That is gorgeous!

Beautiful!

Very pretty.

Wow! That is so cool. Love it!

very cool!!!!!

Thanks, I love the long whiskers!

Jane

That is gorgeous! I've always heard they are hard to grow but guess not for you? I like the whiskers too!

stuartwanda
They certainly have been for me !!lol Killed all 3 types that I tried but the white took about 5 years
A lady on the tropicals forum showed a pic of the tree form edging her driveway .Tacca palmata ,easily 20 feet tall . have never seen that variety
jane you have inspired me to try again!!. gary

Gary I have both black and white planted out in the garden in a protected spot and they have done quite well. Of course the last two winters have been mild. They get a little morning sun and lot's of water, but my soil drains well.

Lovely photo, Jane. :o)

Gary, I have to get that tree! Imagine having that in front of the house?

I have mine in a pot because I'm afraid of winter temps. I discovered it likes more light than recommended. I have it under an oak tree and it gets full early morning sun and late afternoon. What I found interesting is that the flower buds are all facing west, which means they are following the sun.

I potted it in my orchid bark and miracle grow potting soil, lots of bark and some sphag thrown in. I have used Foliage-Pro and Orchid-Pro and it has tripled in growth. It has 5 large flowers.

I would love to put it in the ground, but I worry about cold temps.

Jane

Hey there Jane

What a beautiful specimum you've got. Not only the blooms, but yours has great foliage.

I used to grow bat plants in Chokoloskee and even tried my hand at germinating the seeds. Our Zone 10 winters were pretty mild (up til '09) but the bat plants still didn't like a chilly breeze. Like Kathy said she has hers in a protected spot, and I think they like protection from drying, chilly winds.

And I'm glad to see how great yours is doing with more light ! Encourages me to want to try them again up here in Zone 9.

Thanks for the cool pictures......

Susie

Ours is green, lush, and healthy, but no bloom yet. Those are incredible!

Jane
That's about the method I used ,kept ithem in the shadehouse My last white had a shadehouse thrown on top of it during wilmas re landscape and was around 6 weeks before got dug out . That might have affected it?? lol
Only place I've even seen a mention of the tree form is the nursery we can't mention (T T) The pic I saw was taken in Malaysia had them interplanted with sealing wax palms .
Complained that they tended to get"weedy" lol
I 'm completely dedoing my grow area so may try again but won't be in the ground , my "soil" is around 80 percent sand and 20 percent seashells even the weeds struggle lol. If you happen to find any info on the Tacca palmata or a source wouild like to hear about it Thanks for the info!! gary

I would love to get a white. I went to Selbys plant sale last year and a vendor had a bunch of whites. I should have bought one immediately as they were all sold by the time I went back to pick up one. A friend had whites and blacks but the blacks seem to flower easier than the whites. What he discovered was if the whites are too shady, the flower is sort of dark beige and small. Moved to a brighter spot they got whiter.

I just love this plant. I wish I could keep it closer to the house so I could see it, but I don't have enough shade near the house. So, I kind of forget about it because its under the tree away from the house.

Jane

I just want to say that over the past few days of seeing this topic in the forum, each time I heard, "Na na na na na na na na na na na, Bat Plant!" (Plus or minus a few "Na's".

That is a very nice bat plant. Still kicking myself for not getting a 3 gallon white bat I saw at a Fleming Island
H Depot a few yrs ago lol. It was a little on the pricy side so I passed. I prob would have killed it anyways :O

I paid $10.00 for that one.

Leekle, very funny...you are right!

Jane

Baby here, almost needing a repot. Advice for growing medium?

Container growing in Wisconsin.

I used Miracle Gro Potting Mix with orchid bark and perlite. I'd say 1/2 Miracle Gro to 1/2 orchid bark (small) with a bunch of perlite mixed in. Sorry, never measure!

I potted mine in a large pot, probably 13". Since my last picture it has doubled and looks like a large shrub. I did move it to a different area, now gets some late West sun which is murder in Florida. I planned to move it back to the old place, but it seems to like this area.

I'll post if it blooms (fingers crossed).

One point...I think it can take more sun than recommended, just do it gradually. I do fertilize with orchid fertilizer occasionally, not often. I try to keep it watered but it has been growing on the dryer side. I use perlite and orchid bark for some acidity and good drainage. They don't like wet feet but they also don't like to go completely dry or they will really, really wilt.

Good luck
Jane

Thanks so much Jane :-) I was considering using the bark fines I sifted out of my coarse orchid mix, with some perlite mixed in, and possibly peat moss. Sounds like it equates to a mix very similar to what you are using.