Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

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Rika
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Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Rika »

Hello fellow plant friends!

I have recently acquired a large Dioscorea macrostachya (mexicana) specimen (30cm) and from what I know it is supposed to grow in summer. As expected for the transport, the vine was completely cut and now I am confused as to what to expect from this plant next. Is it supposed to continue growing and develop a new vine? Should I continue watering it? Or should I consider it an early dormancy?

Your advise would be greatly appreciated!
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Aiko
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Aiko »

I would wait for it to show some signs of active growth before watering. It could be right at this moment, but it could also well be something is showing in the autumn. Most of these are winter active. I don't know if they are erratic per individual plant, meaning it could one year grow in summer and the other year in the autumn / winter.

You could give it a one time splash of water to see if that helps things going. And then sit and wait.
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Rika
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Rika »

Thank you Aiko! I will give it some time to decide what it wants then :)
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Aiko
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Aiko »

It will have more of an own mind than mesembs...
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Terry S. »

I think that Aiko might be confusing this with the winter-growing D. elephantipes from South Africa. D. macrostachya (syn D. mexicana) is as the synonym suggests, a Mexican species and would therefore be expected to grow during summer like the cacti and Crassulaceae from that country. It is possible that a plant of this size might have been dug out from the wild and if so, it would have lost a lot of its roots. So re-establishment could be tricky unless this has already been done at a nursery. I admit to no experience of Mexican species of Dioscorea, but my inclination would be to keep the compost slightly moist into the autumn.
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Rika
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Rika »

Thank you Terry!
Yes, this being D. macrostachya, I am a bit worried that it was "interrupted" during its growth period. It still had strong looking vines on the pictures before it was shipped to me but they were of course cut for transport. It was delivered with this pot and substrate and it is sitting firmly in it (didn't move an inch during transport) so I think it is either nursery grown or already established since some time.
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Rika
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Rika »

So, the plant actually started growing a couple of weeks ago. I started watering, thinking it might need it. But then it kinda stopped. Now I'm even more confused...

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Keith H
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Keith H »

Looks like you are growing it indoors, the light levels will probably be much lower than when at the nursery so I expect it is now behaving as though the days are shorter and darker as though it is late autumn. If as said above it is a summer grower I would be letting it go dormant over our winter and trying to re start it with a light watering in the spring time.
Just a guess as I too have only grown the more usual D. elephantipes which for me is a mid to late summer grower, stays in leaf all winter but does not grow a lot after early autumn.
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by MikeDom »

Seen at ELK, but I don't think I'd be brave enough to take on a plant like this, especially with a price tag of 500 Euros it could turn out to be a very soggy mistake. Spectacular plant though.

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Rika
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Re: Dioscorea macrostachya: advice needed

Post by Rika »

Thank you so much for getting back to me on this Keith! I agree that it's best to get it on a proper schedule. Seeing that it has stopped its attempts to grow I will support its decision by not watering. Hopefully it will be back on track in the spring.

Mike, those elephantipes are amazing! Hope they went to good capable hands. The amount of green this thing would produce!
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