Elephant ear bulbs are rotting while in storage
QI have raised, and overwintered, elephant ear bulbs for quite a few years. I used to store them in the crawl space under the house with no problems. Last two or three years, upon inspection in late winter, many show signs of rot, like a rotten potato. I can trim them up, back to solid bulb, and get a side bud to sprout a small plant and bulb for next year, but it’s hard to get/keep big bulbs for the large ears. Is there a powder, or something, to dust bulbs in fall to reduce rotting over winter?
AAre you allowing the bulbs to dry before you store them? It is possible that they were too wet when they went into storage, which can cause some decay. Lift the bulbs before the first frost and cut the foliage off. Let them air dry for about a week, then knock off some of the old soil and put them in a breathable container with dry shredded paper, shipping peanuts or rice hulls. You can dust lightly with sulfur to help prevent decay, but don’t crowd the bulbs too close together. Keeping them dry and cool should work. Inspect the bulbs when you put them in storage. If any show signs of damage, store them separately.
QI found some interesting fruit hanging from a vine in northeastern Arkansas. The fruits are small, oval and a dark purple. What is this plant and are they edible?
AThe vine and fruit in question is commonly called rattan vine or supplejack (Berchemia scandens). This native vine produces a very wiry, woody stem. If allowed to grow up a young tree or shrub, the vine can girdle it. I have had it in my yard for years, but it is in pretty heavy shade and I try to control it — because I have not been able to kill it. I have not seen the fruit in my heavily shaded yard, but it does form berries that are highly prized by wildlife. I can’t find any references to it being eaten by humans other than a report from people who as children ate them; they didn’t die, but the fruits didn’t taste good. So let’s leave them for the birds and squirrels.
QI am a dedicated reader of your column but did not know you had written a book until someone mentioned it in a question. What is the title? I’m sure it must be available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, right?
AI have two books — In the Garden, a compilation of my columns with tips of what to do each month in your garden, came out in 2010. In December my second book, Field to Feast, was released which had a similar format but geared to edible crops only. Some independent bookstores carry them, some state parks and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sells them online, since it is the newspaper that publishes them.
QI have seen a small, white, fragrant flower growing on a vine in the woods near my home. It seems to be pretty tough. Someone told me it was a native clematis plant. Do you think that is what it is?
AEither that or it could be sweet autumn clematis, which is very similar. Both are blooming now in gardens and along the roadsides, too. Even though they are pretty, they are not small vines. Clematis virginiana, commonly called woodbine, is a fragrant, fall-blooming clematis that is somewhat similar in flower to sweet autumn clematis (C. terniflora) but lacks the tough, leathery leaves of the latter. Usually the native species has toothed leaves, while the introduced one has a smooth leaf margin. While both will bloom with abandon in late summer through early fall in sun or partial shade, learn to recognize them so you can limit their spread. Most of what we see growing on the roadsides is probably the escaped C. terniflora or sweet autumn clematis, which is quite invasive.
Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 or email her at jcarson@arkansasonline.com