Dioscorea elephantipes

[Debbie]

Hello cactus and succulent friends , I hope you are all well .It's been a lovely sunny day here ( Cornwall) and I have been washing my greenhouse windows and tidying up all my plants today . I noticed that my Dioscorea elephantipes is fading away into it's dormancy period . The vine has been beautiful this year , scrabbling up and along a big piece of drift wood . I usually would cut the vines down as they wither , but I was wondering if I were to leave them , would they come back along the old vines when it next comes back into growth ? Anyone know ? Debbie

[AnTTun]

I cut everything that dries out.

[MikeT]

I've never had the previous year's growth do anything other than die back completely. A new vine will start from the caudex when it comes back into growth. Occasionally you get 2 vines.

[Mal L]

Yes, Mike is right, the old growth will dry up completely and can be cut back to just a few cms from the caudex. One thing about this plant is its utter unpredictability, at least in our climate. Keep an eye on it as it can sprout new growth almost any time, and it grows fast. Likewise, don't panic if nothing happens for a long time! One year my plant skipped a whole year and I thought it had died. However, it started growth again the next year as if nothing had happened.

[Tony R]

Yes, Mike is right, the old growth will dry up completely and can be cut back to just a few cms from the caudex. One thing about this plant is its utter unpredictability, at least in our climate. Keep an eye on it as it can sprout new growth almost any time, and it grows fast. Likewise, don't panic if nothing happens for a long time! One year my plant skipped a whole year and I thought it had died. However, it started growth again the next year as if nothing had happened.

Unpredictable - - exactly my experience too over many years, Mal.
I've always put it down to my sheer neglect!

[MikeT]

The unpredictability isn't just Stockport and Kent - applies in sunny Yorkshire as well. Growing a few plants side by side, same conditions, it's amazing how varied they are in timing of coming into growth.

They're tough things. One plant grew for years on the floor at the edge of the greenhouse door. The door is left open during the day in winter, and at night unless frost forecast. It had snow on it at times, but never seemed to mind the cold, and grew much the same as the ones indoors.