Overwintered Arracacha, 2nd March |
Cuttings outdoors, 21st November |
Rooted cutting, 7th December |
But then the days got shorter, the light levels dropped, and the coldest winter for many years set in. Ale's 'outdoors' were finished off by -10°C temperatures. My plants stopped growing (apart from a few that bolted) and began to look yellow and sick. Here they are in mid January...
16th January |
Many died, wilting back and rotting at the roots despite my efforts to give them light, warmth and dry feet. By early February less than a third of the original plants remained.
But then a few cuttings which had apparently died, but not actually rotted, started to show signs of regrowth...
Apparently dead plant showing regrowth, 2nd March. |
Ale's plants, including his indoor ones, did not make it.
Back in October I also sent backup cuttings to Rhizowen and Frank van Keirsbilk. Reportedly they have both had the same difficulties as me; the latest news is that between them only one plant has hung on (well done Frank). Admittedly their cuttings were not as fresh as mine, having sat for a while, then suffering additionally in the post.
So, what next? It's certainly still too early to plant out ( only 3°C today), so they will staying in the greenhouse for a while yet.
The next target (apart from the obvious one of obtaining an edible crop) is to grow them through to autumn, then lift and store crowns to produce propagation material in late winter. The timings for this are all a big unknown, but are key to adapting this crop for growth in northern latitudes.
Given their noticeable tendency to flower in winter (I think induced by short day-length) I will also attempt to collect some seed for distribution this time next year.
Well I though I was quite good for knowing what oca is, but arracacha beats me, I hope you manage to get a crop and let us know what it's like.
ReplyDeleteMy hope is that we might all be able to know what it's like one day!
ReplyDeleteHere's to that. It will be interesting to see how long root formation takes in our climate.
ReplyDeleteI am glad they did not all perish and how lovely to see the new growth. Helen
ReplyDeleteI am looking to buy arracacha seeds or roots.
ReplyDeleteROBERT.RATLIFF@GMAIL.COM
Hi Bratliff. Sorry for the delay in answering; I just noticed your message languishing in the spam filter. I'm afraid I have no plants. See http://oca-testbed.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/trouble-with-arracacha.html for the story.
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