How cheap are they?

Could you link us the site?

I had only 7 pups and Pappy last year, the 7 pups made 15 more pups, 2 each, and the 7 original ones grew well, ones about 12 oz. I think it's got a got chance of blooming after next years growth, the other 6 bulbs grew but not as much, it'll be the following year before they bloom.

Pappy finished off at 2 pounds last fall, and bloomed in the winter, seems a pound and a half is bare minimum. This year he's almost 7 pounds and made 50 pups!
I'd suggest being patient, and trying to find you a 2nd year tuber, you could likely get one for $10-15...
Treat that right and you'll have a bloomer after that season and some pups, things will snowball from there...

It's not a plant site, they just happen to have konjac. Kind of funny.
Boberosa Barnworks
boberosa.com

One corm produced 50 pups! Wow!

boberosa has some larger corms for sale on
ebay right now..
couple yrs past they had some HUGE ones..
20 # i think.. wow.. :)

I wonder how big they can get before they split and make 2 or 3 bulbs...

? A konjac corm splitting into 2 or 3 new corms?

I've never heard of a corm that would do that. I've seen bulbs do that but never corms. That'd be interesting to see.

my understanding is konjac can get to around 30#..
i would think to get that size..they would have to be grown well..fertilized well.. ive chatted with other konjac growers
that have had MONSTER corms split.. none of mine..but
i dont have one that big... yet... :)
lou that grows monster titanums says same about his
titanums.. but were talking.. 250+#

eBay is starting to get lots of Konjacs right now so if anyone is interested check there. My biggest corm so far was 13lbs. It was 11" across.

That's a good one tommy!

How old is it?

How tall was it in leaf?

Well I've had it about 5 years, it SHRUNK since down to 8 pounds and 8" across. It was about 5 feet tall. Here was the flower one winter (2010):

So cool!
Thanks for sharing the pic!

So the corm gets used up each year and a new one is formed? If you leave it in the same pot eventually the new corm would be near the soil surface and there would be a string of remains of the previous corms below it?

In its native habitat leaf litter would continuously accumulate keeping the new corms sufficiently buried and fed, I assume.

And since the corm is new each year the plant lives a very long time, I would also assume?

I think I'm going to get the offshoots from boberosa and also a bigger/older one from eBay.

boberosa's offshoots are 25 cents apiece in groups of 25. I figure 6.25 for 25 starts isn't bad. The shipping is reasonable too.
Which makes me think of another question... About how much do the pups weigh? About how many would be in a pound of these guys?

No, the corm doesn't get used up each year, it's the same corm but it grows (or in my biggest one's case) shrinks for some reason. Maybe I didn't feed it enough. I'm not a total expert on these yet so I'm still learning as well. I did notice a kind of "cap" on the bottom of my corms this year. It's black and pulls off easily. Not sure about what that is or why it forms yet. I may be UNDER feeding mine, not giving them enough food. I'll feed a LOT more often next year and see what happens.

The Pups are between the size of a dime and about a quarter, they weigh almost nothing, a few grams at the most.

Ok, thanks.

I have seen comments in various places about the corm being used up and or dieing each year and being replaced by a new one. That's why I asked.

I've also seen people posting about how many pounds the corms gain and loose from year to year. I would think that such fluctuations would contribute to erratic blooming. And many of the corms I see on eBay are small. Even the ones saying they are several years old. Seems like under feed plants not strong enough to increase corm size. This being the case it seems I may as well just get pups and build them up myself since most of what's offered on eBay are obviously years away from being strong enough to flower anyway.

There are a lot of different plants referred to as voodoo Lillie's. You guys grow any of these others? I like stinky flowers and am looking for good sources of them. Starfish flower is one I like a lot.

How is Leo Song different from the species type?

I just now got from on eBay ... One three year old konjac corm (looks kinda small for 3 years, we'll see), one new pup of konjac, one A. Yuloensis, and one Sauromatum venosum.

I'm so stoked! Two Amorphophallus species in one shot! Plus another stinky flower for my collection!

Ok, from the bottom up...
Pappy is 4 years old...5-7pounds this year(estimated!)
2 pounds last fall
Year before that I didn't weight it, it was just bigger than a golf ball!
Year before that he was conceived as a runner!
Just an idea of my konjac experience.
Symonianus is fun and easy, keep it unpotted like konjac but spray it from time to time, or pack it in dry peat but check it monthly. Every year your guaranteed leaf bulbs, you'll have lots!
Venosum is bullet proof!
Hardy to maybe zone 4 if mulched and super dry!
Or bring it in and let it bloom inside, it's wild.
Just let it hang out in a shelf if its golfball sized or bigger.

