Planting the rhizome Plant your rhizome immediately when received.. Getting started -- You can start it in a 3 inch (8 cm), which should hold it for 2 years. For soil, use a well draining mix. A typical mix is about 3 parts potting soil to 2 parts perlite. If you will be growing it outdoors, and heavy rainfall/watering is unavoidable, use extra perlite in your mix. Bury the rhizome so the top of "neck" is exposed. Add water until the soil is evenly moist, but not fully saturated. Until it sprouts, keep it about 65-78° F (18-26°C)
during the day, and above 50°F (10°C) at night. I recommend placing a
minimum/maximum thermometer An LED panel kept 4 inches (10 cm) away provides the right amount of light (See: "Growing indoors with LED lights"). It should sprout in about 1 to 4 months, depending on when it went dormant. Once it sprouts -- Lighting -- This forest plant prefers filtered sunlight or some weak direct sun plus bright shade. Protect it from strong sun. Fertilizing -- It has
average fertilizer needs. During
periods of active growth, feed about every 2 months with an all-purpose fertilizer Climate -- It prefers mild temperatures and cool nights. I don't know anyone growing it in a hot climate, but it's possible that temperatures over 85°F (29°C) may stress it if nights are warm. It needs protection from frost. Over about 40% humidity is best. Watering -- The roots like to be kept moist, but not constantly saturated. So aim to keep the soil evenly moistened most of the time. Dormancy -- When the rhizome prepares for dormancy, some or all the leaves will turn yellow and drop. Reduce the watering when this happens, and keep the soil lightly moist (not fully dry) until it sprouts in a few months. After 2 years, you can repot to a 4 inch (10 cm) pot, and a 6 inch (15 cm) pot 2 years later, where it can stay until it flowers. Flowering -- I believe that cool nights may trigger flowering, so when it nears flowering size, expose it to about 8 weeks of temperatures below 60°F (15°C) for at least 8 hours a day. Just keep it above freezing (over 40°F / 4°C is best). Repotting it when it nears flowering size might delay flowering. If you have questions, feel free to contact me. Have fun growing them! - Jeff Strange Wonderful Things
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near the pot.
that contains micronutrients, following the dosage on the package.