-07-2012, 04:16 PM
NO worries! Like I said, it gets mixed up quite frequently. Plus I love potatoes....but I have to say, fresh Iowa sweet corn in the summer here is like a religious experience. :) But all the corn in that field, and 99% of the corn grown in Iowa is 'field corn' which is used for cereal, ethanol, corn syrup, animal feed, etc etc and is not very tasty off the cob.

LilRaverBoi
09-24-2012, 04:02 PM
9-24-12 update! Now entering 'winter mode.'

So I dug everything up and moved them inside for the winter on Saturday since we were going to (and did) have a frost that night. Kinda sucks that we had that random frost cause this week's temps are all much warmer (highs in the 70's and lows in the upper 40's) Had to completely rearrange our living room to make it work. Right now they are in west and north facing windows....definitely not ideal, but that's all I have to work with. I plan to put some lights on them soon to make sure they get enough light. Now onto pictures (cause let's be honest....everyone likes pictures!)....

Overall living room pictures:
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/LivingRoom19-24-12.jpg?t=1348516117
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/LivingRoom39-24-12.jpg?t=1348516033
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/LivingRoom29-24-12.jpg?t=1348516031

Non-bananas:

Travelers tree....still looks like crap, but it had a strong root system when I dug it up.
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/TravelersTree9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516385

Alocasia plumbea 'Jurrasic Dark'....split off half of this for another member here. This is the larger piece. Notice the two (and soon to be three) blooms on there! I've never had any elephant ears bloom, so it's cool to see that.
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/JurrasicDark9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516182
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/JurrasicDarkBlooms9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516102

Colocasia 'Jacks Giant'
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/JacksGiant9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516180

Alocasia 'Borneo Giant'
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/BorneoGiant9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516320

Alocasia porteii....did quite well in the ground for its first time. Started the summer super rough-looking, so I'm glad it did so well. Had great roots when I transplanted it and even has a little baby!
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Alocasiaporteii9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516389
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Alocasiaporteiipup9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516320

Bananas:

Praying hands....looking quite nice...2 feet of pstem.
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/PrayingHands9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516250

Ensete maurelii...grew slowly this summer, but it was pretty shaded where it was located (and also in a pot)...1.5 feet of pstem.
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Ensetemaurelii9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516249

Basjoo....still quite small by comparison to the others planted at the same time/size. Also took the transplant somewhat poorly. I'm sure it will spring up next summer and should be ready for overwintering by fall...1 foot 2 inches of pstem.
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Basjoo9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516456

Dwarf Brazilian...pretty solid growth this summer. Note small pup coming up in the back and coffee cup for size comparison...2 feet 3 inches of pstem.
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/DwarfBrazilian9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516448
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/DwarfBrazilianpstem9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516517

Ensete superbum...about a foot of stocky pstem.
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Ensetesuperbum9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516584
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Ensetesuperbumpstem9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516521

Super Dwarf Cavendish...considering it got broken off at the soil-line in mid-june, I'd say it grew pretty well. Now has three pups...2 feet 5 inches of pstem (best of 2012 award winner).
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/SDC9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516649
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/SDCpstemandpups9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516588

Ensete glaucum...did NOT take the transplant well. It's been super droopy since then and many of the leaves have dry/dead portions. I'm sure it will be fine, but might not look as nice as it did before I dug it up...2 feet 3 inches of pstem (best new variety award winner).
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Enseteglaucum9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516684
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Enseteglaucumpstem9-24-12.jpg?t=1348516654

And one final note: I've never done this in the past, but I've removed the bottom leaves on pretty much all of the bananas. Every one of them had leaves all the way to the base, but I figured when I dug them up that I removed a large portion of their roots and therefore, should remove some of the leaves to help prevent shock/damage to the plants.

2012 has been a good year for my plants, despite drought conditions all summer. I'm sure next year I will have some massive plants. Definitely NOT looking forward to ubiquitous spider mites all winter.....the war begins again!

LilRaverBoi
05-08-2013, 10:46 PM
Winter 'seems' as though it may be ending. Then again, I was camping in Missouri all last weekend and had below freezing temps there and some flurries (and it was cold/rainy otherwise....not exactly 'optimal' camping weather!).

I've got a garden started: onions, lettuce, radishes, arugula, kohlrabi and a few other things. Will be planting the bananas in the ground in a week or two (waiting just to be SURE conditions won't be too cold.

Moved 4 out of 6 bananas outside my garage door tonight. They're easily movable so if the forecasts look too cold, I'll move them into the garage and close the door. Basjoo and the travelers tree are casualties of overwintering :( Most things look kinda rough, but if I can get them more light/heat, I'm sure everything will pull through. Should be able to get some pretty nice things going this summer. Hopefully will have some monsters by fall.

Also, purchased a new corpse flower: Amorphophallus paeoniifolius. Corm is 6 inches and just under 2 lbs. Pretty excited to have another. The other two I have already (pseudodracontium hermandii and A. bulbifer) should be bigger and better this year again. Also, have a few off-shoots of both that should help increase the size of my stinky plant section LOL. Here's a pic of what the paeoniifolius bloom could look like in a few years:
http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/images/AmoPae2.jpg
Pretty excited about this one!

Zacarias
05-09-2013, 01:48 AM
Love your pictures. We can really see how the whole process has gone for you via your pictures.
I also got into amorphophallus this year. I bought a flowering size bulbifer but the flower still hasn't come up; Yet is doesn't have root nubs. The bulb is firm and everything so we'll see what happens. I have three konjacs that are coming up that are will probably flower next year if they get big enough this year. I also have a small A. albus corm too. I love those things. Also have Arisaema and dracunculus.

