Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

hey..great to hear from u steve!! :)
i dont know with the "giant" amorphs if dwarfing the plant wouldnt also
have an adverse affect on the corm growth..??? but i dont know for sure.
the corm growth for next season relies on vegetative growth to renew the corm
.. that is a really good question..
?? you have some of the "tropical" amorphs??
so far..im good with my tallest ones.. now if i ever get my titanums to size
where they could flower.. i might have to rent a greenhouse..:)
flowering size for titanum corms needing to be in 50# + size..
i have help from neighbour kid lifting my largest pots in the fall into the house..
last yrs.. im guessing were around 250#.. im tough..not that tough though..
LOL

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

I plant all my amorphs, colocasia, alocasia, bananas, etc etc outside during the summer. I've never had any issues with soil pathogens. Amorphs get dug up in the fall just after first frost, then all soil hosed off and dried out. They sit in my livingroom without water/care until they decided to break dormancy. Thus far it's been a good process for me for the past 4 years of so I've been growing them. I've heard titanum is more fastidious and requires special care/attention, but I've never looked into it too much at this point. I do find I get optimal growth out of mine by allowing them unrestricted root growth in the ground and full sun outdoors.

This is just how I grow mine, and it has worked for me thus far.

And as for height control....never tried it and don't think I ever will. I feel like it'd cause more problems than it would give solutions.

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

great to read of other amorph/aroid enthusiasts!! :)
i planted my konjac in raised beds couple yrs ago..they did well..but
they got FULL sun..to much i think..LOL so..
im now using fabric pots.. as you said lilrav.. i find the more girth room
u can give them ..more room for roots.. they really dont need "deep" pots
i like the "breathable" nature of fabric pots..and the price.. i can get pots
up to 400 gal ..not needing one that size..yet..LOL ..but this growing season
i will have my largest titanum corms in 80 gal pots.. for just that reason..
they are 40" wide. giving lots of room for root growth..and hopefully
girth growth in the corm.. hopefully...:woohoonaner:
?? what do u all use for your potting mix..
?? lilrav..what do u ammend the soil where u plant out your amorphs..also
for your EE's..???
much thanks

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

I don't really do anything with the soil. Iowa has nice black soil. I fertilize once a month or so with Osmocote slow-release pellets. I'm thinking of getting some compost to mix in this year, though.

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

Have these in Ohio, Konjac in ground at 9 inches deep.....good preformer.

I use a soiless mix that I make that I USE ON EVERYTHING... just a little more of this and that, depending what kind of plant your growing, the only thing missing in the photo
is the Soil conditioner which is pine fines which are sold as a soil conditioner.
fertilizers are a generic granular at 18 18 18.....seem to work good for me.
In the woods soil is supplemented with a lot of wood chips(8 inches) and leaves.



I currently have a bunch of these in dormancy in the garage, in pots ready to go....
Sauratum, Konjac, Paeoniifolius, Bulbifer, . various bulb sizes , some mature and lots of babies.
My growth cycle is May through September, my plants do all their business in short period of time. They flower then pop out a leaf for 3 months then gone. I leave many in containers while dormant...... I believe It cuts down on desiccation( moisture loss) of the corm . I have only had a few rot over the years:)
I treat my plants as annual bulbs......that is what they are.
By September they are Back in the garage stacked up in containers ready to go next spring.
The containers dry up somewhat but there is still some moisture.
Garage temp is 35 to 45
I also have many in the ground year round Sauromatum, Konjac.


Konjacs in full sun as well as Sauratums.....best bulb size happens in the ground for me, however they do well in part shade also.

If I knew this was going to popular with a few people ...... I would have taken more pics.
Of course this is my humble aroid opinion.:08:

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

cincinnca.. very cool !!! :08:
i live in riverbottom area..so really rocky.. i do have great
drainage though..:)
most of my property is full sun.. i have one area on east side that
gets some shade midday from neighbours walnut tree..
and free walnuts in winter to feed the birds..heehhe
your planting gives me idea ..i could put in raised beds on east side..
nothing goes there except tall canna musafolia.. but i would still have
alot of room..mmmm.. have to give that some thought..
otherwise..i use ALOT of pots..and since my amorphs (all of them) are
getting bigger each yr..i have to get larger and larger pots every yr..
what we do for our plants! !! :goteam:

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

:)Whats up with this....
Last year I had a bigger than soft ball sized Konjac do its usual spring ritual of sending out a flower in late May.
After that it did NOTHING, no seed no leaf, no nothing.
Bulb is hard as a rock with the usual weight.
Plant height is usually at 4.5 feet.
Bulb is in a pot at the moment, dormant in the garage.

Thoughts??? I am clueless.



Ariseama??

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

I notice that most people on the forums grow amorphophallus konjac more than any of the other ones. Is it the easiest one to grow?

I've never grown them before, but am starting with titanum because I want to get the biggest flower possible.

