I think it looks great..you're getting blooms in succession which I would like..as compared to say daffodils coming all at once then disappearing..maybe some transplant shock?..I'm jealous!..each of mine have just 2 blooms..it sounds like you put a lot of thought into taking care of them..sorry I don't have any advice..

It does look good, but I'm worried that it still runs on the greenhouse "battery".. and that it's getting low.. each new bud seems to be smaller and slower, and the foliage is fading a bit (that 1st picture is from 2 weeks ago.. I'll post a fresh one tomorrow).

It might need fertilizing, but I have no clue and I'm afraid to mess up.

this is not a good pic..it's raining and I just took it from the french door in my kitchen..can you see them?..this pic does not do them justice..they ARE pretty in person..squirrels chewed stems on one of them..had to cut off a bloom..I had these last year..brought them in for the winter..they died back and returned this spring..I hadn't fertilized them until today..I used a little Ecoscraps 5-5-5..don't really know if that was good or not???..I was feeding my other tropicals and thought why not..where do you live?..

Repotting them has probably upset their normal cycle. Flowers that are still developing are more vulnerable to that. They're probably 'wondering' whether they should be going into dormancy or not.

This plant has been actively growing all this time - producing new leaves, new shoots, new flowerbuds. It went from 2 flowerbuds to 8!...

Why do you think it has anything to do with dormancy? To me it seems like it was on steroids.. and it's wearing off.. like it was given something just before going on a shelve :)

My best guess would be either some nutrient deficiency or environmental things like sunlight or humidity levels. But I have no clue what fertilizer to use for it, and I'm afraid to mess it up :) It's still very nice but the new growth appears to be less robust.

nicholsworth55 - that's a nice outdoor space you have and your flowers looks nice and tall :) It's great that they came back from winter dormancy! That should be a stronger plant than something just out of a greenhouse..

I'm Europe and my climate more or less translates to zone 5. I'm not sure if my curcuma will survive the winter though - opinions vary on the required temperature for winter dormancy but most people say it has to be cool.. My apartment temperature is more or less stable year round.

dialt..thank you..we have a large wooded lot and I love it..my biggest challenge is shade..my curcuma came in a small pot and is one third(?) the size of yours..but I'm so happy to see it return..I think yours will NOT survive winter unless you bring it in..I had one years ago that returned every year after 3 winters (inside)..I brought the pot in and let it sit in my cool dark entryway..it yellows and dies down..then in the spring I put it in the kitchen..eventually you'll see green tips coming up..then it goes outside when it's warm enough - for me mid May..then after winter #4 nothing..I don't know what happened..if that was a normal lifespan or if there was something different in my conditions..so now I have 2 that returned after winter#1..my goal is to create a tropical paradise on my deck with colorful pots full of tropicals..a pot of elephant ears..

I bought more big pots for next year for the deck..

You need to remember that Curcumas come from tropical climates where the winter is the dry season. That's why it's 'built into them' to go dormant. But because of that dormancy they're able to grown in climates which are normally far too cold for them to survive. That's provided they're kept dry during the dormancy. Dry soil acts like a good insulator and plants (rhizomes or tubers) kept in that are easily stored inside where it doesn't get extremely cold. People who say they need to be kept "cool" during dormancy are very wrong. They need to be kept dry.

pic taken today..both have blooms..the one on the left has a third bloom on the way..

tropicbreezent - sounds like I may be ok with a constant room temperature around 22-25C (71-77F). Would you keep them completely dry when it's so warm and the air humidity is very low?

There's so much conflicting information.. eg Costafarms blog says to keep them "cool", and to to sprinkle some water a couple of times to prevent them from drying out completely. http://www.costafarms.com/blog/how-to-care-for-curcuma-in-winter

nicholsworth55 - your flowers look very healthy. Nice! I hope I can overwinter my pot and have them come back stronger and more sane next year.

I'm wondering if my fresh-out-of-the-greenhouse curcuma is trying to do too many things all at once.. It's flowering, but the bracts are still not opening... (and the only one fully open bract hasn't produced any flowers.. )

dialt..I looked at the link you posted..maybe the year that my first one didn't return I let it get too dry..if the winter was colder (don't remember) maybe the furnace running constantly dried it out..it's possible..have your flowers opened?..I don't know what to tell you..my hibiscis has buds that drop off without opening and I don't know why..

I had a look at that link, it seems pretty reasonable. Although, the author doesn't seem to be able to make up his mind whether they're tropical or subtropical plants. But I think the dormant tubers are best kept in their pots in soil. That way they're not subjected to temperature changes and are insulated from dry air. In the soil (in nature) it doesn't become 100% dry so the tubers aren't totally dehydrated. That's why the suggestion for a sprinkling of water. The soil shouldn't really be damp though, and definitely not wet. Sprinkling just a "SMALL splash" of water is okay, but check each time. If the soil seems to be getting damp let it dry out.

At home I have some in pots and some in soil which I tend to ignore. During our winters the average daily max temperatures are 33 to 34C, minimums are 17 to 18C. We have no rain and the pots aren't given any extra water. They're okay with that. Come the wet season, they grow in the torrential rain, just how nature intended.

tropicbreezent - thank you so much for the comment! I presume your pots stand outside during your "winter"? The soil in my pots turns to dust if they are not given any water indoors and it happens extremely fast. I'm not sure is a small splash would do anything as it would evaporate in a day. When the central heating kicks in, it gets very hot and dry.

nicholsworth55 - yes, I finally have some more flowers opening. Not sure if it's a coincidence, or did fertilizing help. I gave it some 7-3.5-5 .. it's just what I had on hand. It does look perkier and I have +1 new bud :)

It's so WEIRD! The open bracts in the shop didn't have a single true flower or any hints that they want to produce them. Now the bracts that grew here, not in the greenhouse, - they are putting out real flowers first and they are working from the bottom up. I have some bracts completely closed in a tight bud at the top but they are producing true flowers (and more than one per "pocket").

Some eye candy :) This plant makes me soooo happy! :)

dialt..very pretty..I love mine too..pics from today..

I also have a little side bloom inside the big one..don't know the terms..there's a fourth bloom on the way..and more stems..I see some of the rhizome(?) at the surface of the soil..do you?..mine are older..I've no doubt lost some soil..