John M
Orchid Addict
This very cool, vining plant produces the most striking flowers at any time of year. The 4 to 10 foot tall, frequently branching vines have curly tendrils at the tip of each leaf to aid in the plant climbing as it grows. Near the top, the plant produces these large, beautiful blooms which start out green and dark Cherry red. Each flower would fill an adult man's cupped hand. They quickly turn bright, Buttercup yellow and fire engine red and over the next week to 10 days, they slowly turn more red and less yellow, finally becoming completely red. As they do this colour change, they also reverse the reflexing of the petals, becoming more flat as they become more red.
Larger vines produce a few dozen blooms that don't all open at the same time; so, from beginning to end, the plant can be in bloom for a couple months. Once the blooming is done, the plant remains green for a few more weeks and then begins turning yellow. It quickly dies and browns. I then unpot the new tubers, which are "V" shaped with a live, dormant eye at the tip of each leg of the "V" (the original, old tubers die and rot away). Each eye will eventually grow into a new plant, each with it's own new "V" shaped tuber and 2 more dormant eyes. So, 1 tuber makes 2 plants, which then grow into 4 plants and then 8 plants, etc., etc. The number opf tubers and plants doubles with each growth cycle, which takes about 5 to 9 months to complete.
The unpotted tubers are cleaned of their dead roots and dead, brown vine still attached. Then they are gently washed and allowed to air dry. I store them during their dormancy at room temperature, either in the dark, or low light (full sun burns the white flesh of the tubers). I wait to see new growth coming from the tips of each "V" before I pot them up in regular house plant potting soil and water VERY sparingly. Some tubers begin growing in only a few weeks. Some stay dormant for many months. They don't all "wake up" at the same time. So, this gives you a continuous suppy of newly awakening tubers to pot up and produce flowers for you at all times of year. Once the new growth is about 4 or 5 inches tall, I begin watering enough to keep the soil evenly moist. The new vines grow VERY fast and come into bloom in about a month or so.....and the cycle repeats.
The infividual blooms make great cut flowers too! They last just as long as cuts as they do on the vine.
While the plants are in vigorous growth mode, I fertilize as any other flowering house plant. Once blooming finishes, I stop feeding, so that the tubers can finish their life cycle and go dormant without becoming soft from receiving too much nutrients.
Larger vines produce a few dozen blooms that don't all open at the same time; so, from beginning to end, the plant can be in bloom for a couple months. Once the blooming is done, the plant remains green for a few more weeks and then begins turning yellow. It quickly dies and browns. I then unpot the new tubers, which are "V" shaped with a live, dormant eye at the tip of each leg of the "V" (the original, old tubers die and rot away). Each eye will eventually grow into a new plant, each with it's own new "V" shaped tuber and 2 more dormant eyes. So, 1 tuber makes 2 plants, which then grow into 4 plants and then 8 plants, etc., etc. The number opf tubers and plants doubles with each growth cycle, which takes about 5 to 9 months to complete.
The unpotted tubers are cleaned of their dead roots and dead, brown vine still attached. Then they are gently washed and allowed to air dry. I store them during their dormancy at room temperature, either in the dark, or low light (full sun burns the white flesh of the tubers). I wait to see new growth coming from the tips of each "V" before I pot them up in regular house plant potting soil and water VERY sparingly. Some tubers begin growing in only a few weeks. Some stay dormant for many months. They don't all "wake up" at the same time. So, this gives you a continuous suppy of newly awakening tubers to pot up and produce flowers for you at all times of year. Once the new growth is about 4 or 5 inches tall, I begin watering enough to keep the soil evenly moist. The new vines grow VERY fast and come into bloom in about a month or so.....and the cycle repeats.
The infividual blooms make great cut flowers too! They last just as long as cuts as they do on the vine.
While the plants are in vigorous growth mode, I fertilize as any other flowering house plant. Once blooming finishes, I stop feeding, so that the tubers can finish their life cycle and go dormant without becoming soft from receiving too much nutrients.
