I do not have sik so can not comment other than to say they want great drainage like most any Arisaema from that part of the world. Candi on the other hand is a very late emerging species....as late as July some years. Candi can take full sun no problem as it is a hardy species that is pretty easy so be patient and give it some time to do its thing...still, excellent drainage is a true bonus. Best of luck :o) Dan

I'm trying an experiment in the garden with my Arisaema by adding some small stones or pumice at the base of the corm to see if it helps.

When I saw Arisaema in the wild, I often found them in ditches where there's standing water nearby and when digging up a corm, I noticed the soil was almost clay like, but with adjacent rocks, water must flow through somehow.

We'll see what happens!

Riz

I have 5 blooming in 1 bed right now. It is in the least sun & the bed stays moist all year. I'm not convinced siko needs perfect drainage. I also have Pinellia and a Arisaema nepenthoides that has shot to 3 feet tall near the arisaema siko. And a monster cinammon fern. This is just my experience. The bed has woodland soil and a thick cover of leaves. I wish i knew how to post a pic. Vicki

Look in the gallery i just posted a pic of mine blooming.

Wonderful specimens of A. sikokianum! Can you describe what type of soil you have?? Can you classify its texture? How often do you water your beds?

R

Vicki, my A. nepenthoides is new, purchased last year. I've been told on the forum that it can be more challenging to grow than some of the more common species. It came up this year, but has a very tiny leaf on it. Is there hope, or do you think I should move it to a site with more light and better drainage. I amended the soil where it is located, my clay/manure/peat. We had a very, very dry winter - drought actually. Do you think that might have had something to do with it. I was truly thankful it showed at all.

Susan

The soil where Arisaema siko & nepenthoides grow is woodland, dark, rich soil. I shred leaves every year and put about a 4inch layer on this bed. The bed where i have them only gets about 4 hours of morning light. The bed stays moist year round. I don't see constant moisture as a problem for these 2 jacks. I never water this bed. Last year i watered it 1 time when we had an extended drought and high temps. during the summer. It stays moist constantly, with good rainfall. I'll post a pic in the gallery of the nepenthoides blooming. Hope this helps! Vicki

Vicki, Sounds like you have them in excellent draining soil that holds moisture....exactly as they see in their homelands. I can surely comment on nepenthoides as I had 20 or so bloom this spring...they are a very early emerging species....my seed are already nearly ripe on this species if that gives you any idea.....much like griffithii and its cousins, nepenthoides prefers a bit of moisture all year long.....if you store these perfectly dry like you can any of a few dozen other species they pitch a fit...Susan, if yours were in the ground they had moisture I would guess.....drought or not. I get mine from a massive commercial grower in India and what they use is 1:1:1 soil, leaf mold and river sand (read fine gravel)....Vicki has left out the grit, but remember in India where these are being propagated they get monsoons...likely more rain in a week than any of us see all summer....hence the need for grit I would guess.....In the ground mine are in a mix of completely decomposed pine bark (the stuff from last years pots of Amorphs) and perlite.....I dump them out and plant my Arisaema in this....very high in organics and allows wonderful drainage while still staying moist all during the summer down where the tubers are...I still hold by the comment about drainage....holding moisture is not the same as drainage, but staying soggy like clay does is not the same as holding moisture like a wonderful bed of decomposed leaves does. Nepenthoides is an absolutely reliable bloomer at 2.5 inches in diameter or so...if yours was this large you should have a flower...if it was a baby then maybe next year. Candi can take full sun by the way if you want to plant them that way....consanguineum is another lover of a lot of sun....this does not mean that they will not do well in a woodland environment....they can take a lot of sun though should you decide to go that way. Best of luck with these....I've got a ton just now emerging so hopefully in another month I can take a pic with a bunch of species all blooming at once...many costatum are now starting to bloom as well...along side our natives :o) Dan

I have had these survive two winters. Note these are unlike our native Arisaemas which can take quite a bit of water.

I don't believe it is moisture that is the problem but the getting of air. In the winter they cannot take standing water and will rot. Wet clay will also suffocate them and start the rotting process.

I have high clay soil and this is what I did. I used a post hole digger to create a deep hole. I then put in a well draining soil mix. At least 50% sand with lots of humus. I added some bone meal too. I filled to within 5 inches of the top. I then put in one inch of sharp sand and then covered the bulb with sharp sand. They put out long roots that will easily go through the 1 inch of sand into the better soil below and around the bulb. I then covered with the native soil amended with humus and a bit less sand than I had put in the hole. This way water seeping into the soil will have a hard time at first, then hit the sand and go right past the bulb and into the faster draining soil below. If I had filled the hole to the top with sand it would have resulting in surface water running directly into the hole and then pooling at the level of the bulb as it tried to move into the less porous soil below. It is the relative porousity of the layers that determines where the water pools. A quarter inch layer of clay at the surface over the winter would keep the bulbs much dryer. Of course this all depends on your having a site with good drainage. If the location is a swamp your bulbs are would die anyway.

Note that I gave a couple plants to several neighbors and they just planted them straight in the ground and have had perfect survival. Their locations however were naturally more sandy.

I also found that too much shade reduces their ability to survive the winter. They just cannot store enough food or something.

Make sure you do not plant to deeply. They are not good at penetrating lots of over laying soil. It sucks up their resources even if they do make it to the surface and sometimes they actually open their leaves and flowers underground. I had planted 6-8 inches and had this problem. I planted at 4 inches and it was no longer an issue.