Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Dioscorea elephantipes

We've had this "Elephant's Foot" for a long time. It's seed grown and takes a while to get to the larger size. When we first started in this hobby some 40+ years ago, large collected specimens were readily available. I'm thankful that isn't the case any more. I know of far too many of those plants which bit the dust prematurely, all because we want to collect the largest plants we can. What a waste. It's much more satisfying to grow a beautiful and well-grown plant from seedling stage on.

When we first started growing these particular plants we were a bit over cautious with the water, fearing it would rot. What we finally realized, and confirmed with other growers, is that it likes adequate watering when it's in its growing stage. Just keep it drier when it's dormant.
Enjoy your plants!

7 comments:

  1. Very nice looking little Dioscorea. how long did it take you to get it to this size?

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  2. Thanks. It's actually getting to be fairly large, but we've had it for quite a few years. I don't have the label in front of me and it's late at night, but it's fairly old. We do have a small group of seedlings which are beginning to show some of the mature features.

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  3. hello,

    may i have more details on how to water this plant as detail as i can get please.
    thanks.

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  4. Give typical succulent plant care when the plant is growing (ie., water thoroughly and let mostly dry out between waterings). Ours go dormant during the summer, during which time we water just enough to keep the roots alive. Don't let go for long periods with no water, as the plant is more susceptible to rot if the roots are allowed to dry up. Hope this helps.

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  5. thank u for the h20 tips.

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  6. How much water did you give the seeds?

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  7. The same as with most succulent seedlings. We try not to let them completely dry out during the first year.

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