Episode 116: Hippeastrums (aka amaryllis)

Transcript

Episode 116

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Jane: Hello and welcome the On The Ledge Podcast Episode 116, this week we're all about the Hippeastrumssubtitled I love big bulbs and I cannot lie. I'm your host and plant enabler Jane Perrone, this week we're taking a look at the rather OTT Christmas bulb that is the Hippeastrum often wrongly named as Amaryllis, we'll be looking at how to plant it, how to get it to flower on time, and what to do afterwards so it flowers next year. So if you bought aHippeastrum bulb to plant along with mine, it's time to go and root it out of the paper bag and get ready for some potting. And I answer a question about a Colocasia who has made friends with a mushroom. Is this a toxic relationship or a match made in heaven?

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Jane: Thanks to all of you who've responded to last week's news about our cray-cray plan to get a new plant emoji out into your smartphones. The one that everyone seems to be backing, on Facebook at least, is the MonsteraLeaf, we had a few other suggestions, a few people backed a rosette type succulent, I was thinking about an echeveria shape, a few people were keen on venus fly trap and one joker added Durian as an option. Google that if you don't know what it is - it's a stinky fruit. I love the idea of a Durian emoji, Alex who suggested that, but I'm not sure that is going to fly with Unicode who decide about these emojis and let new ones in. I think we're definitely we're going to plump for the Monstera Leaf. Good news is that we have somebody who has some graphic design expertise, thank you Jessie, who has stepped forward to volunteer to help with this. I can't wait to see what she comes up with, so we may have a draft emoji for you guys to look at fairly soon.

Thank you to Christina for becoming a Ledge-end this week, joining our happy clan of Patreon subscribers. Thanks to Delphonic661 and Carpefula for leaving lovely reviews of the show on Apple Podcast. If you want to support the show but you don't have enough pennies in your purse to be a Patreon subscriber, then leaving a review is brilliant way to do that. Or, get all old-fashioned and sit down with your friends and family and show them how to download a podcast and how to listen to On The Ledge because word of mouth is one of the most powerful ways that people can find out about the show.

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Jane: Hippeastrums are the Barry White of the indoor bulb world, massive and flamboyant and maybe a teeny bit cheesy but in a good way. As amazing plants woman, Anna Pavord, puts it in her brilliant and simply titled book "Bulb", don't be snooty about them, they're fabulous things and the whole point of them is their ludicrous size and their ability to knock you out from the far side of a room.

First, let's clear up the confusion about the name. You may be more used to seeing this plant labelled as Amaryllisbut that's actually a misnomer - that really refers to Amaryllis belladonna which is a more refined and delicate lily-like bulb from South Africa whereas Hippeastrums are from Latin America and they've been hybridised extensively to produce a huge range of the trumpet-like flowers that we know and love. These trumpet-like flowers, they're on this amazing, tall, meaty stem, which does, we have to admit, look rather phallic when in the bud stage of development, so do prepare yourself for that.

When it comes to choosing a cultivar it really depends on your aesthetics. There are showy really OTT ones like the deep crimson Red Pearl and the, frankly hideous, double-white and red striped Dancing Queen, more subtle affairs, such as the pale, greeny-white Lemon Star and the spidery cherry red and lime green La Paz.

There are loads of places to buy bulbs mail order, but if you want to get started now, and you may need to do that if you want to have your bulb in flower for Christmas, it may be advisable to buy in person from a garden centre or other boutique plant shop. When you're choosing those bulbs in person you get the chance to choose the absolute pick of the bunch. So look for the biggest bulbs that you can find, make sure you give them a good squeeze to check they're nice and firm and they've got no big splits or signs of mould or rot. You're also looking for a big cluster of juicy roots coming out of the bottom of the bulb, which is a really good sign.

If you want them to bloom in time for the festive season, it is a bit of a gamble, most of the labels will tell you that they flower in about six to eight weeks from planting time but inevitably it does vary a bit, it depends on the conditions you have, the cultivar you've got and how carefully you tend them. Before you get around to planting, they do need twelve to 24 hours of soaking. This is quite easy, just take a bowl or a wide vase, and half-fill it with tepid water, then stick the bulb in the top and make sure the roots are in contact with the water and a little bit of the bulb can be under water as well, soak them overnight or for a few hours and then they're ready to go and plant. So let's go and get my babies planted. I've got two bulbs, one Red Pearl, yes, the deep crimson Dancing Queen and I've got a La Paz as well, which is the spidery one I referred to earlier, so it's going to be fascinating to see how they do.

