Topic: Chufa

[Robert_Brenchley]

Anyone having any luck with this? I planted mine in March, and they haven't done a thing so far. I emptied a pot out today; the tuber was still there, but no roots. There was no sign of rot, so presumably it's viable; I may have let it get too cold.

[goodlife]

Yep...mine are up and running.
Before I planted mine...they had few hours soak in water and then potted and put into my light cabinet..no other heat source than little warmth from the lamp...temp around 20'C when the lights were on. As soon as they started to show signs of coming up I put the pot on draughty windowsill and they've been happy.
I'm just about to take them into GH and pot them on..well, plant them into large final size container to romp on.

[Silverleaf]

Mine are exactly the same - doing nothing, and I planted in March too.

I dug them up a couple of times and although they've been kept moist there's no signs of germination at all. The tubers look in perfect condition though, no rotting.

Should we bring them inside then, and hope they germinate where it's warmer?

[George the Pigman]

Fascinated by this as I had never heard of them. Googled at and realised they are sometimes called Tiger Nuts . I used to eat them as a child. You could get them in small boxes from dispensers in places like train stations . Where did you get the tubers from?

[Silverleaf]

There were some tubers in the seed swap last year. Never tasted them, but I'm looking forward to it!

Apparently they are boiled and used as fishing bait.

[Uncle_Filthster]

Good bait for carp as the other fish tend to leave them alone.

I used to buy them from the health food shop as tiger nuts before they were more widely available for bait.  Nice to eat and very sweet tasting.  I soaked some for bait once and just before I boiled them I stuck two in a pot on the windowsill where they did quite well and ended up with a handful of tubers.

The Spanish make a drink from them called horchata de chufa, that's apparently really nice

[Silverleaf]

Well, I guess that means that bait shops are a source of tubers then! Honestly I would never have thought of that, I knew they were boiled for carp bait but I didn't know if you bought them already boiled or if you had to do it yourself.

I know absolutely nothing about fishing. ;)

[pumkinlover]

No signs of life in mine.
Amazing what you learn on A4A!

[Jayb]

Mine started off well (towards the end of March) and have been out in the greenhouse for a about a month now. I did forget to water them at one point which knocked them back for a bit, but they are growing on well now and need a bit of thinning and potting on.

I've always found they start quite quickly if potted up and placed somewhere warm, I put mine in pots is the propagator this year, they don't need to be there long just enough to give them a jump start to sprout.

I've got about 15 'nuts' left (which were the ones I was going to plant but couldn't find!) if anyone wants them?

Chufa plants

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'd be glad of some, thanks. I'm still hoping the original ones will come up, but you never know!

[Uncle_Filthster]

Well, I guess that means that bait shops are a source of tubers then! Honestly I would never have thought of that, I knew they were boiled for carp bait but I didn't know if you bought them already boiled or if you had to do it yourself.

I know absolutely nothing about fishing. ;)

The ones in jars or tins have been boiled to make them safe for the fish (so they don't swell up inside them) but some places do them dry by the kilo, like CC Moore and Hinders of Swindon if you want to start a tiger nut plot :D

[Silverleaf]

Well, I guess that means that bait shops are a source of tubers then! Honestly I would never have thought of that, I knew they were boiled for carp bait but I didn't know if you bought them already boiled or if you had to do it yourself.

I know absolutely nothing about fishing. ;)

The ones in jars or tins have been boiled to make them safe for the fish (so they don't swell up inside them) but some places do them dry by the kilo, like CC Moore and Hinders of Swindon if you want to start a tiger nut plot :D

There's a big fishing superstore place a few miles away from me. I checked out their website and they have packs of untreated nuts in various sizes, as well as a bewildering array of flavoured ones! Loads on eBay too.

Not that I'm going to get any (no room just now), but I'm nosy so I had to have a look. ;) Thought the info might be helpful to others anyway.

[Jayb]

I'd be glad of some, thanks. I'm still hoping the original ones will come up, but you never know!

Will do.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Thanks.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Got the tubers, thanks. This time I'm starting them on damp tissue on the windowsill so I can see what's going on.

[Silverleaf]

I dug mine up and reported them in little pots. They've been sitting in the propagator (with the lid off) but nothing's happening. Maybe they are dead. :(

[goodlife]

I dug mine up and reported them in little pots. They've been sitting in the propagator (with the lid off) but nothing's happening. Maybe they are dead. :(

If they are not mushy...they are not dead..sometimes they do sit ages before they spring to growth. When I got mine...I planted them quite soon after....and they took at least 6 weeks if not longer, before anything happened...I just 'did them' and 'forgot' them until they were ready to show off.

[Jayb]

Got the tubers, thanks. This time I'm starting them on damp tissue on the windowsill so I can see what's going on.

Great, hope you have success this time, mine were in the propagator for perhaps a week maybe ten days before bursting through the compost. Once they start they are little powerhouses and grow rapidly.

[Jayb]

I dug mine up and reported them in little pots. They've been sitting in the propagator (with the lid off) but nothing's happening. Maybe they are dead. :(

If they are not mushy...they are not dead..sometimes they do sit ages before they spring to growth. When I got mine...I planted them quite soon after....and they took at least 6 weeks if not longer, before anything happened...I just 'did them' and 'forgot' them until they were ready to show off.

Should be good, as Goodlife says if they are not mushy. They are likely just waiting for the right trigger to grow plus they have been kept moist in the compost so won't have dried. I've read before they can be tricksy to start even with fresh 'nuts'. Though I've always found them reliable when popped somewhere warm.

[Silverleaf]

They aren't mushy, so maybe we're good!