Re: Dragon aroids needing help!

---

Hi Karin,

If you are talking about Dracunculus (which I believe is often called the Dragon Arum in gardening magazines!) then I have found it very unfussy in London soils, growing and flowering well really stongly in even very poor, rocky or clayey soils. It may be that they dont have enough room in the pots, I find they like quite a deep root run to do well so a large pot is a definite benefit.Of course they do die back in mid-summer so this may simply be them going to sleep; mine start into growth in early January and are in flower by late may-June and die back by the end of June. This is perfectly normal. If all else fails turn them out of their pots and have a look at the tubers, make sure they are not rotting or being eaten by larvae etc. If they look healthy then I would guess that they are just happily going to sleep.

Geoffrey

Raynes Park, London

--- On Fri, 13/6/08, Karin Holloway <karin.h.h@btinternet.com> wrote:

From: Karin Holloway <karin.h.h@btinternet.com>
Subject: [Aroid-l] Dragon aroids needing help!
To: aroid-l@gizmoworks.com
Date: Friday, 13 June, 2008, 12:36 PM

Hello,

 

I was hoping not to have to ask for help. I tried what was suggested to me two years ago here, and I got 3 little dragon aroids to grow from the seeds I carefully rotted in water and cleaned and grew in sp. moss.

 

I also went back to the parking lot their parent grew in, before a sign replaced her, and rescued another dragon aroid I found in another parking lot island at the same grocery store. I went very early one Saturday morning, before my fellow Londoners were stirring, with my shovel and an empty back pack. It was easy to dig up. We passed a few folks on the nearly 2 mile walk home--I must have looked a sight with the aroid bouncing on my back.

 

As I have no garden, and I live in an apartment building from which I climb in and out of the Victorian window to garden in pots, I'm so glad it took well to my garden compost. But that was 3 months ago and it is beginning to have even its new leaf turn brown along with its two old leaves. One of the little ones has lost both of its leaves, as well.

 

It grew happily in what was probably awful soil in the parking lot bushes---do I need to go back and get some of that soil? Does anyone here know what a Dragon Aroid likes?

 

I'll be very sad if they die---the big ones were probably from an old Victorian garden, similar to the age of the little cottages around the new store. By the way, the store is in Stratford, where the 2012 Olympics will be held.

 

Thank you for any responses!

Karin, an American in London

 

 

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