It's a good start!
I'd advice NOT buying more of these species that you have, get a handle on em and in not time you'll be swamped with em!
Care and supplies will cost enough, right lomodor?

Leo's song is more slender with sparse foliage and a pink white petiole with much less spots.

There's lots more cool forms, I'll link it in the next post, where I'll tell you that they do I fact consume most if not all of the old corm.

So when an amorph, or most an other plant known as a voodoo lily sends out a new leaf, that leaf will fully deplete the old bulb, it wil shrivel, die and rot away, these remains are the dark flakey scab that peels of the sides and/or bottom on the corm when you dig it out.
With larger tubers, this leaves a gaping hole!
That one reason why planting at the proper depth is crucial!
It's also the reason amorphs produce new root only from that basal ring, it will remain and grow into the new tuber, these roots serve to anchor the leaf in place til the new corm forms.
If you cut down an amorph and dig it up about a month after the leaf he unfolded, you will find mush, and a very small corm.
The larger the corm, the larger the leaf it produces, thuseaf will grow to a certain size and ATP, at this point that leaf is only doing one thing, feeding that new corm!
A larger leaf will, with proper care form a larger corm for the next year, in turn producing an even larger leaf the following year, and so on, until the corm reaches crustal size, at which point it divides into 2 or more tubers, usually weighing the same as the original tuber did that spring when planted out.

Normally corms double, if cares good they triple, if your seasons long enough and you can keep that leaf up long, the corm will of course be larger!

Blooms can detract from bulb growth, the energy spent blooming, with no roots, and no means to replenish the spend water and sugars, can severly shrivel a corm, making it harder for that corm to produce a larger leaf, that not so large leaf, can't make asthetics corm, so the corm may not grow or even shrink!
Some big corm rest a full season after blooming, I've not had this happen, I'm sure Mother Nature has a plan in mind, but 18 months of not growing can't help produce a massive plant, but what can you do?

I planted several stolons of amorphs that were new to me, they looked like car turds, just like em...sorry, long and thin and pointed, my 2 yr old said they were "yuck!" Well each 4" long finger formed a leaf, each leaf form a nice even round corm, after a while each threw a new leaf, I assume the bulbs really grew fast then, they all manage to make 4-6 oz tubers with 3 very uniform stolons shooting out, like thre legged spiders.
No signs of the old finger like runners, but each round corm has a tiny scar were the finger rotted and vanished.

It's a very interesting cycle, unlike any other plant I know, atleast in such a simple straight forward design. This years corm makes next years leaf, next years leaf eats this years corm, but then grow the corm for the year after that, it's a very long cycle by most plants standards, and a bit risky, if the new leaf gets damaged at the wrong time, it could be set back years, or give up altogether!

Here is a link that might be useful: Alan Galloway's konjac page

Thanks for that link, great pics!

And thanks for the great insights about these plants!

Another question though... How tall does the leaf get in relation to the bulb size? How tall was your pappy when the bulb was golfball size and then at 2 pounds and how tall did it get this year?
Leaf height not flower height.

Growing these guys is gonna be fun!

Thanks for that link, great pics!

And thanks for the great insights about these plants!

Another question though... How tall does the leaf get in relation to the bulb size? How tall was your pappy when the bulb was golfball size and then at 2 pounds and how tall did it get this year?
Leaf height not flower height.

Growing these guys is gonna be fun!

It is fun!
It gunna depend on several things, sun and species of amorph are the biggest factor, full sun makes em shorter but might make a bigger bulb!
A golfball sized tuber foot be around 2' total height, at 2 pounds he has around 4.5 feet tall.
Ill be rather disappointed if he's not over my head this year!
My Konjac hold their leaf up, I'm including that in the height.
Flower height seems to be rather close to leaf height with mine.

If you edit the web address in that link I sent you can see many more amorphs and aroids!

Cool. I like big plants that I can store in a small space!

Expected delivery date is this Friday. When they get here I'll post a pic to show what size they are. I'm hoping they will be bigger than expected!

I shouldn't be so excited since it's gonna be a few months before they will be growing. Just having them and knowing what they will grow up to become is exciting!

I love plants!

Eek! They are not labeled!!

The 3 year old konjac is obvious. The little one with the tail maybe the konjac pup? The other two??

The konjac has several knobby lumps on it. Would this be where there have already been pups or where there will be new ones?