Great pics!

LilRaverBoi
05-09-2013, 10:07 AM
My bulbifer hasn't bloomed yet either, but it started off pretty small. A few more years and it probably will bloom. Oh....did you know that if you peel off the little lumps on the intersections on the leaves that you can plant them and grow a new bulbifer? I just grew a new one that I took off last fall when I dug it up....sprouted and now I have another tiny one! They multiply on their own, too....but the lump thing is a cool way to increase your numbers.

Zacarias
05-09-2013, 07:22 PM
Yes I love the little bulbils that grow in between the leaflets. I am still hoping to get more amorphs this year so I have some flowers this coming winter/spring!

Zacarias
05-10-2013, 01:32 AM
Oh I wanted to add, I just found out that Pseudodracontium species have all been moved to to the genus Amorphophallus officially.

LilRaverBoi
05-10-2013, 07:46 PM
Oh I wanted to add, I just found out that Pseudodracontium species have all been moved to to the genus Amorphophallus officially.
Really? That's awesome! Somehow deep in my mind, it kinda bothered me that my pseudodracontium wasn't 'officially' an amorphophallus LOL. Guess I can now embrace it with open arms!

Oh, and just got a package in the mail today. OMG it's HUUUUUUUGE! I knew it was like 6" across and nearly 2 lbs, but something about seeing it in person is just shocking.

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius:
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Amorphophalluspaeoniifolius5-10-13_zpsd58f0417.jpg

Zacarias
05-12-2013, 06:51 PM
Man I'm jealous! That's gonna be a great flower. Did you get it from a seller in the states? I just see the growth point on my bulbifer rotted off so I'm just gonna get a leaf this year. That's OK as hopefully with my fertilizing/watering plan, I'll have big bulbs of all my Amorphophallus. I have my Arisaema Tortuosum and Drancunculus Vulgaris coming up just now too.

My TC bananas that I got from Wellsprings are growing but very slowly. It's just a lesson in patience until they get big enough to put on really good growth.

Z

LilRaverBoi
05-12-2013, 07:37 PM
The paeoniifolius was from an Ebay seller in Nevarre, FL. I'm super happy with it. So how do I tell if this will be a bloom or leaves? I didn't realize you could tell before it opens up. I also just purchased a 3 lbs 2 oz Konjac corm today LOL....another addiction, I guess.

Best of luck with your Amorphs. Just looked up Arisaema Tortuosum....super cool-looking flower! And Dracunculus are very pretty. I found some bulbs at Menards (local hardware mega store like Home Depot/Lowes) and almost bought them, but didn't. Maybe I should have. I'm sure your bananas will spring up quickly once summer gets in full swing. They always do!

Zacarias
05-14-2013, 01:04 AM
To tell if it is going to be a leaf, look around the growth point. If there are root nubbies (areas where it looks like they want to grow roots) then it will be a leaf. A bloom will be growing from the center without any root nubbies (usually). It can't tell in your pic if those are nubbies or not.
A >3lb Konjac? That's awesome and expensive to ship! LOL
My Dracunculus is just coming up, I don't know if it will flower this year. I planted some corms of Pinellia tooa few weeks ago but they aren't up yet.
We just had record heat and the bananas are growing and pretty soon will need to be potted up.

LilRaverBoi
05-14-2013, 08:51 AM
Well, I see no root nubbies on the new corm, so guess it may be a bloom! Just checked the other two corpse flowers I have coming up and based on the 'root nubbie' rule, they both look like leaves :( Although the harmandii always blooms and has leaves at the same time (and it bloomed 2 or 3 times last season from the same plant....odd). Bulbifer hasn't bloomed yet, so we'll see, but I guess maybe not this year.

As far as shipping goes on the konjac, it was in Wisconsin and I live in Iowa, so shipping was only $11. Not too shabby. Should have it tomorrow or the next day.

Supposed to be 90 degrees today and quite a few of the bananas are outside, so hopefully things will spring into summer growth!

Zacarias
05-16-2013, 05:04 PM
Yeah Harmandii doesn't act like a typical amorphophallus it seems. My konjacs are growing like crazy.
The weather here in the San Diego/Tijuana area is crazy. Several days it's in the 80s in the day and 60s at night so the bananas get all excited and then it goes back to mid 60s and 50s at night and windy so my TCs never know what's up. It's lack of consistency that frustrates me. The more established bananas don't care but the TCs need consistency I think.
At least my gladiolas and tigridia are blooming now. :) Of course like you, I like the more exotic plants like aroid and nanners.

Z

LilRaverBoi
05-17-2013, 10:02 PM
Got my konjac....it's massive! Looks like this is probably a leaf, but time will tell.
http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/LilRaverBoi308/Amorphophalluskonjac5-15-13_zps9a2ee201.jpg

Weather has been pretty nice here, I'll probably get all the bananas/elephant ears/corpse flowers planted in the garden within the next week or so (although I've been keeping busy on the farm the past week or so). Excited for another growing season....should have some large plants this year!

Zacarias
05-18-2013, 12:48 AM
Cool Konjac! Yeah I see the nubbies on that konjac corm and it looks like a leaf. The crater or blank spot was the flower in the middle. It will be a tall leaf which will be cool!

Yeah I have a few more aroids to plant in the ground but I'm debating where!

Z

P.S. Has the Paeonifolius grown some yet?

LilRaverBoi
05-18-2013, 02:49 PM
Yeah, it's getting bigger. Hasn't opened up yet, but it's moving along. I'll take pics along the way and eventually put them up when something more exciting has happened.

Oh and someone on Ebay is selling a 9.5 lb konjac corm! It looks massive!