Vines and Climbers: How does one start an "Air Potato"?, 1 by giftgas

giftgas wrote:
I am wondering what the correct way to start an "Air Potato" (Dioscorea bulbifera) is?

I am not having any luck at all. To make matters worse, imagine how I feel when people are being infested by them, with their "near 100% germination" and "invasiveness", and I can't find any legitimate way to get them growing...

Do I completely bury the bulbils, or does the top need to be exposed...and what *IS* the top? I can't tell the difference on any of these.

I am keeping temperatures around 87f, with 80% or so humidity.

Please take a look at the picture, and let me know when I should plant this, and if it's upside-down or not. I think I see the starts of green shoots on the top, but I'm not sure.

How long do the bulbils take to start growing, with a typical day of 18h of light? Do they even NEED light?

I'd really like to enjoy these plants as an indoor oddity, should anyone be able to offer me some sound advice on how to get them started.

Thanks for reading.