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If you ’re looking for a large and interesting houseplant , the Voodoo lily should get your attention . It is a strange but fascinating plant , just as its name would advise . This mintage can make awonderful menage plantbut does have one drawback , the atrocious but short - populate odor of its flower .
Read this article to learn everything you involve to make love about growing this large lily indoors .
Amorphophallus konjacis a perennial with an interesting lifecycle . This plant grow from a electric light - like structure eff as a genus Tuber , producing first a efflorescence , then a large chemical compound leaf , and then returning to dormancy . At an age of about 5 years , the voodoo lily bulb will be gravid enough to start flowering .
The individual efflorescence is large and grow from a husk up to 4 infantry tall . The effect is quite spectacular , but unluckily , this corpse flower smells terrible for a Clarence Day or two ! The reason for this is that the plant is fly sheet - pollinated , and develops this smell to attract these dirt ball .
Many growers would be surprised to know that the tree - like radical and leave of this plant consist entirely of a unmarried leaf . This leaf has a beautiful spotted leafstalk and an umbrella - forge development form .
Plant Facts
How to Grow a Voodoo Lily
The voodoo lily flora can be grown both outside in beds or containers , and indoors as a houseplant . It generally provides interest from former spring when it flowers to early fall when it perish into dormancy . study on for specific information on how to grow this plant indoors .
Propagation
Voodoo lilies can be rise from seeds , but unfortunately , these can be hard to find or produce from your works . Luckily , healthy vodoun lilies will produce multiple new genus Tuber , so you should have no problem growing your voodoo lily accumulation each year !
The new tubers can be separated from the parent in fountain , or you’re able to wait for them to detach themselves . Whenever repotting these hoodooism lily plants , be sure to search through the territory ; you might be surprised at how many new plants you ’ll find .
Soil
A good quality potting mix soil may be adequate , but since these alien plants demand very well - debilitate , constitutional soil , a succulent admixture would plausibly be better . These plants are ponderous eater that opt a full-bodied grow medium , so take a Cartesian product that contains some constitutive compost and peat moss .
If you would like to better the drain of your dirt , you’re able to mix in about 25 % perlite or gritstone . One matter to bear in mind when using a perlite - rich grease is that these plants can get reasonably top - heavy , so use a ponderous sight , or find a way to stabilize the container to preclude it from tipping over .
To ascertain that the soil surface remains moist , water the plant thoroughly and allow the H2O to drain out of the heap . Then , place the pot on a dish aerial filled with water and have the soil surface draw the water from the bottom . This will help the plant to grow healthy and strong .
Pruning
The juju lily plant will get to flower each year once its genus Tuber has develop to a size of about 4 inches ( 10 cm ) across . Growing to such a size of it can take several years , however . At this point , the plant will produce a undivided blossom capitulum in the late winter to springtime , which is then replace by a fresh leaf about a month later .
amazingly , the stem and leaves of the Voodoo lily are in reality all a individual , complex leaf . This folio should not be pruned as this will damage the flora .
The leaf only outlast for a unmarried season and will die back by recent summer to come . Both the leaf and the flower stalk can be removed once they have dried up .
Repotting and Transplanting
The voodoo lily plump through a dormant period each class , and this is the obvious time for repotting . In fact , once the abeyant period has begin , many growers will dig up the tubers and store them in a teetotal place until they start producing the first sign of the flower still hunt in the late winter .
salt away them over wintertime is n’t absolutely necessary , it is plainly a safe-conduct against rot during the dormant period . If you do go this route , set aside the tuber to resorb most of the nutrient and moisture from the wilting leaf before move out it .
put in the tubers in a newspaper pocketbook in a cool , dark locating . Keep them ironical , and avoid storing them in plastic as this cause moulder .
Voodoo Lily Care Guide
Once you have an established specimen , you should have no job care for theseinteresting tropical plant . take on for more specific guardianship information .
Water
Voodoo lilies appreciate a moist produce culture medium but should never be kept in concentrated stain as this can lead in root rot . This is where the importance of a well - drained medium becomes manifest . These tropic works should only be watered during the fighting rise season , so allow the soil to dry out completely if you plan on winter the tuber in its soil .
Sunlight
These pollinated flowers can be grow in a fair wide range of lighting conditions , although they will do well when allowed accession to some direct sunlight . They might be capable to treat full sunlight as long as you keep them out of the unmediated afternoon sun .
They should , however , be grown in mostly lustrous , indirect light as too much direct sun can cauterise young foliage .
Temperature and Humidity
The voodoo lily is a tropical plant life that relish a quick , humid environment . They can be produce in relatively coolheaded climates , however , specially as a houseplant because they enrol quiescency during the wintertime season . The dormant tubers do not involve to be kept at tropical temperatures but should be protect from freeze conditions .
Fertilizer
These plants do well when countenance admittance to plenty of food , so use a plant food of your alternative throughout the flora originate season . When the leaf begin to die back and be reabsorbed by the tuber , it ’s time to break fertilize .
Pest and diseases
This plant life tend to be disease and pestilence - resistant . Avoid overwatering as this could have rot , and limit the plant ’s exposure to direct sunshine to quash sting of the leafage .
Common Varieties and Cultivars
There are a few unlike forms of this plant that are available from meter to time . These plants disagree mostly in the color of the leafage leafstalk and the pamphlet . Some object lesson let in :
FAQs
Is A voodoo lily rare ?
The condition “ voodoo lily ” is used for several different plant species , and their rarity can vary . One plebeian voodoo lily is the Sauromatum venosum , which is not considered rare and is cultivated by works partisan .
Does voodoo lily smell ?
Yes , many voodoo lily , including the Sauromatum venosum , produce a secure and unpleasant odor . The aroma is often equate to that of a rotting animal , which attracts flies as born pollinator .
Are voodoo lily poisonous ?
fetish lilies like Sauromatum venosum are more often than not not considered extremely toxic to humans . However , they may carry compound that can stimulate mild temper if ingested , so it ’s advisable to handle them with care and keep them aside from pets and small children .
Can you acquire voodoo lily indoors ?
Yes , Voodoo lilies can be grown indoors , but they ask specific care . allow for well - draining soil , fair to middling moisture during the acquire season , and a period of dormancy with reduced tearing in the wintertime . control the indoor surroundings receives enough luminosity to support their growth .
Why do voodoo lilies stink ?
The stiff smell emitted by voodooism lily , especially during their flowering stage , serves to draw carrion fly and beetles , which act as pollinators . The look mimic that of decay flesh , a scheme evolved by the plant to ensure successful pollenation by these specific insects .
Conclusion
The voodoo lily is a remarkable plant that makes a bold statement in the indoor surround . Growing this plant through its various growth stages will enamor you . You ’ll just have to put up with one very smelly voodoo lily bloom for a few days each year .
- image by aksenovko / depositphotos
