All is well. Pick off the black ones and enjoy the green ones. Sometimes the first leaves will go black but the next round will be green. It does not seem to bother the plant as long as the stem itself does not turn black. As Mike says, bottom heat is the key. warm soil encourages root growth which results in leaf growth. The enemy is too much water or cold. Placing your plant on concrete or rock will speed up the process. Once the leaves are 6-8 inches, your plant is off and running for the summer.

ty tdog. the stalk is quite healthy looking. previous years' stem is kind of greyish compared to this years new growth but it has been like that each year. i will pick the black leaves off. i was surprised how quickly new leaves sprouted when moved to full sun. am crossing fingers for my first blooms this year. if i dont get any, i may have to find a home for this plant with a better caregiver. lol. thanks again. jo

Flowers are encouraged by phosphorus which is the middle number in fertilizers. When your leaves get about 6-8 inches long, give it a good organic fertilizer (I like Dr. Earth #8 which is a 4-10-7 with many extra minerals; or I like humus based Flower 'n Bloom by Gro-Power 3-12-12; or for a water soluable I like Growmore 10-52-10 which is the least harsh on the soil microbes.) Do not put the solid fertilizer within 2 inches of the stem. The water soluable you can spray all over the leaves and stem and soil. Solid fertilizers every 4-6 weeks or water soluable every 10-20 days. Stop in September so the plants harden up (you can give potash to harden) enjoy your flowers.

great info tdog. i appreciate the organic component of your post too. i used organic soil, amended w/molasses, meal and worm castings and a good layer of mulch. i will use compost tea once a month for the next 3-4 months to keep those microbes happy. last year i "fertilized" with liquified seaweed every 2 weeks and rotated with regular MG at half strength every 2 weeks. i got tremendous lush growth but no blooms. i have since heard that i was not fertilizing enough and needed MG's Bloom Booster or equivalent and used at recommended strength weekly (which seems a lot to me). does this sound about right to you? (if by solid ferts you mean something like osmocote pellets i dont ever use those type ferts.) thanks again for your input! jo