Pretty cool. So how did you end up with so many to being with? Did those all come from one plant?
In 2008 I had a pot with just 3 bigmouth vft in it, the rest had died either from rot during dormancy (kept too wet) or died during the summer as it got hot and I accidentally forgot to water them. This one pot survived, they were the strongest. Here is a picture of them. Originally their were just 3 in here, but as you can see here they had already begun to clump some.
Well the winter of 2008, these vft did something I'd never seen before, they clumped like they were in tissue culture. It was weird, it's like the main bulb split into like 10 tiny little plants, and each plant did that. Come spring of 2009, I repotted them into a big 8" pot. So from 3 plants, came 60+ in less than 2 years time. I didn't do any leaf pullings, didn't let them flower, they just clumped all on their own. I find every winter they do this as they head into dormancy, the main bulb sends tons of little offshoots on it and before you know it they fill the pot up! When they fill this 12" pot up it will be a sight to behold!
Here is the key to growing them, at least for me. I found through trial and error, that they grow best when kept moist but not soggy. In the summer, I kept just about a half inch of water in the tray, each day. By the end of the day the heat and sun has dried it up and evaporated it, so that the soil is just moist. What this does, is encourages root development. I learned this technique from the guy that sent me these plants, his name is Steve (xscd is his forum ID). This technique has resulted in a vigorous growth, as well as extensive root systems. I've ordered vft before and gotten them with roots around 3-5" long, but when I repotted mine I measured the roots on some over 9"!! The bulb was the same size, but had a more extensive root system and thus the plant is healthier. Bigmouth VFT are very hardy IMO. Come next spring, I will likely be trading, or maybe even giving away about 30 more.
