Typhonium venosum blooming (video)

I decided to make a time lapse video of my Typhonium venosum blooming, which was previously detailed here.  Enjoy!

Neutrinos Cheat



CERN says I might have been wrong.  I say neutrinos are tricky little bitches that cheat!!

First Video of Fish Tool Use

The video below, filmed off the coast of Palau, in 2009 is the first video evidence of fish using "tools".  An orange-dotted tuskfish was filmed digging through the ocean bottom, finding a clam, and then using a rock like an anvil to get the clam open.  If tool use is an indication of intelligence, then are fish smarter than we give them credit for?

Go The F#@$ to Sleep

Just got this book from my brother.  Pretty funny, but even better when read by

Samuel L. Jackson.

 Unfortunately this is just a Christopher Walken impersonator, and not the real deal, but still funny.

Shark Fin Soup

As the people of China gain wealth, the ocean's sharks suffer.  Shark fin soup, an apparently bland dish exposed by chef Gordon Ramsay.  WARNING: graphic images and language.

Amorphophallus konjac

In 2007 I was lucky enough to see an Amorphophallus titanum bloom in person here.  I immediately decided that I had to have one.  Unfortunately I was quickly forced to realize that that wasn't realistic.  Even small tubers are relatively expensive, they grow huge, and require conditions not easily met in a cold climate unless of course you have a greenhouse.  So, instead I convinced my wife to buy me several A. konjac tubers for Christmas.  Little did she know how many Amorphophallus I would end up with over the next few years.  I received seven tubers from a seller on eBay.  One turned out to be the Typhonium venosum shown here.  All seven tubers grew quite well (below).

Over the years I gave three away.  On the left are the remaining three in summer 2010, along with a few venosum planted in the same pot.  Konjacs produce offshoots every year that will grow into their own separate plants.  In the fall of each year the tubers are dug up, after the leaves die, revealing several small new tubers.  On the right is my largest tuber (early summer 2011) planted along with several offshoots from a previous year.

Finally here is my largest tuber (seen above right) after being dug up mid September 2011.  This tuber weighed in at 1.379Kg (3lbs 0.6oz).  Hopefully this tuber will bloom next spring.

Daft Punk: Thomas

One of the best builders that I have seen.  Make sure to check out his other Daft Punk build, as well as his Big Daddy build, both can be found here.Volpin Props  Awesome!! 

Growing African Baobabs (Adonsonia digitata) in a cold climate (zone 5B).

In June 2010 I purchased 10 seeds on ebay.   Five of the seeds were lightly filed and then soaked overnight in warm water.  The other five seeds were simply placed in near boiling water and then soaked overnight.  Three of the ten seeds germinated, two that were filed, and one that was not.  Germination took 7-10 days.  The seeds were planted in a mix of 2/3 potting soil and 1/3 sand.  The plants were placed on my back deck.  They received several hours of bright sun daily, and were watered regularly.  As you can see in the pics below, they grew quite well.

 In August I replanted the two larger plants, and sold the third.  The plants were once again planted in a mix of potting soil and fine play sand.

Once temperatures began to drop into the low 50's at night, both plants were moved indoors.  My plan was not to water them all winter, as they are highly susceptible to root rot.  Unfortunately in a moment of weakness, I watered them both in November.  Within a few weeks, both began to loose their leaves.  Unfortunately the pots that I was using didn't allow for much drainage.  The sand also acted like a sponge, keeping the roots wet.  Once the plants went dormant in my cool house, the roots rotted, and neither plant showed any growth in the spring.

2011

Since I killed last years plants over the winter, I decided to try again this spring.  This time I thoroughly filed two seeds, soaked them overnight, and they both germinated.  As you can see in the picture below, they both grew, but one much more than the other.  These plants were potted in a mix of potting soil and perelite.  NO SAND.  The pots were also modified to allow for better drainage.  They will be moved indoors in the next few weeks.  One plant will be watered sparingly throughout the winter, the other will not be watered at all.  Stay tuned for updates to see how they fair over the winter.