D.gigantea has always been the last species to wake up for me. It's also the only species I've grown where the tubers and plants get smaller than the previous year no matter how much I feed them. I've kept them exactly the same way as all the others and there's something about the conditions it doesn't like but, I think I've got it figured out (in theory anyway). This species is a bit different than most other species in a few different aspects though, most notably....
A. D.gigantea grows on the margins of often permanent to semi permanent swamps and other bodies of water.
B. It grows deeper than any other species, often right down to the water table.
C. This species does not produce a papery covering on the dormant tuber to protect it from dessication.
Given all this information, I suspect that D.gigantea actually prefers a slightly damp dormancy. I'm getting a half dozen or so this year to try different things on so I can really nail down it's cultivation. I'll post my findings in this thread as well as my photo thread.
D.hookeri is indeed among the easiest species to grow. It doesn't even always go dormant in more tropical conditions if kept moist all year. Perfect starter species.
