Help-advice needed

From: "MJ Hatfield" mjhatfield at oneota.org> on 2002.02.03 at 16:43:17(8157) About 2 months ago I watched as my Typhonium pedunculatum's end leaves began to droop and curl. I didn't know if this was a precursor to dormancy or some problem with the plant. Over the weeks I watched more and more leaves curl and droop until finally I unpotted it to find not much left of a rotting tuber. It's gone. +More But now I have (You S. Florida folk don't laugh, please.) a Gonatopus bovinii that finished growing a new, robust petiole, about 1"-1 1/2"" in diameter, to a height of about 4'. Ahh, it looked great with it's thick shiny, mottled, glass smooth petiole. Then it sent up a flower stalk, then another. The flowers have yet to open but the leaves of the plant began to curl and droop, much like the Typhonium. I looked for some sort of "bug" explanation but couldn't find any. I waited for two weeks, but the droop did not improve. Finally, tonight, I unpotted this thing, ever so gently, to find the roots and tuber in fine shape. I repotted it, gently, with a fresh mix. My question now is, what should I do that would be best for the plant. It has been disrupted, some roots inadvertently torn, and it will not recover without some help. Do I: 1. cut off both the flower stalks to allow energy back to the plant 2. cut off some of the outer leaves to allow energy back to the plant 3. leave it alone and let whatever happen, happen (The plant is indestructible, or so I am told.) I know that babies can be started easily from leaves (not quite as easily as I am told though). I know this is a weed to some of you. But I am rather fond of it and am not ready to lose it. Please advise. Thank you. MJ Hatfield

From: "patricia frank" tricia_frank at hotmail.com> on 2002.02.03 at 17:46:39(8162) Remember Mj, you have friends in Miami and should never be without a Gonatopus bovinii. Tricia +More >From: "MJ Hatfield" >Reply-To: aroid-l@mobot.org >To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L >Subject: Help-advice needed >Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2002 10:43:14 -0600 (CST) > >About 2 months ago I watched as my Typhonium pedunculatum's end leaves >began >to droop and curl. I didn't know if this was a precursor to dormancy or >some >problem with the plant. Over the weeks I watched more and more leaves curl >and droop until finally I unpotted it to find not much left of a rotting >tuber. It's gone. > >But now I have (You S. Florida folk don't laugh, please.) a Gonatopus >bovinii that finished growing a new, robust petiole, about 1"-1 1/2"" in >diameter, to a height of about 4'. Ahh, it looked great with it's thick >shiny, mottled, glass smooth petiole. Then it sent up a flower stalk, then >another. The flowers have yet to open but the leaves of the plant began to >curl and droop, much like the Typhonium. > >I looked for some sort of "bug" explanation but couldn't find any. I waited >for two weeks, but the droop did not improve. Finally, tonight, I unpotted >this thing, ever so gently, to find the roots and tuber in fine shape. I >repotted it, gently, with a fresh mix. > >My question now is, what should I do that would be best for the plant. It >has been disrupted, some roots inadvertently torn, and it will not recover >without some help. Do I: >1. cut off both the flower stalks to allow energy back to the plant >2. cut off some of the outer leaves to allow energy back to the plant >3. leave it alone and let whatever happen, happen (The plant is >indestructible, or so I am told.) > >I know that babies can be started easily from leaves (not quite as easily >as >I am told though). I know this is a weed to some of you. But I am rather >fond of it and am not ready to lose it. > >Please advise. >Thank you. >MJ Hatfield > > > _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com

From: mburack at mindspring.com> on 2002.02.04 at 17:31:17(8173) Sounds like the gammet of tuber rot problems. Use a drier soil mix.. and stop watering. I have gonatopus as well (here in florida) growing rampantly in the backyard... When my pool was being built my sprinklers were turned off for 7 weeks, and we were in the biggest drought in 50 years. The plant couldnt have cared less. +More aroid-l@mobot.org wrote: > About 2 months ago I watched as my Typhonium pedunculatum's end leaves began to droop and curl. I didn't know if this was a precursor to dormancy or some problem with the plant. Over the weeks I watched more and more leaves curl and droop until finally I unpotted it to find not much left of a rotting tuber. It's gone. But now I have (You S. Florida folk don't laugh, please.) a Gonatopus bovinii that finished growing a new, robust petiole, about 1"-1 1/2"" in diameter, to a height of about 4'. Ahh, it looked great with it's thick shiny, mottled, glass smooth petiole. Then it sent up a flower stalk, then another. The flowers have yet to open but the leaves of the plant began to curl and droop, much like the Typhonium. I looked for some sort of "bug" explanation but couldn't find any. I waited for two weeks, but the droop did not improve. Finally, tonight, I unpotted this thing, ever so gently, to find the roots and tuber in fine shape. I repotted it, gently, with a fresh mix. My question now is, what should I do that would be best for the plant. It has been disrupted, some roots inadvertently torn, and it will not recover without some help. Do I: 1. cut off both the flower stalks to allow energy back to the plant 2. cut off some of the outer leaves to allow energy back to the plant 3. leave it alone and let whatever happen, happen (The plant is indestructible, or so I am told.) I know that babies can be started easily from leaves (not quite as easily as I am told though). I know this is a weed to some of you. But I am rather fond of it and am not ready to lose it. Please advise. Thank you. MJ Hatfield

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