Well, Linda. Aside from changing from being an organic gardener (and in this case it appears to make no difference--because the RHS says there are no useful chemical controls once the Botrytis has occurred-but they're not always right)--I'd suggest you try their advice which for me turned showed up when I typed in-- Botrytis tulipa-- into the Dogpile search engine box . And move all your new tulips that you 're going to buy now into a drier better drained area with grittier soil. The disease has killed off a lot of tulips this year due to wet weather around the country . And buy Kaufmanniana and Greigii hybrids. All of my tulips look good here. I can sympathize. I suspect that the ecology of the country (and the world) is changing due to changes in the distribution of fungi, bacteria and mycrorrhizae that we can't even begin to understand yet. I just learned that Arisaema triiphyllum is easily wiped out in Italy from fungi. It's tough as a boot here in Illiinois, and we can get pretty wet. But we occasionally see an infection of Uromyces caladii. which can be devastating. I've sprayed plants with Miconazole powder (for athlete's foot) and dosed with aspirin and that's seemed to help occasionally. and the plants have returned the next year. But they're more vulnerable in Europe and supposedly nothing works. I'd be careful about where one buys bulbs also. Botrytis might not be visible in bulbs from Holland, perhaps being carried under the outer tunic. I'd pay extra and not buy any so- called "bargain bulbs". But I think we're all going to be coping with some new problems . ANd though I appreciate the intent behind organic gardening, I will not hesitate to employ the most advanced chemistry that science has to offer to cope with certain plant diseases. Nor will I restrict myself to herbal "natural" remedies when it comes to my own health. And I will stilll employ soap and water, both for me and plants. Good luck Adam in Glenview, IL USDA Zone 5a (NW Chicago suburb.) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Linda Kumin" <lkumin@yahoo.com> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 12:51 PM Subject: [pbs] Disease Resistant Tulips -= help! I am new to this list, and still trying to get help. I am trying to find out if anyone out there has found any types or cultivars of tulips that are resistant to "tulip fire" - botrytis tulipa. I am an organic gardener and don't want to use chemicals, so I am looking for resistant tulips only. Please, if anyone out there has observed some tulips that don't get tulip fire, I'd appreciate it. In my garden, the following tulips have not shown evidence of botytis, even though it swept through every bed I had: Greigii 'Donna Bella,' T. praestans 'Fusilier,' species tulip t. tarda. The Darwin hybids, the parrots, the doubles (early and late) were the worst affected. Any insights about what might work would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Linda Kumin Mercer Island, WA Zone 8b --- On Tue, 4/14/09, John Grimshaw <j.grimshaw@virgin.net> wrote: From: John Grimshaw <j.grimshaw@virgin.net> Subject: Re: [pbs] OT bulb exploration and finding sundews instead To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 11:18 PM Justin's story about sundews in Texas reminds me of a day spent bulb-hunting near Cape Town with Graham Duncan. We found a slope that had been burned the previous season, covered in the usual charred proteas that make a terrible mess of clothing, and thought that it looked suitable. There were plenty of bulbs as expected, but also masses of Drosera capensis with elongated, beautifully sticky leaves. Although well aware of the tuberous species in southern Africa it was stil a very pleasant surprise to see it there. From the British perspective one expects Drosera to be plants of damp places (as most indeed are), and to be rather insignificant, so lush stands of a large species on a dry hillside just 'doesn't seem quite right'! John Grimshaw Dr. John M. Grimshaw Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP Tel. 01242 870567 _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/