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[hornig at Oswego.EDU]

hardy  Aroids)" <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
From: Ellen Hornig <hornig at OSWEGO.EDU>
Subject: Re: Potting Media
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Michael Homick:  Arisaemas like a well-drained potting mix; beyond that, =I
don't think there are any mystical requirements.  In the nursery, I pot
them up in MetroMix 510 (a composted-bark-based product) amended with a
generous quantity (that's as scientific as I get) of coarse Perlite.

If yours have already started into growth, you have little choice but to
pot them up and let them grow.  Water them thoroughly when you pot them,
but don't keep them wet; think amaryllis; they need to develop roots
before they'll be able to handle much water.

My instincts say keep them coolish - 50-60F - until they've rooted out an=d
really started moving.  If you keep them on a warm windowsill, they'll
definitely grow - and remarkably fast - but then you'll have arisaemas
that are all out of synch with the seasons.  Your choice, really.

While I'm on arisaema culture, some people may be interested to hear more
about how arisaemas fared in my brand-new minimum-heated greenhouse.  Thi=s
was an experiment: we layed water pipes through a sand base and circulate=d
a warm solution of water and antifreeze (special stuff plumbers use - not
the over-the-counter variety) under the plants, with the intention of
keeping root temps around 40F over the winter.  It was built mostly for
cyclamen, but the arisaemas took up almost as much space as the cyclamen.
I potted up all my dormant arisaemas last summer/fall (all the little guy=s
in either 2" pots or in cell-paks, depending on sizes, intent to sell,
etc) and left them in this house.  They did get watered at long intervals=,
so there were times when they were both dormant and quite wet; the chief
problem in this house is excess humidity.  Anyway, they seem to have done
very well; I have acres of little sikokianums popping up and leafing out
(some with diminutive flowers), along with other early emergers; and
careful investigation (read: digging) of species with longer dormancies
reveals fat, firm tubers below.

In short, this experiment suggests that wet cold is not automatically
deleterious to the little tubers.  I suspect that the problems that arise
in the refrigerator have more to do with lack of air circulation than wit=h
cold wetness per se.


On the other hand - I'm noticing that older tubers (say, 1" or more in
diameter) overwinter remarkably well rolling around on tables in the
basement, where it's coolish (55F?) but not cold - no potting soil, no
peat moss, no wrappings at all.  But they also did fine in the
minimum-heated house.

This is all written before I go out and see how things look after the las=t
three days of chilly weather.  The house isn't insulated (will be next
year) so in very cold weather (below 12F or so) I have to cover the plant=s
with Remay to trap the rising heat.  I'm about to find out how well that
worked this time....

Ellen

Ellen Hornig
Seneca Hill Perennials
3712 Co. Rte. 57
Oswego, NY 13126
USDA zone 5b; mintemps -10 to -20f (not this year); avg. snowfall 120"