Getting sprout:
3 easy keys,
- Temperature: The average temperature to get stem is min. 25C/57F which is a bit difficult in Winter of Europe or North America. So just place closed to heater would be help getting easily.
- Sunlight: Directly sunlight will wake it up or activate it to get stem.
- Humidity: Buried 2/3 of bulb underground will help all bulb get more moistured.
Mixture/Soil: Preparing well drainage soil or cactus/succulent soil. And bottom level with some pumice/lekas/clay pebbles. My mixture I use is, - 1 part of peat moss - 2 part of soil from Samanea Salman's leaves (this plant is in Family Leguminosae which its leaves contain Nitrogen which plants need to grow)/peat moss (if can't find dry leaves) - 1 part of vermiculite (to contain moisture in itself) - 1 part of pumice (smallest size) - 1 part of sand/perlite for making air gap for the mixture All ingredients above are easily finding in Thailand so you can adapt what easily find in your area but the most important is to make the well drained soil.
Watering:
Generally 1-2 times a week depends on temperature you plant,
- planting indoor 25C-30C/57F-62F can water 2 times a week
- planting indoor 20C-24C/52F-56F can water once a week
There is easy way to check your humidity in soil by using toothpick. Put it deeply in mixture and pull up if there is nothing stick on it so you can water it. Please water until dropping from drainage hole.
Too much watering/not well drainge soil cause rotten underneath then your bulb will get soften. It's harly to die so don't worry about watering;)
Light:
In the beginning, just a bit indirect sunlight is enough. Let say can put in middle of room or second shelf/table closed to window. Once it get sprout about an inch, please move it very closed to window. It need more light to grow full leaves.
The main problem after get sprout is no leaves on it only long twig. To solve this problem is moving it into lighter area. I recommend bring next to window is the best where the sun shine on. But you can cut it shorten too it will grow new sprout with compact leaves when enought sunlight receive.
Too much sunlight will make the bulb get shrunk. When notice its skin is a bit hollow that means it's get shrunk from sunlight please bring it far away from that area.
Dormancy: It hibernates in winter season from January-April. And will get new leaves in Spring (May). Starting from getting yellow leaves in December and completely dry in March-April.