Before we start, let's just run over what we're going to need. These monster bulbs, contrary to appearances, don't need a monster pot. What you need is a pot that's just slightly larger than the circumference of the bulb, terracotta works really, really well. You can use plastic, but whatever pot you choose, just make sure it does have drainage. Anna Pavord suggests a two-to-one mix of multipurpose compost and grit. I'm going to be using Sylvagrow peat-free with a few handfuls of grit added in. Make sure that your potting mix is at room temperature when you pot the bulb so it doesn't have a horrible shock from being plunged into ice cold potting mix. I'm going to go off and get started, so come along and let's get these monster bulbs into their pots.

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Jane: Wolfie, are you ready for me to make a mess in here? Here we go. I've got my potting mix which is nice and toasty because, as I said, you need to make sure it's at room temperature so the bulb doesn't get a shock. I'm giving it a bit of a stir. I've got my Sylvagrow peat-free with some grit and I've also added a few expanded clay pebbles as well, just to make sure it's nice and airy. Typically, I haven't got any spare terracotta pots right now, so I'm having to use plastic and then I will put these into a cachepot. Let's get my bulbs, let's see how they're doing. They've been soaking overnight and they now should be ready to go. Look at that, what a beauty, the first one is Red Pearl which came from Peter Nyssen bulb company, if you know that firm. I'll put a link in the show notes so you can find out more about them. The bulb is looking really good and I'm just going to check the pot that I've brought in is the right size because that could be annoying. That looks perfect, there's about half a centimetre to a centimetre around the pot, which will be absolutely fine.

So I'm going to roll my sleeves up, I'm wearing too many clothes because it's so cold today, and put some of my special mix in the bottom of the pot. Don't put a layer of grit or anything at the bottom because, I think I've said before in the show, it doesn't actually aid drainage it makes drainage worse. Now, I've got to judge as to whether the bowl has the right amount of room, or not, let's try this. No, I need to take some out. This always happens, you put too much in and you take a little bit out, you guess until you get the right amount. The roots are going in, squish them down a little bit, try not to damage the roots because they need to get going and growing as soon as the bulb gets in to the compost. That looks good, I'm now going to fill in around the sides of the bowl with my compost, making a mess as usual, which is fine. In that goes, I'm giving that a shake and shimmy just to make sure that the bulb gets a nice load of compost around it. As I say, you need to have about half to two-thirds of the bulb proud of the soil surface to make sure that everything is happy. It's looking okay, it's a bit of a shimmy job to get it in the right spot. It's getting there. So this is already pre-moistened this potting mix, so I shouldn't need to do a heck of a lot of watering initially, the bulb will start to grow and then it's a question of keeping an eye on it and making sure it doesn't dry out overly. That is looking pretty good. I'm just going to give the sides a push down to make sure there's plenty of compost around, so there's room for water to go into the top, but I'm pretty happy with that. This is a bright purple plastic pot, so it definitely needs hiding in a cache pot. In it goes and that is looking fine and dandy. I'm going to get the next bulb. I need to make sure I label them, so I know which one is which.

Now we have La Paz which already has signs of new roots on it, so that's good. I'm going to put these bowls of dirty water to one side and start on this one. The roots on this one are really quite long, so just be as careful as you can not to damage them. I'm going to start filling this one. And when you buy that bulb, just make sure that it's nice and fresh and it doesn't feel at all squishy. Sometimes you buy these and they're in sealed boxes where you can't see what the bulb is like, if you're buying those for a very a low price, then that might be a worthwhile gamble, but don't buy an expensive bulb that you haven't actually got your hands on. If you buy mail order, it's pretty reliable. Usually good companies will send good bulbs, but if you're buying in person, it's always wise to have your eyes on what you're buying. Get in there. Wolfie is offering great encouragement from the sofa where he is installed as usual. Let's have a look at this, this is looking good. It's feeling quite firm in the pot, there's a bit of room at the top for water and I'm happy with that. So that is my two Hippeastrum bulbs planted. Now I just need to go and wash my hands and let's talk about how to make sure these things come into beautiful flower.

