Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

This is a place for members to post on-going topics about their plants and experiences.
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

Not Going. Can you post a bigger picture? I'd like to see the pots better. Thanks.
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

Its 7am here in Indio A beautiful morning in the Greenhouse. 70f already inside.
Current growth of this beauty. Growth is slower. It will pickup as it gets longer. It also is not a thick. We'll see if it enlarges as the vine grows. I wanted to move this plant to another location but with no indication of dormancy I don't want to try and unwind the current vine with the other elephantipes that also grew together.
PXL_20210306_145717847.jpg
PXL_20210306_145717847.jpg (114.69 KiB) Viewed 4228 times
PXL_20210306_145726961.jpg
PXL_20210306_145726961.jpg (123.57 KiB) Viewed 4228 times
PXL_20210306_145738503.jpg
PXL_20210306_145738503.jpg (123.52 KiB) Viewed 4228 times
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
Not_going_to_treehab
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 2:05 pm

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by Not_going_to_treehab »

mikethecactusguy wrote: Sat Mar 06, 2021 3:25 pm Not Going. Can you post a bigger picture? I'd like to see the pots better. Thanks.
Attachments
E850C336-9683-4256-9AD2-4F523E1D4D23.jpeg
E850C336-9683-4256-9AD2-4F523E1D4D23.jpeg (37.71 KiB) Viewed 4189 times
Not_going_to_treehab
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 2:05 pm

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by Not_going_to_treehab »

mikethecactusguy wrote: Sat Mar 06, 2021 3:25 pm Not Going. Can you post a bigger picture? I'd like to see the pots better. Thanks.
Attachments
FC2EE504-5F9A-4AC2-9E5B-E78DA486292A.jpeg
FC2EE504-5F9A-4AC2-9E5B-E78DA486292A.jpeg (39.24 KiB) Viewed 4187 times
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

Hi Not_Going
Just leave them buried. As they grow they will sprout new vines. Don't cut off the old growth just yet. Water when soil is just dry. Don't let them get too dry. As the caudex grows it will start to show by itself. After a few years it will be big enough to be uncovered. They should not go through a dormancy period at this age.
Have fun
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

I have been so busy with work I have not really paid attention to how the Larger Elephantipes is actually doing since it popped the new vine. Today I spent time observing what is happening with the plant. And a lot is going on. First the new vine. Growth has really picked up. The base of the vine has thickened. And I now see that the old vine is changing. The leaves have lightened up in color considerably. Vine tips are turning brown. All indications the vine is dying off. Some better views of what is happening.
20210309_144342.jpg
20210309_144342.jpg (113.17 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144347.jpg
20210309_144347.jpg (121.38 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144359.jpg
20210309_144359.jpg (115.14 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144410.jpg
20210309_144410.jpg (101.81 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144416.jpg
20210309_144416.jpg (101.06 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144630.jpg
20210309_144630.jpg (100.45 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
Then the caudex itself. I've had this plant for 2 years. I have never really noticed any changes in it shape, color or size until today. Today I realized it has actually grown in size. It is larger than it was 2 years ago. New growth is evident in the darker lines that are appearing at the bottom of all the crevices as well as the lighter colored striations between the deep new growth and the older existing growth. It has also grown taller and is sitting higher in its current pot.
20210309_144452.jpg
20210309_144452.jpg (115.93 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144440.jpg
20210309_144440.jpg (118.69 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144436.jpg
20210309_144436.jpg (121.13 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
These are still a mystery to me. Since no one seems willing to share growing experiences on any of the posted web sites or pages, it is difficult to know what or how this plant will react. Growing experience Is the best tool.
I do know I fertilized it 2 weeks ago, I have also been watering everyday. The soil has been drying out that fast in the greenhouse. I want to move it to a deeper pot, but wanted to wait until it stopped vine growth and went dormant. I have also noticed some roots that sprouted just where the caudex meets the soil.
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

At the same time I took notice that my second largest Elephantipes and the Sylvatica are changing.
The Elephantipes is showing the same growth pattern the other is showing. Darker areas at the bottom of the crevices as well as it being larger in size. The vine on this one is still looking very healthy.
20210309_144504.jpg
20210309_144504.jpg (94.47 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144516.jpg
20210309_144516.jpg (94.06 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
The Sylvatica has also changed in size. It has plumped up. The growth area of the old vines is not as prominent. It is not standing as tall as it did. The lower portion of the caudex looks bigger and fuller. Unlike its counterparts, it does not have scales the increase in height. The caudex just becomes a larger blob. It's vine appears to be healthy still. The leaves have curled at the edges a bit.
20210309_144534.jpg
20210309_144534.jpg (103.28 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
20210309_144541.jpg
20210309_144541.jpg (105.16 KiB) Viewed 4146 times
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

