Dry heat death for aroids?

From: Leslie Georgeson skinnychick2 at yahoo.com> on 2003.08.05 at 22:33:10(10474) Hello fellow aroiders, We recently relocated to Tucson, Arizona where it's not uncommon for the temperatures to rise into the triple digits during the summer months (which is pretty hot, considering we just moved from northern Idaho, where the snow drifts can reach over 12 feet high). At any rate, I had to transport my horde of plants with me and am now wondering how they will fair in this heat. My aroids include Alocasias, Colocasias, and Xanthosomas that I fear will simply melt away at these temperatures. Any suggestions or expert advice how I can keep my "beauties" alive? Right now I've got them all inside, except for a Colocasia gigantea, which is under the sheltered patio with my Abyssinian bananas and palm trees. This Colocasia will be my tester plant to see how it fairs. If it does well, I may bring out a few others, but I'm a bit leery about how they will do in 100+ temperatures, even in the shade. Any advice on growing these plants in high temperatures will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Leslie +More --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software

From: "BambooChik" bamboochik at earthlink.net> on 2003.08.06 at 14:23:29(10476) > [Original Message] > From: Leslie Georgeson Hello Leslie...I don't think the heat will be a problem. I think your problem will be lack of humidity. I grow hundreds of aroids here in the deep south where summer time temps. are regularly in the mid to upper 90's, but we have high humidity to go along with it. I would set up a misting system on my patio if I were you and have it set to run every 15 minutes or so with a few second shot. It wouldn't take that much water and you could turn it off in the evenings. As far as your Colocasia's go, they would be perfectly happy to sit in a wet, boggy, pot and would do very well. Xanthosomas, also should do fine like that; at least mine do here. Definitely keep them under shade of some kind as the constant desert sun would not be good for them. Even the Alocasia species which would enjoy more light would melt under those conditions without shade. I am sure that there are more experienced growers here as far as your conditions go who will have good advice for you, also. Sincerely, deb +More > Hello fellow aroiders, > > At any rate, I had to transport my horde of plants with me and am now wondering how they will fair in this heat. My aroids include Alocasias, Colocasias, and Xanthosomas that I fear will simply melt away at these temperatures. Any suggestions or expert advice how I can keep my "beauties" alive? Right now I've got them all inside, except for a Colocasia gigantea, which is under the sheltered patio with my Abyssinian bananas and palm trees. This Colocasia will be my tester plant to see how it fairs. If it does well, I may bring out a few others, but I'm a bit leery about how they will do in 100+ temperatures, even in the shade. > > Any advice on growing these plants in high temperatures will be greatly appreciated. > > Thank you. > > Leslie > > > --------------------------------- > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software

From: POHLMAND at aol.com on 2003.08.06 at 17:22:46(10477) I live in San Bernardino, California where the temperatures reach into the 100's every summer. My anthuriums, colocasias, amorphophallus, etc. all do very well in the shade on drip lines. I have had several of the large anthuriums over 25 years. +More Watch out for winter low temperatures. The AZ lows may not seem low to you after Idaho lows, but the plants won't like them. I bring my plants inside in the winter. Donna

From: Leslie Georgeson skinnychick2 at yahoo.com> on 2003.08.06 at 19:45:59(10478) Hi Bob, The plants I would like to bring outdoors include Alocasia macrrorhiza, odora, fallax, portei, zebrina reticulata, and frydek; Colocasia gigantea, illustris, black magic, red stem, and nancy's revenge; and Xanthosoma robustum. They will be under a covered patio for most of the day, but then the sun comes around in the afternoon, so I may try to shade them with my palm trees or bananas. I'm also going to put in a misting system to see if that helps. Any other info you can offer in terms of growing the above species outdoors in Tucson's dry heat would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Leslie +More Bob Bob wrote: Hi Leslie, I'm also from Tucson. maybe I can help. Some aroids do well, others ehh! You can call me in the evenings at 325-4220 Nyles >From: Leslie Georgeson >Reply-To: aroid-l@lists.ncsu.edu >To: aroiders , Peter Boyce > >Subject: [aroid-l] Dry heat death for aroids? >Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 15:33:10 -0700 (PDT) > >Hello fellow aroiders, > >We recently relocated to Tucson, Arizona where it's not uncommon for the >temperatures to rise into the triple digits during the summer months (which >is pretty hot, considering we just moved from northern Idaho, where the >snow drifts can reach over 12 feet high). > >At any rate, I had to transport my horde of plants with me and am now >wondering how they will fair in this heat. My aroids include Alocasias, >Colocasias, and Xanthosomas that I fear will simply melt away at these >temperatures. Any suggestions or expert advice how I can keep my >"beauties" alive? Right now I've got them all inside, except for a >Colocasia gigantea, which is under the sheltered patio with my Abyssinian >bananas and palm trees. This Colocasia will be my tester plant to see how >it fairs. If it does well, I may bring out a few others, but I'm a bit >leery about how they will do in 100+ temperatures, even in the shade. > >Any advice on growing these plants in high temperatures will be greatly >appreciated. > >Thank you. > >Leslie > > >--------------------------------- >Do you Yahoo!? >Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?pageþatures/featuredemail --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software