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Jane: Back in the office and let's talk about how to get a lovely thick bud on your Hippeastrums. Mine have been put into my glass-roofed conservatory which is north-facing but gets tons of natural light, so they should be absolutely fine there. It's probably about 18C in there in the day, maybe up to 20C and then it's about 17C at night so that should be absolutely fine. The ideal conditions are meant to be 21C so if you've got the average living room they'll be absolutely fine with that. They may be a little bit slower in my slightly cooler conditions but that's okay because we've got eight weeks to go until Christmas, so hopefully that will fit in perfectly well, fingers crossed.

So you're looking for somewhere that is not too draughty, make sure that the compost is nice and damp but not soaking wet and now it's the waiting game. Once that stem starts appearing then the one thing you do need to do is turn the pot because otherwise you end up with a drunken Hippeastrum that looks like there's been some terrible disaster and is leaning at a jaunty angle. So turn the pot every day, you can just turn it a quarter turn, if you can remember - that way, you will get a nice straight stem, depending on how long that stem that turns out to be, you might need to put a stake in there just to keep it straight, hopefully if there's enough light you won't need to do that. When the buds start bursting open that is the point to, ideally, move the plant to a slightly cooler place so that the flowers last as long as possible. Let's face it, you want this plant somewhere where you can see it, so you can appreciate the incredible flowers, so maybe we go for the short sharp shock of the Hippeastrum flowers for a few days and keep it somewhere nice and prominent in our homes. One of the weird things about this bulb is that the flowers appear before the strap like leaves, so don't be alarmed if you get the stem forming but no leaves, the leaves will follow.

Once the big show is over, what do you do then to get your bulb to flower next year? Well there's lots of different advice on this. The main thing is to just water and feed them once they've flowered and keep those leaves going so that they can feed the bulb, you can do this by keeping them in exactly the same spot or maybe by moving them outside if you happen to have a greenhouse, they could go in there as long as it's a shaded spot. Then you'll find that in late-summer, around September time, they start to die back and at that point you can just cut out the watering entirely and allow the leaves to shrivel away and at that point they can just be left for about two months next to the garden shed, just forget about them, just make a note to remember them once you get to this time of year before it gets too cold outside, perhaps mid-October we're talking about, that's when you need to bring them back inside, start the watering again and start feeding them again, then hopefully they will come back into flower. And you know what, if that doesn't work, you can always just buy some more and try some different varieties. I will keep you posted about how my Hippeastrums do. I hope they'll be successful. We shall see and we'll have some dramatic flowers to look at, come Christmas time. Let me know if you're growing Hippeastrum, which varieties you've chosen and how you're getting on with them, because these Dancing Queens definitely deserve a place in the spotlight.

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Jane: Now it's time to hear about this week's sponsor. I've been trying out Native's coconut and vanilla scented deodorant and it smells fantastic. If that's not for you, there's a range of other enticing scents, including lavender and rose and eucalyptus and mint, and if you don't like any scent at all in your deodorant, then you can get that too. As well as smelling great, Native deodorant works really well too. So when you strip off at the end of the day, you're not going to get any nasty surprises emanating from your armpits, hurrah! I also love the fact that Native's products are not tested on animals and they're free from aluminium, parabens and talc. Why not try Native today? For 20% off your first purchase visit nativedeodorant.com and use promo code ONTHELEDGE during checkout. Shipping is free on all orders to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany. For 20% off your first purchase visit nativedeodorant.com and enter the code ONTHELEDGE

[music]

Jane: I thought it was about time that we shed a bit of light on some of the fascinating people that listen to On The Ledge, so starting this week I'm introducing a new, regular, perhaps not weekly, but every-so-often feature, where I quiz somebody who listens to the show. In my incredibly imaginative way, I've decided to call this slot 'Meet The Listener' and we'll be finding out about one listener through five quick fire questions that reveal a little bit about them and their plant obsession. I'll let my first victim, I mean, interviewee, speak for himself!

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Steve: Hi Jane, My name is Steve, I live in Glasgow and I'm one of your Patreon supporters. I have a huge interest in cacti and succulents and also most other house plants. I'm a member of the committee for the BCSS branch up here in Glasgow. I've been a big plant fan for about three years now.

