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Amorphophallus titanum progress thread


TCurrell

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Hi guys,

I recently got an Amorphophallus titanum seed (already germinated) so thought i make a thread to record its progress. Here's the seed:

 

IMG_20150309_135132_zps8mufbmxk.jpg

 

I've potted it up in a peat perlite mix as recommended and will be purchasing some appropriate fertilizer in the week (i hear this is quite important with these)

Fingers crossed i should have a giant in a few years and maybe a flower within the decade!

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It looks promising.  I checked mine the other day. Sure enough it was completely rotted and, considering what I paid for it, turned out to be an expensive experiment which I won't be mentioning over dinner with the wife any time soon. :sad:   Good luck with yours it would be interesting to see its progress.

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Tell the wife it was a freebie, you never know she might just believe you. Was yours ready germinated and what medium and conditions did you try it in?

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It was just an ungerminated seed from bencandlin.co.uk and it was set in a fairly open mix, coir/perlite/JI2 if memory serves me right and the pot put in a zip-lock bag. I'm guessing I didn't keep it warm enough, should have kept it indoors rather than in the greenhouse.

Edited by Gaz
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I hear they have to be sewn pretty quickly as their viability diminishes fast, mines in a peat/perlite mix similar to the mix it came packaged in. I keep it in my highland grow room, hopefully it should do well.

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The most important thing with these is temperature. If your minimums start to edge below 16C you need to make sure it's of very short duration and it warms up quickly. Once you get them going they can be easily propagated from leaflet cuttings. Makes for good insurance against any mishaps with the original plant. Much cheaper than buying more seed.

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awesome to know this info Tropicbreeze as my growroom is around 18c at night and 22-24c during the day, the lowest its ever been is 14c so i think i should have good conditions for it.

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A quick progress shot, nothing fancy just a pic showing the shoot breaking the soil surface after a couple of weeks of being planted, its nice and green which is always a good sign.

 

IMG_20150321_180225_zpsq8g242ks.jpg

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Just be careful, 22 - 24 maximum is on the low side. If you could edge it up a few degrees more that would be better. The range of maximums for mine is from around 30 to 35. Getting 35 and upwards they need to have high humidity. That temperature in dry air stresses them too much. You don't need that high a temperature but one or two degrees above 25 would be good. And once they're growing they're gluttons for fertiliser.

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I'm always at 80% humidity in my grow room but i'm sure i could let the temperature creep to 26-27 without stressing my other plants too much, of course i'd have to do this over a few days/weeks so as to not shock them. Thanks for the advice Tropicbreeze it's invaluable info. What fertilizer would you recommend?

Edited by TCurrell
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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I got mine from a polish grower, I'm not sure about growing it outside where you are, it's definitely out of the question where i am. I would guess as long as you have 25c+ temperatures and nice humidity it could be possible. They do like a lot of fertilizer too. It's a good idea buying a plant rather than seed as they don't stay viable long and in retrospect i got really lucky with mine :) good luck anyway and keep me updated

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It can get a bit frustrating, once they open out then they just sit and sit and sit without apparently doing anything. The growth is all in the tuber under the soil, out of sight. Worse than watching and waiting for paint to dry. :coffee:

Regarding Texas, the problem with these is that they don't operate on the summer-growth/winter-dormancy cycle. They grow right through the year and outdoors in a place like Texas they'd be killed off before winter even started. Having them potted means they can be moved into a protected environment when needed.

Another issue with outdoors is that hot dry weather will burn the leaf badly, or possibly destroy the plant, even if fairly shaded.

And last but not least, they are very susceptible to nematodes. If you have any in your soil they'll kill the plants as well.

There's a lot of boxes to tick off if you plan to grow Amorph. titanum, even without putting them in the ground.

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It's pretty much still the same at the moment :) i guess its working on its tuber/corm. As soon as it does something new i'll be sure to add photos.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Quick update, not got noticeably bigger, but that to be expected however it looks like its working on its 2nd leaf.

 

IMG_20150806_004540_zpsrs3qbz5a.jpg

 

The base of the Petiole.

 

IMG_20150806_004548_zpsmbpt3vtn.jpg

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In the first few years they can have multiple leaves at the one time and not go dormant at any time. Mine had up to 3 leaves at once. Lately they went to single leaves but at the moment are dormant. Only one leaf cutting is still going. Another tiny tuber of an earlier leaf cutting is dormant. Makes me wonder - because it's a clone it's on the parent plant's timetable and not that of a seedling.

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When is the safest time to do leaf cuttings? i would like to take some leaf cuttings as a back up but don't want to risk losing the parent plant.

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I waited until there were 6 - 8 leaflets. It does reduce the plants growth capacity so you shouldn't do it too early. And I do it while the leaf is still relatively young, although others have said they had no problem with older leaves. I use sphagnum moss which stays very wet.

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