Plants ordered today will begin shipping in May of 2024

Calamus (Acorus calamus var americanus) Potted Plant, organic

$9.50

Family:  Arum (Araceae)

Zones 4 to 11

Plant prefers pond, streamside or moist or sodden soil—excellent filter plant in pondscapes, it will clarify yucky water and promote health of any waterway or pond. Plant prefers full sun to part shade and moist soil or shallow water at the edge of the pond.  Just press the rhizome and rootlets down into the mud with the green shoots pointing up toward the sun and you will see great results.

Potted plant, certified organically grown

 

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  1. Question

    Eimi (verified owner)

    Hi Richo, The calamus plants I got in the spring have grown beautifully in my little artificial pond. I’m growing them in gallon pots, but I think I need to repot them to larger pots because they seem to be outgrowing their current ones. Can they be repotted when they are actively growing? The summer growth has died back, but there are new green sprouts coming out. Thank you so much again for your advice!

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hello Eimi, Thanks for the note and for giving the calamus the conditions to thrive, Either way, really, they’re going down into dormancy (where some short spears of green will show). One thing to do is remove the dead growth which can get pretty slimy. Beyond that repot to larger pots, making sure to free up the roots, or allow to overwinter and up-pot or divide and repot in the spring. richo

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  2. Question

    Eimi

    Hi Richo,
    Do these starter plants need to be grown in pots for some time before they can be transplanted to ground? And can they be grown in pots permanently? I’m thinking about creating a bog/pond environment with a shallow artificial pond (using pond liner), I wonder if the plants can be grown in pots individually in such an artificial pond? Thank you much in advance!
    Eimi

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    • 3 out of 3 people found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hello Eimi,
      Thanks for contacting. The advice to plant our starter plants to gallon pots for a period of 3 weeks or so before planting to the garden is indeed our general advice. But it doesn’t apply to calamus, which is a water plant and is already big when we send it to you. Yes, calamus does great in pots. You can up-pot it to a gallon or 3-gallon and immerse it in the pond. It also does fine if grown in very moist soil in the garden with some shade. There’s a diagram for a shallow artificial pond in my book “growing at-rsk medicinal herbs” in the sundew section. Back to Calamus it will help an artificial pond stay clean and healthy–it will NATURALIZE it. richo

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  3. Question

    Sylvie Clement

    we have a lake about 100 feet by 75 feet roughtly, my question is what can I grow or seed in the lake to keep it clean and oxygenated? thanks Sylvie

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Sylvie,
      Thanks for contacting us. Well, you’re already on the Calamus so you must know that calamus filters the water in much the manner you’re indicating. I suppose European Speedwell, watercress, yerba mansa and brahmi could be similarly employed, but I don’t think any of them are as efficient as calamus.
      Richo

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    • Jane

      Hi Richo, just perusing your sweet catalog & came upon your calamus offering ~ are you sure of your ID of the plant in the photo? I would call it Acorus calamus (the European species) because only the midvein is raised on the leaves. My understanding is that on Acorus americanus (the North American native) all the veins on the leaves are raised. From what I have read, there is more of the European species here in the U.S. ~ I love the plant & used to sell both species. I have visions of Native Americans planting A. americanus along their migratory paths. And, I could be wrong about the identification but that’s what I remember. Would love your thoughts.

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Jane, Very nice to hear from you. We collected the original stock from a wild patch in saskatchewan–its probably the american species. We analyzed it via HPTLC and confirmed low beta asarone content. I don’t know about the raised midvein thing, but the plants are very close–the american type is often considered to be a subspecies (Acorus calamus americanus) not a true separate sp. Richo

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  4. Acorus calamus var americanus

    Vicki Fisher

    I have a bog (and a shallow one at that)- to be safe I bring some calamus in with my other tropical plants during the winter. It does not love it, but it survives just fine. So does the calamus out in my 8-10″ deep bog! I harvest plenty of root (It’s been two years now) and leave a few plants and there is far more than what I started with. It does indeed help water quality as well, I have gone through phases of wanting an actual pond and I can do that with calamus, fish and no filter.

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    • Erica Reyes

      Hi Rico.. when do you think you’ll have this back in stock? Also I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to tell me if you think mandragora officinarum would do well in the SLC, Utah area or in Southern Nevada? I’m currently caring for my dad in Las Vegas but will be returning to Utah in the next 1-3 months (depending on his health). I’m eager to purchase your seeds and start growing these special plant spirits, but worry they won’t be happy where I am..? It means a lot to me how they feel; I want to honor them the way they deserve. Thank you so much for your time!

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Erica, We’re working up calamus and will list it when its ready–hit “waitlist.” Regarding mandrake, I do think that’s a really good approach, to have a concern for the wellfare of the plant, instead of expecting anything from it. That’s one of the points raised in my blog about growing mandrake which you can find at this link https://blog.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/growing-mandrake-beyond-the-basics/
      Mandrake grows well in Utah as long as you’re in one of the zone 6 areas, otherwise you’d have to give it protection. Utah has plenty of rocks and alkaline soil, which is very good for growing mandrake. Given that the plant stays dormant for 9 months out of the year, it is easy to think they aren’t happy, but then they come up in January and flower immediately! The plant is full of surprises. Richo

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