Jane: Question one. There's a fire and all of your plants are about to burn. Which one do you grab as you escape?

Steve: That's an unfair question, I would want to save all of them, but if I have to just pick one I would pick my String of Hearts, as my husband bought that for me and it has lots of sentimental value.

Jane: That's sweet. Next question. What is your favourite episode of On The Ledge?

Steve: My favourite episode of On The Ledge is probably the Sansevieria one with Colin Walker from the BCSS. I just found it really, really informative and it opened my eyes to lots of Sansevieria that I'd never heard of before and I've got quite a collection.

Jane: Question three - Which Latin name do you say to impress people?

Steve: I say all Latin names. I don't like using common names very often, the one that gets most reaction is Gesneriads. People think it sounds really funny when I talk about Gesneriads. It sounds like some kind of rich family. So, yes, Gesneriads.

Jane: Love it, Steve. I gave a talk on house plants recently and the first question from the audience? "Did you say that the African Violet was a member of the gonad family!?" Anyway, enough about me, on with the next question. Question four. Crassulacean acid metabolism or guttation?

Steve: Well, as a cacti and succulent enthusiast, I'm always, always, always going to pick CAM.

Jane: Clever choice Steven. Question five. Would you rather spend £200 on a variegated Monstera, or £200 on 20 interesting cacti?

Steve: I would always spend £200 on 20 interesting cacti because, as nice as Monstera are, the prices are getting so crazy. I would rather have 20 little cacti and succulents sat on my windowsill or in a cold frame outside than I would one gigantic and very, very, very expensive plant in the corner.

Jane: So, that's Steven. If you'd like to put yourself forward for the Meet The Listener slot then send me a message to with a bit of information about yourself and, you never know, we might be hearing your dulcet tones on the show before long.

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Jane: Now it's time for Question of the Week which came from Taylor on Twitter. This was one of those desperate cries for help that makes your heart beat that little bit faster. "Help, I have mushrooms around the base of my Colocasia. Is this a good thing?" Well, Taylor, sorry it's taken me so long to answer this question and I hope you haven't been sitting there staring at these mushrooms for the last couple of months in absolute fear of what's going to happen to your plant. The first thing to say about this is that fungi are everywhere. Yes, they are a constant presence in our lives, although we don't necessarily spot them or notice their existence, sometimes because they're super small, also because they're under the ground most of the time. Of course, the mushroom part is just the fruiting body of a fungus. We don't realise the role they play in our ecosystems.

So the top line, Taylor, is that this mushroom, or mushrooms, that you've seen in the top of your Colocasia pot will not be doing the plant any harm. There are thousands of different fungus species and so identifying exactly what mushroom you have in your pot may be tricky, but one of the most common mushrooms that's found growing in house plant pots goes by the delightful name of Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, also commonly known as the yellow house plant mushroom. This is the one that tends to turn up in pots, either in homes, or in greenhouses. The appearance of the fruiting bodies, the mushrooms, does vary, but usually it looks like one of those parasol mushrooms that you see in fairy illustrations - a bright or pale yellow, cream or even white parasol that opens up as the mushroom grows and there tends to be a little cluster of them.

The reason why this likes growing in potted plants is that the conditions are exactly right - it's nice and toasty and warm and damp. Oftentimes,, when you have a potting soil that has got a high organic matter content, that is just perfect for these fungi to grow on because they like to feed on the organic matter that's in soil. The first thing to say is they're not competing with your Colocasia, because their energy source is completely different from plants. Fungi are a totally different kingdom, they don't photosynthesise, so they get their food by breaking down matter in the soil or in leaves or dead logs and things like that. It's the same in the pot, where they're breaking down the organic matter in your pot.

Probably the safest thing to do if you find a mushroom growing in your pot is to remove it, particularly if you've got children or pets who might be likely to have a nibble. This is a toxic mushroom, but that doesn't mean you've got rid of the fungus because, of course, most of it is occurring under the surface where you can't see it. If you're the kind of person that finds it a bit disturbing to think about fungi living among your house plants, then get a grip, because, quite frankly, that's what's keeping your house plants alive, bearing in mind Mycorrhizal fungi are at work in soils and helping plants to get nutrients from the soil! Fungi are really important. We really under-rate their importance in the world of house plants. If I can get an expert to talk about this in greater depth, I will do so because it's a really fascinating topic. But don't worry about fungi in the pots. If you need to remove that mushroom from the top, they may regrow, they may not, but they're not doing your plant any harm.

