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Post by murgatroyd on Sept 28, 2010 8:09:10 GMT -8
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Post by Tom Wagner on Sept 28, 2010 14:17:30 GMT -8
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Post by thefuture on Oct 1, 2010 3:56:42 GMT -8
I ordered some years ago but they arrived germinated and dead. ce la vie.
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Post by murgatroyd on Oct 1, 2010 7:54:46 GMT -8
I ordered some years ago but they arrived germinated and dead. ce la vie. Its inexcusable if you ordered them years ago and just now received them!  |
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Post by Tom Wagner on Oct 1, 2010 9:24:07 GMT -8
I did a few more searches to learn about Apios. Atash ordered three kinds to try and I will observe his assortment. He is getting the LSU kinds.
For something so wild I can't believe how hard it is to get all a person would want. Seems that true seed is hard to find, or that it does not produce much seed. Why something that is wild would have to cost much is a mystery to me. You would think that there are people who would go out to their back forty and dig up a bushel and send it to you for the postage.
Going to the forums such as HGG and SSE didn't help much either. For all the hope and hype for Apios...it sure appears to fall short for a food supply. Even at Orflo's place in Belgium..I visited with him last year, I looked at his various crops as he has Apios and a multitude of other rare plants...and it does not appear that anyone really fully utilize the tubers.
I would like to see how they would work on raised beds with drip lines with black plastic. Just let the vines sprawl on the row covers.
I put that copy/paste in quotes because if anyone is Google searching this crop...maybe they will come across the topic here and say, Hey, I know a Native American tribe that digs those each year and has plenty to sell!
This is an open invitation to contact this forum if you know of any bulk availability of Apios tubers.
Tom Wagner
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Post by PatrickW on Oct 1, 2010 10:03:59 GMT -8
I tried these twice, and amid dire warnings it would naturalize and take over my garden, nothing ever came up. The second time was fresh from Frank's garden. He advised me to keep the tubers moist until planting, which I did and planted them right away. Nothing.
I think once you get them established, the number of tubers you get won't be so much of an issue, but establishing them doesn't always work like you think it should...
The other thing not grown in the US very much is yacon. Why don't Americans think yacon is interesting? Alan Kapuler wrote a great article on this a few years back, and I think it's on the Seed Ambassador's website.
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Post by DarJones on Oct 1, 2010 12:16:15 GMT -8
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Post by murgatroyd on Oct 1, 2010 17:41:12 GMT -8
Nutrient content of leaves, stems, and whole plant. Doesn't appear that they analyzed the tuber yield, only the herbage yield. www.plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/pubs/wvpmcpo8881.pdfAnd a different source stated the bean pods were edible. Beans and "potatoes" from one plant? Foliage looks like pole bean foliage and the flowers look like clusters of tiny pink/red orchids. One source stated that sprouting initiates at 55F. Also, the farther north the plant grows the less likely it is to set seed. From http://www.groundnutgardens.com: "The plant is a climbing vine that develops pinkish-lavender and maroon flowers which form in clusters that appear in mid to late August. It can also produce pea pods just below the flowers which are also edible. These peas can be dried to produce seeds. Most Ground Nut plants though are propagated by replanting the Ground Nut tubers. Each tuber, even very small ones, will produce a new plant. The maturity of the plant can be roughly determined by the number of leaves on a leaflet. Young first year plants will have 3-5 leaves on a stem. Very mature plants may have up to nine leaves on a stem. The mature, well established plants will also have much thicker vines and larger leaves. Ground Nut leaves will open up to catch the sun and fold up if there is too much sun. During a heavy rain the leaves will hang down to offer less resistance. The plant is also very photo-tropic, and when newly sprouted it will use this feature to search it's immediate area to find something to climb on such as a branch of another plant or a pole it can wind around." |
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