I can't tell you about Oca, I'm growing it this year for the first, and possibly only, time. So far, healthy plants but zip, zero, null on the tubers. I see what might be the beginning of tubers, now about the size of a grain of tapioca, but they'll never make it. It sounds like a killing freeze coming this weekend. I've got a few in pots, will throw into the greenhouse and see what they do. But, yacon I did last year. I dug the roots in Oct, pulled off the edible roots. The propagation roots really do look sort of like Jerusalem Artichokes, and cluster on the stems, whereas the edible roots look like white sweet potatos and grow out away from the stems. After I dug them last year, I let them sit for the afternoon in the sun and wind to dry them out, then put them in my basement near the dehumidifier on a tray for about 3 days to dry them more. Then, I put the roots into paper grocery sacks, folded down the tops, and stored them in my basement which is kept at about 60 degrees. They were hale and healthy in March, and starting to grow. I had 3 plants originally, divided them into 6 plants last year at planting time. From those 6 plants last year, I had enough sprouted eye pieces to yield 30 plants this year. I started mine in March under growlights in the basement, transferred out to the greenhouse in April, and outdoors in late May. The plants were almost a foot tall and very healthy when the went into th ground. I guess I could easily get enough roots to make 100 plants next year if I saved all of the propagation stock.

Thanks for the reply's. I haven't been ignoring everyone. We were camping and I refuse to take the laptop on a camping trip. >>>Are they tea roses or old fashioned roses?Don't know the difference but I would suspect they are old fashioned. They came west in the mid 1800Âs to the homestead at Garfield, Washington. Nothing had been done with them except to push them in the ground, give a little fertilizer and water them, until the last few years. Since the mid 1990Âs they have had nothing done to them. No water, fertilizer, pruning, nothing. I agree that these starts are quite fragile even though the parent plants survive very well. We do have a root cellar that maintains about 55 during the winter where they could stay. We could also close off one room in the basement so it didnÂt get any heat. It would stay about 55-60. If they will require light and water I would think they should probably go in the basement where we can keep an eye on them. Most likely they will be divided into two or three groups and placed in a couple locations so if one method doesnÂt work we wonÂt loose all of them. Thanks again for all the help.

i live in zone 7 and keep my curry plants indoors throughout the winter months. i start when the low temperatures begin to dip below around 60 degrees. i have friends who keep the plant outside in the daytime but i am too afraid that i might forget to bring it in. i do not use any special light inside, just keep it by a window.the only problem i have experienced is scale infestations.

Hi Ann, Usually the plant will branch after it flowers. Some people cut their branches to make it branch out more, bur from what I read here on the forum, that delays the flowering, which is what most of us want. I read on here that you can help the flowering by the addition of a fertilizer in which the middle number is high. I think mine that I use is 10-50-10. I have also read that you want to stop feeding at approximately 90 days prior to the onset of the plant going dormant for the winter. After winter, when the plant wakes up, I read it is best to start off with a fertilizer that is higher on the first number. That promotes the growth, and then switch to the higher second number. As far as the time lines, I can't remember excatly when to switch. Someone smarter than me, and there are a bunch of them in here, will help you further. Hope that helps a little. John