Helicodiceros

johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de
Fri, 20 May 2011 13:53:00 PDT
Dear Leo,

If you have a climate that does not go much colder than -5°C I would not
bother growing this Aroid in a pot but try to find a place in your
garden if you have one. Stagnant wet conditions seem very unlikely in
Arizona. Too much wet together with prolonged cold would kill the
tubers. But in a warm and dry climate I do not see any risk. It is an
endemic of some small mediterranean islands close to Corsica and
Sardinia. It needs very heavy fertilizing, if you can get hold of bird
manure, cow manure or horse manure this is what I would spread over its
bed in autumn and let it rot over winter, at the same time providing a
mulch for spring and summer. I would also give it plenty of extra water
while in growth.
If you do not have a garden, it can be pot grown but an 8 inch pot is
too small for a flower size tuber. How big are your tubers?
The growth cycle seems fairly short to me from early to late spring, and
interestingly I noticed that other clones may also sprout in autumn. My
plant is pot grown and sprouts in April under glass. If the tuber is big
enough I will move it outside. The plant needs good light, but maybe
with the very intense sun in Arizona it would prolong the growth cycle
if you planted it in a way to give it full sun except the very hottest
midday sun. And maybe extra water would help to keep the leaves green
for longer as well.

greetings from much too warm and much much too dry Germany....   Uli


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