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

cincinna.. "most times" amorph corms will double,even treble in
size.. from vegetative growth.. ive found they do this in the most
"opportunistic" growing conditions..
with konjac..mine put on some size from yr previous..that is the
larger corms.. 5# +.. the small cormels..they double with ease..
my take with your "softball"sized konjac..is the flower took alot of the
energy out of the corm..and the corm just rested..u say it didnt even put
up a leaf?? you said it is firm..about same weight..i would think maybe the
corm just took a vacation last yr..:)
ive found that the amorphs are pretty heavy feeders.. i give mine 20:20:20 when i pot them up..then around aug i give them 15:50:15.. the extra P helps the corm growth..
steve..ya..konjac is an easy available amorph..and is pretty easy to grow..
i admire you wanting to go with titanum.. just keep in mind.. they can..if grown
well.. get huge.. HUGE.. a 4 yr old corm..again (if grown well) can get to
around 70#..
i hear ya on wanting to get one to flower..im hoping im only 2 yrs away with
a couple of mine.. if i dont kill them..sigh.. :(
also steve.. do u have a tall greenhouse.or living room u can keep them warm
overwinter??? titanums are true tropical amorphs..they cant be left out of
potting mix while dormant.. while with many of the "semi tropical" amorphs..
they can be left out of soil..
good luck to both !!!! keep us posted on how they do...

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

Thats what I am hoping it did..

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

I started off with Sauromatum then Konjac then Bulbifer....
All of them seem easy to grow, I do nothing really special.
The container plants all get the same soiless mix and fertilizer, and are stored the same way. Tropical Amorphs are another story, I have no experience with them.

Each plant creates many small bulbs and over the years.. I have them in containers and also tucked in the woods, they give a good tropical look.

Then about five years ago I went sideways and started an Ariseama zoo.:)

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

I went out in the garage and dumped and sifted two 4 gal containers.
Corms are Amorph Sauromatum, the ones in the foreground are bloom size and the others have a year or two before they bloom

These are small corms however plant height is 3.5 for the more mature ones.
Note how plump they are, they are ready to grow once conditions are met.
Some of the ones that are planted in the ground are grapefruit size and plant size is still at 4 feet, however the leaf is 3 feet across.

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

If Amorphophallus titanum is a tropical species, then wouldn't that make it easier to take care of since it won't necessarily need cooler temperatures?

My idea is to simply keep them under room temperature and when they get too tall, grow the entire plant sideways with the top going towards the window with periodic pot rotation, of course shrink wrapping the soil ahead of time so it doesn't spill all over the place. Of course I would hope that they come out of dormancy right when the last freeze is over, but tropicals may not always follow a time line eh.

Based on it's leaf structure, I really doubt it would have trouble adjusting to stronger light.

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

Yeah, Steve....konjac are one of the easiest to get a hold of and is pretty simple to grow. And it's proliferative. Bulbifer is another one that's easy to grow/propegate. The warts that grow on the leafs can be pulled off and will grow into new plants (as well as seeds and off-shoots).

Titanum is a bit particular on its conditions/soil, etc. and like stated, cannot be kept dormant out of soil as many others (like konjac) can.

Cincinnana, have any paeoniifolius that you are looking to part with for the right price? Really would love to have one.

Thus far my konjac bloom is up 22" and hasn't opened up at all yet. Hopefully this will be nice, big and stinky! :)

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

What's the point of bringing it out of the soil?

For my amaryllis, or other bulb/corm plants, I simply like to leave them in their pots through the winter, and only up-pot them if they are getting too big for their pots.

Are titanums prone to corm rot?

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

Amorphophallus can rot if left in soil with too much moisture. I remove all soil from mine and let them sit/dry out all winter while they are dormant. I'm not sure what the potential for rotting is for titanum, but I do know they should be left in soil when dormant. Pretty sure they need consistent hot/balmy temperatures for proper growth/development/flowering. I have a friend in St. Louis that grows them and has excellent success blooming titanum (gets several blooms per year). She does this because she keeps them in a temp controlled greenhouse year round at high temps/humidity. Not sure what the success would be outside of this environment. I do know that she gave the Missouri Botanical Gardens a few and they haven't gotten a bloom yet.

Edit: update on konjac bloom...22 inches, not opening yet.

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

Nice !!!!
Looks like a real stinker .
I am still 60 days out at least.before I see any action.....waiting.

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

super posts everyone!!! :)
my largest konjac are just about to open..thank goodness they are in back room. LOL
because all the "tropical" amorphs have to be kept in soil..and can never
dry out.. thus prone to easy rot,fungal infections.. ive had good success using
a biological fungicide.. i started with actinovate..now i use a 'generic' brand
its cheaper,but also has several endo/ecto bacteria in it.. it creates a good
symbiotic soil relationship..they soil is happy.. ive had no loss from all that
bacterial activity in the soil..at slightly moist/warm conditions.. and i dont loose
the corms.. and if anyone has checked out prices on titamum corms.they aint
cheap..lol :)
there will be nice corms show up on ebay soon.. i hope to add to my other
species amorphs.. currently i have 11 titanums..enough already..LOL..and
4 of the other "tropicals" (hewittii) hopefully this yr..i will get the other 2 tropicals.. gigas,descus-salvae.. most come out of germany..some serious growers there

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

36" tall currently. Looks like it may start to open soon. The spathe is loosening around the spadix.

Re: anyone growing amorphophallus?
 

For those that are interested in Aroids but the high cost to get started is holding you back here is an inexpencive source.

Currently many Home Depots and Meijers are selling A.cornutum/sauromatum For under 8.00
3 blooming size corms.:08:

It is a good place to start.