Dead Hot Pokers
 

We inherited a solitary red hot poker when we moved into our current
house, and transplanted it to a sunnier position. It thrived and
multiplied until we had an impressive clump of twenty last year.

This year we had six mangy looking pokers and the gnarled brown
above-ground "roots" (if that's the right name for that part of the
plant) had turned mushy and flaccid.

We've not done anything different to them - in fact they've always
been left to their own devices - so we were wondering whether they've
become diseased, succumbed to old age or whether the spell of wet
weather earlier in the year put the kibosh on them. Is there anything
we can do to return them to health next year?

Thanks for any advice.

Dead Hot Pokers
 

mike wrote:
We inherited a solitary red hot poker when we moved into our current
house, and transplanted it to a sunnier position. It thrived and
multiplied until we had an impressive clump of twenty last year.

This year we had six mangy looking pokers and the gnarled brown
above-ground "roots" (if that's the right name for that part of the
plant) had turned mushy and flaccid.

We've not done anything different to them - in fact they've always
been left to their own devices - so we were wondering whether they've
become diseased, succumbed to old age or whether the spell of wet
weather earlier in the year put the kibosh on them. Is there anything
we can do to return them to health next year?

From experience it seems they need no care and eat snails, are resilient to
the attentions of cats and foxes as well as small children.

I dig mine out every few years - usually a bit later in the year - cut back
all the foliage. discard any dross from the rest and replant about 20%.
They're probably due for another thinning out so let me know [1] if you want
a few.

[1] There's a contact page at http://WilliamTasso.com
--
William Tasso

Dead Hot Pokers
 

In article ,
"William Tasso" writes:
| mike wrote:
|
| We've not done anything different to them - in fact they've always
| been left to their own devices - so we were wondering whether they've
| become diseased, succumbed to old age or whether the spell of wet
| weather earlier in the year put the kibosh on them. Is there anything
| we can do to return them to health next year?
|
| From experience it seems they need no care and eat snails, are resilient to
| the attentions of cats and foxes as well as small children.

Probably winter wet. Most forms of them don't like the combination
of winter wet and frost, which is often followed by fungal infestation
of the roots. I would dig them up and try again.

Apparently some species and varieties can take waterlogging, but I
believe that few of those can take any frost. Conversely, they can
take quite a lot of frost in well-drained soil if it is not
associated with a wet winter.

This is a common characteristic of many plants from that sort of
area (South Africa, in this case).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Dead Hot Pokers
 

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I'll dig them out and see if I can replant the healthiest of the survivors.