A. Konjac question (fwd)

From: Steve Marak <samarak at arachne.uark.edu> on 1997.01.08 at 00:27:27(63) This message was submitted by Craig Smith to li= st aroid-l@mobot.org. If you forward it back to the list, it will be distribut= ed without the paragraphs above the dashed line. You may edit the Subject: lin= e and the text of the message before forwarding it back. If you edit the messages you receive into a digest, you will need to remove these paragraphs and the dashed line before mailing the result to the list. Finally, if you need more information from the author of this message, you should be able to do so by simply replying to this note. +More ----------------------- Message requiring your approval -------------------= --- Sender: Craig Smith Subject: A. Konjac question Dear folks, After I wrote a comment on Mr. Fisk’s question, I thought I’d share ano= ther bit of experience and ask for comments and suggestions. This last year I have been fortunate to discover that 4 of my A. Konjac= ’s have started to ‘flower’. I have enjoyed trying to grow them a little bette= r and larger each year, with pretty good results compared to my earlier, rather p= oor results. The best results so far was by planting only one in each large po= t (3X the diameter of the tuber). I use a mix of “All-Grow” (a compost of sa= wdust and the remains of brewing beer), some sterile potting soil, and some perlite t= o lighten it up. Maybe once over the summer I water it with Rapid-Grow. Oth= erwise I just water it when the top couple inches are dry. Usually the rain takes= care of it. The tubers that grow to 5-600 grams / 3-4 inches don’t get spikes= and flowers, just offshoots. When they are over 1000 gms / 4-5 inches they do.= The largest one so far is 5.5 Kgs and has a really big spike started. The tube= r is almost 10 inches across and over 6 inches high. Each year they get larger = unless they stop growing early, like if the wind gets them. The medium size ones = seem to have the most offshoots, sometimes 10-15. I have given a bunch to the loca= l civic garden center to sell in their fund-raiser with great results. So here are the questions. - How big do the tubers, plants and flowers get???? - Mine seem to last about 4-5 months before the plant turns yellow and fall= s over. Can I start them earlier somehow and/or keep them growing longer in the fa= ll so they grow bigger??? - What factor(s) cause them to go dormant??? - Sometimes with the larger tubers , the offshoots are not completely forme= d into a new tuber, just a growing tip on the end of a fat root. Why??? - I read somewhere that they use the tubers like potatoes in the far east. = Anyone tried to eat one??? Thanks for the information and comments. Regards, Craig

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