Ripe fruit
GEOPHYTE@sbcglobal.net (Thu, 16 Oct 2003 00:23:58 PDT)

Hello Arnold,

I am envious of your Arisaema culture and collection.
I love the big Arisaemas, but I have a little trouble
keeping tortuosum and consanguineum alive, even though
they are overwintered dry in the garage. Last year a
large consanguineum rotted after the leaf collapsed in
the fall. (no rain) This year I lost another
consanguineum in the spring, shortly after I put it
outside. I'm using a light mixture of potting mix and
perlite or pumice, in containers. I tried leaving
Amorphophallus konjac in the ground one winter and it
rotted.

What really confuses me is the fact that at the nearby
Berkeley Botanical garden, A. tortuosum and
consanguineum are thriving as part of the permanent
woodland landscape.

What kind of soil do you grow them in? Do you lift
them in the winter? Approximately how much soil do you
have covering the tops of the bulbs?

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer.

Thanks,
Jamie
Sunset zone 15, USDA 9