The only thing I would say is if you've got mushrooms growing, it may be a sign of two things: 1) that you're using potting mix which has got a very high organic content. This can sometimes be the case if you switch away from a peat-based compost to a peat-free compost because these tend to have a higher level of materials from, say, recycled green waste, and 2) it's an indication that potting mix is quite damp because fungi do like to grow in damp conditions. So think about whether the plant that you're growing is happy with that damp soil, in the same way that the mushroom is happy, and it may be that you need to repot that plant in a more free-draining mix, including something like a horticultural grit, or sand, or perlite, if you're thinking that the soil is actually rather too water-logged, hence the mushrooms thriving, but your plant may not be.

That said, your plant may be completely happy and have exactly the right moisture levels and in that case you won't need to do anything at all other than maybe removing those mushrooms just for safety's sake. But if you don't have any kids or pets to worry about, you could also just make them into a little feature and admire their beauty because mushrooms are incredible things in case you hadn't already got my drift on this one.

Just one last thing to say to say about Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, one of the names of this fungus in the UK is Plant Pot Dapperling which I think is rather charming. I hope that has been of help, Taylor, and if you've got a question for On The Ledge, drop me a line,

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Jane: That's it for this week's show, I'm taking a one-week break next week, that's November 15th 2019, there will be no episode of On The Ledge. Boo, I know! Don't worry, I'll be back the following week, November 22nd, with an episode on choosing plants for Christmas presents and, yes, that does include Christmas presents for yourself which, in my opinion, are the best kinds of presents! Until then, my friends, have a great couple of weeks. Bye!

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Jane: The music you heard in this episode was Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops, Rashem Pidity, Pokhara by Samuel Corwin, Chiefs by Jahzzar, and Overthrown by Josh Woodward. With advertising music by the Heftone Banjo Orchestra with Whistling Rufus. All tracks are licensed under Creative Commons. See www.janeperrone.comfor details.

Subscribe to On The Ledge via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Player FM, Stitcher, Overcast, RadioPublic and YouTube.

Hippeastrum bulbs are the Barry White of the indoor bulb world - massive and flamboyant, and maybe just a teeny bit cheesy, but in a good way! They tend to come into flower about Christmastime, but it takes careful timing to make sure they are in flower at the right moment. 

This week I plant my bulbs and discuss how to grow them successfully for a festive display - and find out how to get them to flower again next year - and scroll down for a question about mushrooms growing among your houseplants.

As you listen, check out the Hippeastrum care points below: 

Hippeastrum ‘Red Pearl’ from Peter Nyssen.

• Hippeastrums are often wrongly labelled as Amaryllis, but Amaryllis should really refer to the more refined and delicate looking Amaryllis belladonna, which comes from South Africa and is usually called the belladonna lily. Hippeastrums are from Latin America and have been hybridised to produce a huge range of flamboyant trumpet-like flowers on a tall meaty stem. 

• When it comes to choosing a cultivar, it really depends on your aesthetics - there are really showy ones like the deep crimson ‘Red Pearl’ and the frankly hideous (sorry!) double white and red striped ‘Dancing Queen’, and more subtle affairs such as the pale greeny-white ‘Lemon Star’ and the spidery cherry red and lime green ‘La Paz’.

• There are loads of places to buy bulbs mail order: I chose one ‘Red Pearl’ and one ‘La Paz’ and I bought them from Peter Nyssen in the UK, but if you want to get a Hippeastrum flowering for Christmas it is probably advisable to buy in person from a garden centre or shop - you often see boxed bulbs for sale in supermarkets and other shops. (That said it’s a very cheering thing to have a Hippeastrum in flower in a gloomy January, and mail order stores such as Peter Nyssen tend to have a wider range of cultivars, so if they are still in stock online at a reputable bulb supplier, do snap them up!) 

