Her basement sounds great. Please post a photo of your tuber(s) once you get them.
The more sun you can give them the larger your tubers will get. Because our growing seasons are relatively short you will seldom see a leaf naturally senesce (collapse) before frost arrives. At least that's my experience. I dig the tuber up before first frost is predicted and cut the leaf off at that time. Our fall weather usually combines cool temperatures and lots of rain, a bad combination for any Amorphophallus, so sharply draining soil is critical.