From: MossyTrail at cs.com on 2003.08.07 at 01:12:42(10479) "BambooChik" wrote: >Hello Leslie...I don't think the heat will be a problem. I think your >problem will be lack of humidity. Finally, someone said it: "It's not the heat, it's the lack of humidity!" I always did think that "dry heat" nonsense was ridiculous; I find that dry heat affects me worse, because it sucks the moisture out of me. Give me the humid kind!! As for aroids, I concur -- unless they are naturally desert species, the dryness will probably be the biggest threat to them. There are reasons why desert plants have waxy coatings, reduced or absent leaves, etc. The misting system will probably work, but will also probably be expensive in water bills. Definitely go with the shade! Jason Hernandez +More Naturalist-at-Large

From: "Cooper, Susan L." SLCooper at scj.com> on 2003.08.07 at 12:20:57(10480) Hi Leslie, I live in Wisconsin, but the sun is strong here in the summer- I made two shade houses on the cheap- one using a wire dog kennel with a shade cloth on top and sides, the other using a carport setup- for less than $100 you can get a 10x20 set up, and put shadecloth on it. Susan +More -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 2:46 PM To: Bob Bob; aroiders Subject: Re: [aroid-l] Dry heat death for aroids? Hi Bob, The plants I would like to bring outdoors include Alocasia macrrorhiza, odora, fallax, portei, zebrina reticulata, and frydek; Colocasia gigantea, illustris, black magic, red stem, and nancy's revenge; and Xanthosoma robustum. They will be under a covered patio for most of the day, but then the sun comes around in the afternoon, so I may try to shade them with my palm trees or bananas. I'm also going to put in a misting system to see if that helps. Any other info you can offer in terms of growing the above species outdoors in Tucson's dry heat would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Leslie

From: "BambooChik" bamboochik at earthlink.net> on 2003.08.07 at 12:36:30(10481) Leslie, some more suggestions I thought of after I sent my first response: Mulch! mulch! and more mulch! Also, you could make some water filled pebble beds to set the pots on for added humidity directly surrounding the plants. Where there's a will there's a way! I am a nut for cactus and succulents even though I live on a wetland. I deal with them the best I can, altering conditions when possible, they live on just fine in raised beds and pots filled with desert type soil and roof covers of clear fiberglass and sometimes oscillating fans if the air is very still in order to drop the humidity around them. Is there nothing we won't do for our plant children? ;-) Sincerely, deb/S.AL

From: "Alan Galloway" alan_galloway at ncsu.edu> on 2003.08.17 at 02:50:43(10492) Note from moderator -- this note was originally sent to aroid-l-owner@lists.ncsu.edu -- it appeared to be directed to aroid-l@lists.ncsu.edu, hence me forwarding it onto the list. +More ----- Original Message ----- To: Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 4:40 PM Subject: Re: Dry heat death for aroids? > Hello Leslie, > > I fear not the fires of Hell. I live in Phoenix. > > The lack of humidity is the problem. Benches with wet pebbles are > useless; don't even bother. > > Dry heat is much more tolerable than wet heat for humans. In Arizona we > sweat, and the water evaporates to cool us so rapidly we don't feel wet. > In moist heat the sweat stays on the skin and gived the wonderful sticky > sensation. Plus, since the water doesn't evaporate and doesn't cool us, > the body sweats more, resulting in even more of the delightful sticky > wet hot feeling. > > Skin is an incredible barrier to water loss; heat does not suck water > from us unless we run around with our mouth open. > > Noses conserve moisture in the desert; the longer the nose, the better > it works. As air is inhaled, water from the nasal mucosa evaporates to > cool and humidify the incoming air. This also cools the nose. During > exhalation, warm and water-saturated air from the lungs passes through > the cool nose, precipitating out the water on the lining of the nose, > from which it drains to the throat and is swallowed, together with > whatever else is inhaled that is not in gas phase. And you thought pack > rats had long noses just so they would look cute to humans. > > The water in Arizona is high in dissolved solids. Misting systems result > in a beautiful, lacy deposition of minerals on your plants after a few > days. Not many plants enjoy this. > > Full shade is important. A few of the large plants like Sauromatum > guttatum or whatever name it is now that I won't remember, and some > Amorphophallus, will tolerate a few hours of outside sun or a half > days's sun through a window. > > Caladiums tolerate a half day of full sun outside if well-watered. > Imagine that. > > I could never grow taro in my pond. The turn crisp. Taro grows here in > the shade quite well if watered. > > I never had an anthurium live long enough for me to get the price tag > off the pot. > > Spider mites are the greatest hazard. In just a few days they can damage > an aroid leaf to the point where the plant will die. > > Mark Dimmitt of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, a much > better aroid horticulturist than I, has tried various Amorphophallus > outside in the ground without success. Tucson has more summer rain and > humidity than does Phoenix, despite being only 110 miles / 200km southeast. > It is also 1000 feet / 280m higher in altitude than Phoenix. > > I've had my best success with Amorphophallus bulbifer, konjac, > paeoniifolius, and caladiums. I haven't tried a lot of the delicate-leaf > things because that's not what interests me. I can keep alive the most > difficult cactus but I kill pothos within a week. If you don't have a > humid greenhouse, I would suggest > > 1) in the house > 2) spray with water a lot > 3) expect spider mites - they will come sooner rather than later > 4) learn how to love cactus > > Leo > -- > Leo A. Martin > Phoenix, Arizona, USA > > Like cactus and succulents? > Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society > http://www.centralarizonacactus.org > >

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