Gymnospermum alberti

janemcgary@earthlink.net janemcgary@earthlink.net
Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:55:07 PDT
In answer to Hans's questions about this plant, which I grow a lot:

>What kind of soil like this plants ?
Very well drained, such as a soil with much coarse (sharp, rough, large) sand and grit (small pieces of stone) (sorry I am traveling far from my German dictionary). In my bulb frames, it often grows in the pure sand of the plunge medium, because the seeds are carried around by ants (they have a sort of structure like an aril  that attracts ants to eat it, leaving the main part of the seed in a good place to grow).

>How deep sould I plant this tuber ?'
A 50 mm tuber is flowering size or nearly so, and so you should plant it at least 10 cm deep or even deeper.

>Which side of the tuber is above 
This is almost impossible to tell when it is dormant, but sometimes you can see a little depression (hollow, hole) where the stems were, and that is the top. If it is a bit flattened, put it with a narrow side up, and the plant will grow as it needs to.

>Which size of pot ?
At least 25 cm diameter, so it has enough depth; and when you place the pot in your alpine house or frame, be sure not to put it beside any tiny, delicate plants, because the big leaves can smother their neighbors.

Jane McGary 
Northwestern Oregon, USA


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