Yup, the tops konjac, I'd say the far rights konjac, it's got pink bumps?
middle is defiantly venosum

The pink nubs are growth point, if the main corm rots they will grow, in theory...
I don't think they are the makings of pups, maybe so but they get eaten by the leaf so no matter.

Yes, pink bumps on that one.

After looking at them all very closely I came to that same conclusion of what each one is. I figured the little tail thingy is where it was connected to the mother corm. And the growing tip of the venosum looks similar to the known konjac so I figured that one is the other Amorphophallus, and it has a black scaly bottom. The last one looks completely different from the others so it must be the one that is not an amorph.

I'm really excited to have these guys!

They are all on a cool shelf. I assume they will simply wake up whenever they are ready? As soon as I notice any growth I will pot them up.

Yes, they will start waking up in late winter,early spring. You'll see it starting to grow. They'll let you know!

Don't jump the gun either, it won't hurt to let em sit, I don't plant mine til I see roots!

Ok. I'll try to restrain myself! :)

I'll be distracted by other plants for a couple of months anyway. That'll occupy some time while I wait.

Thanks to you both for all the advise. Hopefully I won't be a pest about these guys anymore till they start growing.

Thanks
Joe

Meh, pretty boring around the plant sites these days...post away joe!

I'm back with a question. I can't let my Amorphophallus gurus get bored over the winter break. LoL

Now that the weather has cooled down and I have a warm room and a cool room, which should I keep them in until they start waking up?

Thanks
Joe

Cool room. To keep them dormant.

Agreed!

My big ones already spikin up for bloom, I'm going to try the warm room myself, see if I can get that bloom out in time to show off for the family X mas gathering!

That's funny. Do you not like your family? Give them a big stink for Christmas. They might think the Christmas goose died and is rotting in the kitchen.

grabmebymyhandle, sorry that just struck me as funny. If I did that my family would never visit me again. They don't appreciate my unusual taste in plants and flowers, especially the, um, fragrant? ones. (I also enjoy the smell of skunks)

I also forgot to ask the obvious question... How long does it take the flower bud to grow and open? Is it a constant or does it vary? For example I can count on my amaryllis to open 4 weeks almost to the day after the bud starts emerging.

And good luck on your target date for that flowering.

It's mostly the in-laws
ðÂÂÂ
They don't much appreciate my horticultural interests either...ðÂÂÂ
As for your question, no they won't be as predictable as amaryllis.
Not really any rhyme nor reason as to when it will fire.
Once it does start to shoot, then it will very predictable!
The bigger the bulb the slower moving it will be, and the layer it will be.

Each kind's different too, the venosum will move real fast where it goes, maybe half the time it takes a konjac, maybe 2-3 weeks.
It took pappy about 6 weeks to do the deed, once he started moving significantly.

It's weird, the flowers are growing now, a tiny pink spear 3" tall now, in this past month it its grown maybe an inch, it just creeps, sudden something changes and the spit that bloom out fast!

A fun process to watch

Grabmebymyhandle, you gonna have that Christmas flower to tickle your family's noses? LoL

Ok, so my friend (who is also into odd plants but more cacti and caudexes than I am) got me an early present... 25 konjac pups. Gee, I wonder where she got the idea I would like them? LoL
I told her I was gonna hold off on getting so many (your suggestion), but she got a wild hair to surprise me with them.

These look even different from the one called an offshoot that I got before. They really do look like cat turds. So I just put them in egg cartons or something till they start doing something? Will all or most of them start about the same time or will this be erratic too? Since they are so small should I mist them once or twice during the winter? Do they have enough moisture in them to last till they sprout?

My Dracunculus is still doing nothing. I guess that's a good sign this time of year.

Thanks
Joe

sounds like u have a good friend there joe..
yea.those "cat turds" are the side shoots off the parent corm.. what i do is store them in coolish room..45-50F since they are small..i would just wrap them loosely in very slightly moistened newpaper..i pot mine up in early may..this yr..with my large cold frame..i potted up late april.. same potting mix u use for your other amophs..
give them moderate sun.. they will form corms over the summer.. and you are on your way to a forest of konjac..
:)

Hi lomodor

This is my first time growing Amorphophallus

A couple of my konjac pups are just starting to grow. Very little black nubs just barely visible! I'm a happy camper!

Should I let the shoots go and wait till root growth starts to pot them up?

And about how tall should I expect this first leaf to get?

