Post by hal on Oct 17, 2014 22:17:40 GMT -5
I've been growing Voodoo lilies, Tymphonium (Sauromatum) venosum, outside in pots for a few years. I bring the bulbs in in October and put them in a paper bag full of wood shavings in my basement, then plant them in early April. If they get frosted the flower wilts and they come back. If you plant them later, after any chance of frost, they don't do as well and may not send up the stinky flower for which they are known. My old nose really doesn't find the smell offensive or even that noticeable. My wife thinks this is part and parcel of a personal hygiene problem, though.
This year, the plants were especially huge, about 4' tall with leaf clusters a foot or more in diameter and 1-1/2" stalks. They have a 270 degree ring of pointed leaves on a leopard-spotted stalk and add a tropical feel to the patio. I dug up the bulbs last weekend and the biggest are 5". There were a half dozen 2" pups attached to the biggest bulbs and dozens of 1/2" babies.
From baby to the big bulbs I'd say it's about a 5 year process. The smaller bulbs start giving of babies after growing for a couple of years and reaching a couple of inches in diameter. When you overwinter the bulbs, keep them absolutely dark! I had some in a paper bag that unrolled a bit and even though they were in the far corner of a basement furnace room with a tiny window, they sent up flowers while in the bag in March! Now I put them in a box as well as a bag.
This year, the plants were especially huge, about 4' tall with leaf clusters a foot or more in diameter and 1-1/2" stalks. They have a 270 degree ring of pointed leaves on a leopard-spotted stalk and add a tropical feel to the patio. I dug up the bulbs last weekend and the biggest are 5". There were a half dozen 2" pups attached to the biggest bulbs and dozens of 1/2" babies.
From baby to the big bulbs I'd say it's about a 5 year process. The smaller bulbs start giving of babies after growing for a couple of years and reaching a couple of inches in diameter. When you overwinter the bulbs, keep them absolutely dark! I had some in a paper bag that unrolled a bit and even though they were in the far corner of a basement furnace room with a tiny window, they sent up flowers while in the bag in March! Now I put them in a box as well as a bag.
