lost corms

[Mr R.a McClure]

MJ and others,

With regard to losing dormant tubers to excess damp.
In Australia we have a fabric called Weedstop Mat.
I'm sure you all have something similar. It is mainly used for establishing trees and
shrubs in landscaping projects.
It comes in large rolls and looks like tightly woven shadecloth but
it 'breathes' and allows air and moisture to move through it. Roll it
straight onto your soil and pin it down. ( I use bricks).
I use it on the unused experimental plots to keep them weedfree and
dryish. It works a treat, certainly keeping out a lot of the heavy
rain that Melbourne can get in winter and spring.

So maybe you should try it. You do need to lift it off every so often
to check for sprouting tubers before they get too starved for light.

We are having a chilly but sunny winter here. All the Arisaemas are
dormant except for two pots of A.amurense poking their heads up.

Cheers,
Rob. McClure (temperate zone 9 Melbourne, Australia)

Rob.McClure at sci.monash.edu.au