weeds are plants too

From: Lester Kallus lkallus at earthlink.net> on 2001.04.02 at 15:39:22(6130) I'm almost afraid to ask this. (Dewey, take a valium before you read this.) Now before any of you southerners go berserk, remember that I live up north and that hard frost kills even the most invasive tender weeds. So with that in mind, what's the best way to grow Gonatopus? How much sun optimizes growth? Is it best in sandy, loamy or boggy soil? How much (and how frequently) should I fertilize it? How tall with they get when mature? Les

From: Regferns at aol.com on 2001.04.02 at 16:39:59(6131) GONATOPUS!!!!!!! aarghhhhhh!!!!! Right now I have several volunteers making their debut around my property. From my experience, fertilizers and nutrients are not necessary. It appears there is a concerted effort on behalf of the plant to take over the world. Now, you too have been chosen to be a hapless victim. All kidding aside, mine are growing in a brightly lit area of my garden. Their distribution may have been though birds or lizards carrying the fallen leaves (which will sprout a new plant without any encouragement) . Reggie Whitehead South Miami, FL

From: Lester Kallus lkallus at earthlink.net> on 2001.04.02 at 20:41:08(6132) I suspect the southerners are going to be totally grossed out when I devote a few pages on my website to Gontopus photos including closeups of any reproductive parts & volunteers creeping up in the yard. Don't get totally grossed out about northerners seeking Gonatopus. You can spread out the disgust by recalling that we also pay $4 for Pistia & water hyacinths (per each). +More And here you folks didn't even know that you were potential millionairs. (Incidentally, on a totally different unrelated topic - does anyone know how to modify my listserver attributes so that I can see messages that I've posted? Currently, I have to take it on faith that my messages make it. The first response is generally the verification that it's there. I understand there's some command I can issue so that my message is mirrored back to me when it's posted.) Thanks. anyway, while typing this, I decided that I'm going to try to photograph Gonatopus growing next to my pond covered with Pistia. Les

From: Durightmm at aol.com on 2001.04.02 at 20:42:06(6134) In SW Fl. "G" grows rather recklessly with little or no choice of soil. It thrives in beds but grows well as a volunteer. it grows to 4-41/2 ft tall and is self reliant. Contained it is a rather nice plant and for you I am sure it could be an interesting one. As Reggie said it is prolific and must be mastered. Good growing Joe

From: plantnut plantnut at macconnect.com> on 2001.04.02 at 21:12:37(6135) Lester, Surely you must be ill.... I suggest you start on a regimen of antioxodents, and various other pills... all different colors, shapes and sizes.... Possibly that will help... As far as the plant is concerned.... pull up every one you can find and put it in a plastic bag at the curb.... Dewey +More >I'm almost afraid to ask this. (Dewey, take a valium before you read this.) > >Now before any of you southerners go berserk, remember that I live up north >and that hard frost kills even the most invasive tender weeds. > >So with that in mind, what's the best way to grow Gonatopus? How much sun >optimizes growth? Is it best in sandy, loamy or boggy soil? How much (and >how frequently) should I fertilize it? > >How tall with they get when mature? > > Les

From: Jmh98law at aol.com on 2001.04.03 at 00:13:45(6136) In a message dated 4/2/2001 4:12:59 PM US Eastern Standard Time, plantnut@macconnect.com writes: Lester, +More Surely you must be ill.... I suggest you start on a regimen of antioxodents, and various other pills... all different colors, shapes and sizes.... Possibly that will help... As far as the plant is concerned.... pull up every one you can find and put it in a plastic bag at the curb.... Dewey >I'm almost afraid to ask this. (Dewey, take a valium before you read this.) > >Now before any of you southerners go berserk, remember that I live up north >and that hard frost kills even the most invasive tender weeds. > >So with that in mind, what's the best way to grow Gonatopus? How much sun >optimizes growth? Is it best in sandy, loamy or boggy soil? How much (and >how frequently) should I fertilize it? > >How tall with they get when mature? > > Les Well, we know that it's not Spring yet -- the time change notwithstanding. This sounds like the thread we had going a year ago about how to get the spots out of T-shirts. Where is Hermoine . . . surely, you have a contribution here! I miss your acerbic wit! Jeanne M. Hannah, Esq. Traverse City, MI 49686 Tel. (231) 223-7864 Fax: (231) 223-7868 EM: jmh98law@aol.com