Thanks
Joe

hi joe.. very cool
yea..on my small corms..i let the leaf growth go a bit..
i probably let go longer than most..
not where the leaf opens..i mean the petiole growth..
i find in my growing konjac they dont like getting cold/chilly..
i wont pot my small corms up for another month or so.. and i only put outside during the day (sunny,warm) i pull them all inside until nites stay in 50sF..i also give mine
more sun than most.with my titanums i will put them in more shade than last yr..they were in almost full sun most of summer/early fall last yr..they did fine..but the petioles did get sunburned.. my bad..:(
good luck..u have entered a very addictive gardening
avenue.. LOL not so bad though.. :)

Thanks Iomodor

I can't wait to have a forest of these guys! And other amorphophallus as well.

Is growing titanums different than the others? Other than the obvious size difference. Like the length of growing season and growing media.

Are there amorphophallus between konjac size and titanum size?

Sorry about all the questions, this is my first year growing arums.
(My jack in the pulpit seeds are coming up already and doing well... First time growing them as well)

I get hooked on growing just about everything! And I love my stinky flowers!

Thanks

joe..not asking to many questions.. :)
im still pretty new to amorphs..this will be my 3rd season
tommy has grown amorphs..for??? how long tommy??
yes..titanums..or should i say the truely "tropical" amorphs
titanum,hewettii,descus-salvae,and gigas have to stay in
a potting mix always..
and yea..growing conditions are a major consideration too
i have 2 of the 4 "tropical" amorphs..i plan to change that this yr..i will have all 4..sigh..LOL what we do for our
plants ..:)
i use a very different potting mix than most amorph growers..i think.. i use a porus mix..not the "recommended" potting mix especially for the tropicals..but i am finding great success with it..if your interested email me on that..
keep in mind..given good growing conditions , titanum
can produce a corm over 200#.. thats one BIG tuber!!!
LOL :)
i killed my 1st titanum..was 9#.cost ALOT..so u have to
balance your personal budget,and willingness to have a loss..
there will be some titanum up on ebay mid spring..
like all of us that grow these facinating plants..we want to get them to bloom.. to get to that size for the "tropicals" they have to be pretty good sized.. ive heard of titanums blooming anywhere from 30#..i think at that size..they probalby were grown in ideal conditions.. again my understanding is "usually" titanum blooms around 50ish #..
one consideration out to you..there are many,many species of amophophallus.. with beautiful foliage,and very interesting flowers.. and not needing the room as the big ones need..
i plan to add as many of the "cool" ones this yr.. :)
good luck to ya..and post pics.. keep us posted. !!!

I've been growing Konjacs about 5-6 years now. None have started to wake yet last I checked.

New question. To save space I'm gonna put as many pups as I can in largish pots. How far apart should I space them?

Something I discovered... If you want pups to start growing after a winter of dormancy, pot them up and keep them vey lightly moist. I did this with a few just to try. In about a month they are starting to grow, even starting roots. The others are still totally dormant.

Hey joe!

I'm sure I'm too late to help but do you have any updates?

Hey grabmebymyhandle! Good to see you.

Almost all of the pups grew. The supposedly 3 year old one I got is only slightly taller than most of the pups. I did most of the pups in group pots, 5 to 7 in each pot. I can already see this will not work after this first season. One per pot from now on.

I put one in a clear pot with the pup against the side so I can watch the tuber development. The pup is already completely gone. There is an empty space that I'm assuming will soon be filled by the new tuber.

All the konjacs are doing well. It's been really cool watching those leaves shoot up and open up.

And I put some fresh worm castings in each pot and I'll be adding more through the season. That should build up a strong first tuber.

I'm liking these amorphs!

:)
Joe

Ok, how's this for weird... One of my konjac pups sent up a very small flower spike next to its leaf! It has anthers and pistols, though I doubt any are actually viable. The anthers are black today but the pistols are white.

It is obviously spent. It's been a busy few days, sorry I didn't notice it 3 or 4 days ago. There is a faint smell to it, may have been stronger a couple days ago. I wondered why there were so many flies around. Since they were just pups I put several in each pot. There are five in this pot.

Is this crazy or what. Just a few months of its life and it felt the need to muster enough strength to flower.

Also one of the symonianus whose tuber didn't look right and whose leaf craped out before it opened is sending up another spike, I'm assuming a leaf. I just took a pic of that too.

Crazy stuff

A better pic of the weird one. The spoon and index card show scale.
The plants are barely a foot tall.

The remnant of the withered unopened leaf still attached and the new shoot starting.

Maybe because it's growing upside down, LOL. Did you get them from Australia?