From: "Wilbert Hetterscheid" hetter at xs4all.nl> on 2006.10.27 at 08:46:00(14773)
Hi Ron,
In the meantime you have had some answers to your question by a number of
expert Amorphophallus growers. Advices to behold!
One note from me: the black necrotic spots are quite often not dramatic.
They tend to be superficial. If you try to scrape them away, you'll notice
that you'll soon arrive at the haelthy tuber-'flesh'. Large spots (1 cm or
more) tend to be deeper and may dig themselves into the tuber, but even then
they can be removed and tubers are rarely detroyed by them. Problematic is
when a pinkish colour associates with the spots. This is bacterial and can
destroy the tuber in no time.
Still, generally it is good to use a very well-drained soil with
long-tubered species. If you want to avoid the lower end from rotting, see
to it that you have a gritty layer at the bottom of the pot of ca. 2 cm
thick.
As for aeration: although there has been some negative stuff on the list
about cocos fiber, I use it with great success in Amorphs, mixed with the
usual potting soil (I cannot afford to make a mix for every one of the 130
species I grow). The soil never compacts and after 8 months it is still
loose and dries well. However, some bastards need extra grit in the soil,
since they will rot whatever you try (think pendulus, manta, bufo and that
bunch o'clowns).
Cheerio,
Wilbert
| +More |
IAS on Facebook
IAS on Instagram