From: Piabinha at aol.com on 2001.04.03 at 02:44:33(6137) In a message dated 4/2/2001 8:14:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Jmh98law@aol.com writes: Where is Hermoine . . . surely, you have a contribution here! I miss your +More acerbic wit! she now haunts the opera list! tsuh yang chen, nyc, USA http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orchidspecies

From: Dean Sliger deanslgr at juno.com> on 2001.04.03 at 02:44:52(6138) Les - One person's "weed" is another person's "of easy care" plant (Marge Talt's out there somewhere rolling her eyes). Sorry for not paying attention in the past, but where "north" are you? I can't find much information on this genus. I'll bet the Florida people are just trying to keep it all to themselves. ;-) Dean +More On Mon, 2 Apr 2001 15:41:08 -0500 (CDT) Lester Kallus writes: > I suspect the southerners are going to be totally grossed out when I > devote > a few pages on my website to Gontopus photos including closeups of > any > reproductive parts & volunteers creeping up in the yard. > > Don't get totally grossed out about northerners seeking Gonatopus.

From: Steve Marak samarak at arachne.uark.edu> on 2001.04.03 at 03:45:19(6139) >From my home in frigid (compared to southern Florida) north Arkansas, where we'll probably get another good frost or two this year, it all seems a bit ironic. It's true, though, that even in my small greenhouse, where I make no attempt whatever to actively propagate Gonatopus boivinii, I seem to always have just enough to give away ... and I can understand a baby or two in pots near and beneath the parent plants, but where did those others come from, the ones in pots meters away and higher on the shelves? What are the "native" conditions in which G. boivinii is found, anyway? I see that the range is along the SE coast of Africa, but from the dormancy (and the close relationship to Zamioculcas) I'd always assumed there was some dryness involved. They certainly tolerate neglect well for me. But then there was that one that somehow showed up in a pot of Drosera, in one of my small carnivorous plant trays, easily 2 meters from any other Gonatopus and several feet higher. Having plenty around, I left it, in a sadistic experiment to see just how long it could tolerate such hostile (I thought) conditions - those trays are kept standing in distilled water, never fed, and what soil there is is 50/50 peat/sand. The nutrient level must be nearly zero. After two years, during which the Gonatopus never looked at all stressed, I gave up and removed it, because it was getting way too big for the pot. I've never seen such fat roots on one, and not brittle either. The Drosera was somewhat the worse for the experience, though. Steve +More -- Steve Marak -- samarak@arachne.uark.edu

From: Lester Kallus lkallus at earthlink.net> on 2001.04.03 at 15:16:29(6140) I live on Long Island in a seemingly slightly cooler pocket than the rest of LI. It always seems about 3-4 degrees cooler in my yard than in friends' yards just a few blocks away. Their bulbs come up earlier and their first frost is usually a week or so later. Anyway, this is supposed to be zone 7a although I've rarely seen it below the upper single digits and haven't seen the temperature drop below 8 degrees in the past 3 years. That would technically make it 7b. The problem has usually been the duration of the cold and not just the absolute bottom temperature. This year, we're having the latest spring I've ever seen. From the number and type of responses I've gotten, I look forward to photographs of a small bed of Gonatopus (I have only a small handful of tubers so far).. I'll probably try to place a link for some soothing New Age music to play while viewing that page to relax the rabid southerners who decompensate while looking at the web page. If phalloids have been used as a food source by various cultures, have no cultures tried to eat these tubers? It seems like they could solve the world hunger problem from the reported rampant growth habits. McGonatopus anyone? +More Les

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2001.04.03 at 15:17:03(6141) Les, Remember that there are TWO 'varieties' down here, the smaller 'regular' one w/ the markings, AND a MUCH larger all-green 'form' SAID to be the same species. Good luck---how goes the cassavas?? Sincerely, Julius +More >>I suspect the southerners are going to be totally grossed out when I devote a few pages on my website to Gontopus photos including closeups of any reproductive parts & volunteers creeping up in the yard. Don't get totally grossed out about northerners seeking Gonatopus. You can spread out the disgust by recalling that we also pay $4 for Pistia & water hyacinths (per each). And here you folks didn't even know that you were potential millionairs. (Incidentally, on a totally different unrelated topic - does anyone know how to modify my listserver attributes so that I can see messages that I've posted? Currently, I have to take it on faith that my messages make it. The first response is generally the verification that it's there. I understand there's some command I can issue so that my message is mirrored back to me when it's posted.) Thanks. anyway, while typing this, I decided that I'm going to try to photograph Gonatopus growing next to my pond covered with Pistia. Les<<

Note: this is a very old post, so no reply function is available.