Florida Betony aka Stachys Floridana aka The-Plant-I'm-Desperately-Tryig-To-Get-Tubers-For

Hey folks,

I'm over here in zone 7b and I'm growing Stachys Affinis ("Chinese Artichoke") like crazy in some Vegepods, but you know what? The actual yield is terrible.

I hear Stachys Floridana is bigger, better, and all-around just...more. So I'm looking for someone - anyone! - that has some, and I'd love discuss either a purchase or exchange (I've got all sorts of rare awesome plants )

Here's hoping I have more luck than I did trying to get some edible Dioscorea Bulbifera

Cheers!

I've got them growing wild here. Let me get some photos in the morning to see if its what you want.

Huxley Harter wrote:I've got them growing wild here. Let me get some photos in the morning to see if its what you want.

Heck yeah! It's basically like Crosnes, but larger, from what I understand. Will keep an eye out for the pics tomorrow!

Here are the tubers. Their peak season was about 3-4 weeks ago but I can still dig the tubers where the plants were. Is this the size you're looking for? It came from about a 4 sq foot area where the tops had been trampled away except for 2-3.

Huxley Harter wrote:Here are the tubers. Their peak season was about 3-4 weeks ago but I can still dig the tubers where the plants were. Is this the size you're looking for? It came from about a 4 sq foot area where the tops had been trampled away except for 2-3.

Heck yeah, this is perfect!

Would love to get some of these; interested in anything for trade? :D

1st, I am locked down 200 miles from my garden so cannot provide you with any tubers, sorry as I would have been happy to do so.  
2nd, Invasive is a gross under statement.  They make mint look weak and lacking in conviction.  They seen to spread by both seed and runner.  The runners break off and sprout new plants when you weed them.  I struggle to keep them out of my raised beds and they are in two foot tall concrete block structures.  I fought nut grass as a kid in central Fla and now am fighting these rattlesnake eggs in N. Fla.  
3rd, They grow like crazy and produce well.  I weeded a bushel from one 20x4 ft raised bed last year where they had gotten out of control and have no idea what is going to be awaiting this year.  I need a couple good recipes.

WHY I want them?  All of it is edible, quite healthy and I think with more research they'll find it to be very healthy.  Tuber calories.  Edible in spring and summer which is the worst time for me for calorie production as of now.  Apparently edible in fall also but they aren't as crisp.  Eat the weeds says "No one does nutritional research on the Florida Betony. However, nutrition for the S. affinis per 100 grams is: Calories 75" and potatoes are about 77.  Some say they are only hardy to 8A but I know some grow them in 7B (Tyrant Farms) so I imagine they'll grow fine in 7A also.  They also have beautiful flowers.

Cultivariable has them but they're not in stock yet.  My questions: how aggressive is it?  Let's say I have 10 sq ft of space that is empty (average everything such as soil quality, rainfall, etc); does anyone have a clue how long it'd take for one plant to take that over?  I heard from many that sunchokes were very aggressive so I planted too few the first year fearing that they might overrun everything so I was disappointed a bit.  I plan on growing the two together since some say they can.  Others say the sunchokes killed them so the plan is to grow Florida Betony around the outside and the sunchokes might keep them in check; if it grows in the patch then I'll just have extra food growing in the sunchoke's shade so that's a big win to me.  I'm also thinking about a freedom lawn since https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-stachys-floridana/ said they can be "mowed without impact."  Is that true?  And it says full shade but another site says partial shade and I don't want to kill these plants that I'm buying.  Has anybody tried them in clay?  I have good soil so I'll find some place for them if not.   This plant is another one that sounds too good to be true.  I'm just wondering if I'm missing something.  

I have these for sale or trade if anyone is still interested in them.

Thomas Black wrote:I have these for sale or trade if anyone is still interested in them.

Thomas,
I'm interested. How can I contact you?

PM me.

I am interested in the Florida Betony, in Tampa, FL.

Thomas Black wrote:PM me.

I'm embarrassed to say I have no idea how to do that!

Hi  Benjamin,

I would be careful with Florida Betony.  I moved to South Carolina (zone 8b) 3 years ago and spent one year getting rid of it in my vegetable garden.  I first tried digging them all up, but I had hundreds of them in the garden!  I finally cut off the tops continuously, and they slowly diminished.  In desperation, I finally put a 6" plastic liner all around the garden, and that keeps the dollar weed out, but the Florida Betony happily comes underneath the liner!  I can control it now by patrolling the edges of the garden once a week.  It probably will not be content to stay in your designated area.  It appears to compete with everything!  

I’m a little inland from Carolyn in South Carolina. Florida betony is the worst weed I’ve ever seen. Nutsedge and crabgrass and super weeds like resistant pigweed are nothing. We spend hundreds of hours a year trying to get rid of this scourge. It wasn’t here at all twenty years ago and now it’s EVERYwhere. It’s spreads in numerous ways, including by seed. If you plant a nearly invisible thread of root this morning, it’ll fill that ten square feet by this afternoon. I’m barely exaggerating.

It’s hard to believe anyone would even consider planting this in 7B, where I have no doubt it will thrive and if anyone finds out you started it, you’ll be burned at the stake.

Welcome to the forum!

From what I understand you are missing out on some good eating.

Why not try to get rid of them by eating the young leaves and stems?

The tubers that are pictured above are like eating radishes.