ABSTRACT:

The cultivation requirements for tuberous or geophytic aroids can be considered in two parts during a given year: the active above-ground growth of aerial parts and the below-ground dormancy of the rootstock. Most attention to this subject in the horticultural literature and in discussions involves the former; this article will focus on the rest period of these plants, mainly as this pertains to container cultivation. My experience in this plant category comes from over three decades of cultivating about 2000 different geophytes including numerous aroids. In growing these plants I have sought to find what will succeed in keeping them year to year rather than discovering an easier or more efficient methodology–a hobbyist rather than a commercial approach.