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tindomul1of9

Zantedeschia tubers/corms

tindomul1of9
17 years ago

Hi all, I have three corms of Zantedeschia, need some advice. They have been dormant since October. How do I take them out of dormancy? I started giving them some water about a month ago, checked on them today and two where a bit soft on the bottom. Not soft too deep, just on the surface. The outer skin in the area was so soft and gooey it feel off. Are they gone, will they ever grow again? How can I get them to grow again?

Thanks!

This is a link to a picture of what it looked like when i first got it.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1234&cat=520

Thanks!

Comments (6)

  • birdinthepalm
    17 years ago

    I'm not too sure if they don't require quite warm soil, to really take off once again, and I've always waited til my indoor temperatures are warmer, or it's warm enough to move the containers outdoors, and they will get leggy and lanky unless you have lots of bright light during those short winter daylight periods, especially if you're getting lots of cloudy days. I've never had problems getting mine to grow once again, though in general I think they prefer not ever going dormant except during warm dry periods perhaps. I've notice mine could have the tops frozen to the ground and on bringing them indoors for storage, they promptly started growing again , without even repotting them , which suggests to me, they don't have a natural dormancy period. There are other species that do die back naturally every fall for me outdoors once the cool weather arrives however, and those would be the pinks and other "colored" types, though those have more bulb like bulbs, and not the elongated rhizomes like the white ones? Not sure which kind you have?

  • tindomul1of9
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Hi, thank. Yea, mine are the pink flowered kind. It just up and died back in October, and was starting to die back since early September. Should I keep the bulbs in soil, or is it ok to keep them out of the pot during this period? Thanks.

  • honeybunny442
    17 years ago

    I would stop watering them and take them out of the soil. Check to see if the bulbs are rotted, it sounds like they might me from your description. Keep them out of the soil until you start to see green sprouts, and it is warm in your area. Then replant.

  • tindomul1of9
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    THanks!!!! I appreciate your help! I have them in wrapped in a dry paper towel for about 2 weeks now, I was afraid that would kill them. The rot was only on the surface and Thank God, did not go in deep. I will check on them tonight.
    I was trying to grow them next to my cold window. Where are my brains!! Hehe.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • birdinthepalm
    17 years ago

    My pink ones were the "miniature" pink Rehmanii ones grown form seeds and I did sometimes leave them in the pot , just very dry for storage, thuogh in a cool not overly dry spot , they don't require any packing material to store them, since they seem not to get overly dry even after months of storage, unlike certain other types of tender bulbs, which can get overly dry in storage. Those were dependable bloomers for me , going dormant in late fall, stored and replanted right in the ground in late spring here. The giant whites , which have a different bulb, are another story, and I should pitch them about now, since they've almost never reflowered in years of growing them for some reason. I was informed those are very heavy feeders, so perhaps I just haven't fed them enough for them to reflower?

  • tindomul1of9
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Are the white ones semi-aquatic?

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