I couldn't help myself. The price was so low I had to add this to the collection Its small but has incredible faceting already.
PXL_20210311_153920218.jpg
PXL_20210311_153920218.jpg (98.55 KiB) Viewed 4112 times
PXL_20210311_153934948.jpg
PXL_20210311_153934948.jpg (114.53 KiB) Viewed 4112 times
The seller included this one in the sale. It was a nice surprise.
PXL_20210311_153923209.jpg
PXL_20210311_153923209.jpg (108.91 KiB) Viewed 4112 times
They both came with nice healthy roots. The vines are wilted but not dried out. It will be interesting to see if they recover.
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

It keeps growing. It is thinner than previous vines. The leaves of the existing vine have not changed much in color since the last pictures.
20210313_082130.jpg
20210313_082130.jpg (122.31 KiB) Viewed 4073 times
20210313_082134.jpg
20210313_082134.jpg (120.9 KiB) Viewed 4073 times
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

Hi All
The vine is starting to show typical growth for this plant. Today's Growth.
PXL_20210315_215818700.jpg
PXL_20210315_215818700.jpg (105.71 KiB) Viewed 4044 times
PXL_20210315_215837240.jpg
PXL_20210315_215837240.jpg (112.66 KiB) Viewed 4044 times
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

One thing have not done is record closeups of the caudex growth. These are 2 larger elephantipes and the sylvatica. Obviously the Sylvatica' facets are much less pronounced but they are there.
This is the smaller of the 2. Yet I think it has had the most growth of the 2 in the past 4 months.
PXL_20210315_215915280.jpg
PXL_20210315_215915280.jpg (140.47 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
PXL_20210315_215927876.jpg
PXL_20210315_215927876.jpg (171.23 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
PXL_20210315_215945836.jpg
PXL_20210315_215945836.jpg (159.51 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
The larger
PXL_20210315_220201866.jpg
PXL_20210315_220201866.jpg (159.04 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
PXL_20210315_220043728.jpg
PXL_20210315_220043728.jpg (154.19 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
PXL_20210315_220029647.jpg
PXL_20210315_220029647.jpg (139.33 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
PXL_20210315_220018876.jpg
PXL_20210315_220018876.jpg (164.97 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
PXL_20210315_220012940.jpg
PXL_20210315_220012940.jpg (146.32 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
The Sylvatica
PXL_20210315_220129802.jpg
PXL_20210315_220129802.jpg (135.08 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
PXL_20210315_220115807.jpg
PXL_20210315_220115807.jpg (173.89 KiB) Viewed 4043 times
I have been watering all the Dioscorea more than usual. Before it was let the soil dry completely and then water. Over the past few months it has been let the almost dry and water. With the 80f to 100f day time temps in the Greenhouse, I'm not to concerned with rot I have always treated the larger elephantipes with kid gloves. Very careful not to over water and honestly other than vines growing there has not been that much growth in the caudex. This new approach is making a significant difference. I see it in all the smaller elephantipes and hemicrypta that are active right now.
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

Looks like dormancy is where all the plants going
The big elephantipes stopped growing the new vine. The leaves have all opened up and the old vine is dead.
PXL_20210323_224349984-001.jpg
PXL_20210323_224349984-001.jpg (94.14 KiB) Viewed 3992 times
PXL_20210323_224346518-001.jpg
PXL_20210323_224346518-001.jpg (114.85 KiB) Viewed 3992 times
PXL_20210323_224153120-001.jpg
PXL_20210323_224153120-001.jpg (145.57 KiB) Viewed 3992 times
PXL_20210323_224149351-001.jpg
PXL_20210323_224149351-001.jpg (113.6 KiB) Viewed 3992 times
The Mexicana went dormant all of a sudden and the vine dried up in a few days. The roots never grew more than 1" or 25.4 mm long during this whole growth period. I've decided to just let it sit in a small bowl with fresh dirt. If it survives great.
PXL_20210323_224110126-001.jpg
PXL_20210323_224110126-001.jpg (107.95 KiB) Viewed 3992 times
The rest of the smaller elephantipes and hemicrypta all are going into dormancy
PXL_20210323_224118157-001.jpg
PXL_20210323_224118157-001.jpg (95.71 KiB) Viewed 3992 times
PXL_20210323_224127517-001.jpg
PXL_20210323_224127517-001.jpg (90.63 KiB) Viewed 3992 times
PXL_20210323_224132329-001.jpg
PXL_20210323_224132329-001.jpg (98.39 KiB) Viewed 3992 times
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

The little guy is hanging on.. The main vine is dead
PXL_20210331_180738344-001.jpg
PXL_20210331_180738344-001.jpg (125.21 KiB) Viewed 3901 times
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
silverfalls
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:15 am

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by silverfalls »

Thanks for the closeups mike, they look beautiful! so fascinating
User avatar
mikethecactusguy
Posts: 2173
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:51 am
Location: Indio Ca
Contact:

Re: Cultivation of a Dioscorea Elephantipes.

Post by mikethecactusguy »

Thank you Silverfalls
Mike The Cactus Guy
Enjoying the Spines
Post Reply