• If you are choosing bulbs in person, pick the biggest ones you can find and make sure you give them a good squeeze to check they are firm (yes, you can now evoke a mental image of you squeezing Barry White!) and have no big splits, or signs of mould or rot. A big cluster of meaty roots coming out of the bottom of the bulb is another really good sign.  

• If you want Hippeastrums to bloom in time for Christmas, it’s a bit of a gamble - most of the labels will say flowers within 6-8 weeks, but inevitably it varies depending on the conditions you have, the cultivar and how carefully you tend them. 

My Hippeastrum bulbs soaking in tepid water. Photograph: Jane Perrone.

Hippeastrum ‘La Paz’ from Peter Nyssen.

Planting Hippeastrums

• Before you plant, the bulbs need 12-24 hours of soaking - you can do this by finding a wide vase and half filling it with tepid water, then putting the bulb in the top, making sure the roots are all in contact with the water.

• Contrary to appearances these monster bulbs do need a monster pot - a container that is quite tall but only slightly larger than the circumference of the bulb is ideal - terracotta works well or you can use plastic and put the pot into a cachepot - just make sure that the inner pot, whatever type you choose, has drainage holes. 

• Anna Pavord (author of the wonderful book ‘Bulb’) suggests a 2-1 mix of multipurpose compost and grit, so I used Sylvagrow peat free with a few handfuls of grit added in. Make sure this is at room temperature, not straight from the shed so the bulb doesn’t get a nasty shock: pre-moisten it so it’s ready to go and you won’t disturb the newly-settled compost by watering straightaway. 

• Make sure that top of the Hippeastrum is poking out above the rim of the pot, and that about a third to a half of the bulb emerges above the soil’s surface. Fill in around the sides with compost and firm it down, leaving space at the top of the pot for water. 

• The bulbs need a warm room in bright light away from draughts - 21C is ideal, but if temperatures are a little cooler your bulb may take longer to bloom. The flower stem emerges first followed by the strappy leaves: keep the soil moist but not wet. Turn the pot a little every day or so to ensure that your flower stem doesn’t end up leaning! You may need to stake it if it becomes very top-heavy.

• Once the buds are starting to open, the advice is usually to move the plant to a cooler room - say 16C - to make the flowers last longer, but in my view I’d rather get a shorter time enjoying my flowers in a prime position! 

How to get Hippeastrums to reflower next year

• Once the flowers are over, cut them off individually and once all the flowers are done, cut the stem off to the base. Keep feeding and watering the plant until late summer: you can keep it indoors, or if you have outside space you can put them outdoors, but don’t forget to water them if it’s dry! 

• In September stop watering them entirely and the leaves will shrivel: they then undergo a dormancy period for a couple of months when they need to be cool and dry. Bring them inside or to a warmer room around mid-October. and commence watering and feeding again, and they should start to regrow and - with a bit of luck - flower again! 

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Leucocoprinus birnbaumii growing at the base of a Dieffenbachia. Photograph: Jane Perrone.

Question of the week

Taylor wanted to know whether to be concerned about the mushroom growing in the pot with his Colocasia. Fungi are everywhere, including in our houseplant soil, so it’s inevitable that from time to time you will see their fruiting bodies - in other words, mushrooms - popping up from the surface of the soil. Mycorrhizal fungi are vital to plant health and are probably present in your soil, but these don’t tend to be visible from the surface. 

Leucocoprinus birnbaumii aka the pot plant mushroom aka plant pot dapperling is the most common mushroom that loves conditions in houseplant pots - it is not going to do any harm to the Colocasia, as it has a totally different energy source - they break down organic matter rather than photosynthesise. Mushrooms are most likely to grow in damp soil with a high organic matter content, so in some cases it may indicate that the soil is too wet. If you are worried about children or pets getting hold of the mushrooms, L. burnbaunmii is toxic), then just remove the mushrooms as they emerge. If not, just enjoy their beauty!

Want to ask me a question? Email ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. The more information you can include, the better - pictures of your plant, details of your location and how long you have had the plant are always useful to help solve your issue!

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CREDITS

This week's show featured the tracks Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops, Rashem Pidity, Pokhara by Samuel Corwin, Chiefs by Jahzzar, and Overthrown by Josh Woodward. Ad music was  Whistling Rufus by the Heftone Banjo Orchestra. All tracks are licensed under Creative Commons.

Logo design by Jacqueline Colley.