Hello readers! Its me and I know it’s been awhile. I have been on hiatus from blogging for a little bit but I’m back and exciting things are happening in the Living Loft.
Denali, my Titan Arum, is finally going into hibernation! I think at least… this is the first time since I’ve had her that she has done this. Titan arums send up a leaf, collect energy from the sun in order to grow their corm, and then when they are done with that leaf it dies and they either send up another one or go into hibernation for a little bit. Basically during that time I just keep it dry and safe and when it starts sending up another leaf I re-plant it. Hibernation times can vary from 1 week to several months so I have no idea how long she will be sleeping, but we’ll see!
To catch up on Denali’s progress and see what she looked like when I got her check out the following posts:
Denali Arrives Meet Denali
Surviving the Move Growing Up
Quick Update Leaf 2
An important thing about hibernation is it is the time when we keep track of the corm’s progress and health. Look for nematode damage, any injuries to the corm and so on. Any injuries will be cleaned and antibacterial cream will be put on them, however I didn’t see any damage on this corm so it looks like it’s progressing along well.
Denali’s corm weighed in at 0.64 lbs, and is 3.1″ across in diameter and 2.9″ tall. The leaf itself had grown to 38.5″ tall. To give you an idea of where were headed… Titan Arum’s generally bloom when their corm is between 50-100 lbs. We have a ways to go! 🙂
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