Hi shaye,

The links below might be useful. I have one that I got from Arid Lands a couple of years ago. It was about a half inch in diameter at the time. I have it in an area where it gets filtered sunlight.

Al of Botanic Wonders (link below) advised to keep the caudex covered with pea gravel on such a young plant, which I have done. I didn’t know if it was dead or alive until it sprouted this past Winter.

I’d heard that they are perpetually on Africa time, so Winter growers in the Northern Hemisphere and that was true of mine. I watered about every 7-10 days during that time just depending on the weather.

The leaves are just now starting to turn yellow so going dormant and I have for the most part quit watering. I will water very lightly, like a tablespoon or so once a month while dormant only to keep the feeder roots alive and will continue that until I see new growth sprout this Winter.

I did move some gravel aside to peek at the caudex and it is now about the size of a jumbo marble, maybe 1.5 inches in diameter.

I had tried seeds before, but wasn’t successful. None germinated.

Hope this helps.

http://stores.botanicwonders.com/dioscorea/

http://www.botanicwonders.com/Features-Dioscorea-elephantipies.html

Dioscorea seeds are very unpredictable make sure that you buy from a reliable source that has fresh seeds. Yes you can grow it on a trellis but the caudex or base doesn't need sunlight and can sunburn. In the wild dioscorea grow at the base of other bushes and trees. They use the cover to protect their base while vining up the other plant. Like such:

D. Sylvatica growing in a Hoya Diversifolia.

I'm not an expert but I've had a lot of success with planting the seeds in with established plants. I just place the seeds in the soil, water and then forget about them until they germinate. Then separate and replant later when they're established.

I have purchased several plants from them both in person & online. Al Klein is awesome and freely giving of information should you have questions. I recommend them highly.

Germination should occur in weeks. I have had variable germination success but recently, I got about 100% success rate and so have over 30 seedlings. Don't raise the caudex too early. Maybe wait until 2 years then expose it a bit each time you repot. My oldest ones (25 years) have over half the caudex exposed. They are also winter growers in the southern hemisphere so I don't think they keep 'African time'. Use a shallow pot or at least, not a deep pot. I grow mine by a window which gets full sun from mid-afternoon on. The caudex doesn't need sun but it is usually exposed by growers to make a more interesting plant to view.

s g, would you mind saying where you are located? ...and where you got your seeds from?

I got mine from no one I knew on eBay (a gamble, I know) if I recall correctly and I believe they were maybe from Eastern Europe. I remember reading that mail coming from overseas is irradiated (or something) which can render seeds infertile or no longer viable...whatever the correct terminology is.

If I could find a reputable recommended source, I might like to try again.

A bit far away in New Zealand. I produced my own seeds. Luckily, my two oldest plants are male and female but they don't always flower at the same time. This year I got a two week overlap so have some new seeds growing on the plant. I would doubt that mail would be irradiated as it would be an impossibly huge task for the amount of mail.

Stewart I order seeds from overseas all of the time without any issues. As a matter of fact I primarily use koehres-kaktus in Germany for my seeds. They are reputable ship fast and have a great selection of cacti and succulent seeds.

Well, I potted mine in a 3 inch terra cotta pot in a gritty mix and it seems ok. I haven't unpotted completely since it broke dormancy this past Winter and only peeked a little. It sounds like mine was smaller than yours when I got it. I think it even shrank some as it was making the transition, if I recall correctly. It had a couple of leaves when it arrived and I think got another couple of leaves so the caudex was shrinking as it was using up it's stores. I wasn't sure if it was still alive or not through the Summer, so I was surprised and happy when I saw the little shoot.

I am by no means an expert and can only relay what my experience has been.

One of mine is around 1.5-2" and I have it in a rectangular bonsai pot. It's over potted but the pot is shallow and it's in a well draining medium. This one hasn't gone dormant since it's germinated.

That pot is fine in my opinion. Yes the same danger, rot from the medium holding too much moisture for too long.

Ahhh.. So I see you did order from Botanic Wonders. If you have any questions just email Al Klein. I've emailed him on a couple of occasions and he's gotten back to me promptly with advice and tips.

I think your plant is overpotted. I personally wouldn't use such a large pot for such a small plant. Besides the soil not drying out quickly since the roots don't penetrate the pot and the increased risk of rot, I have found that plants in smaller pots grow faster. Perhaps because root growth is limited, forcing growth into the upper part.

I agree with isde. Based on my personable experience with this plant, I think it's fine. Mine was much smaller than this one appears to be when I got it. Of course, the key is fast draining mix and to not over water.