bulb seedling treatment

Diane Whitehead voltaire@islandnet.com
Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:56:19 PDT
Jane McGary wrote:   [summer dormant bulb seedlings] should be stored  
in a shady place
and not allowed to dry out completely, as the tiny bulbs may not
survive desiccation (especially Fritillaria and others without a
tunic).

This sort of information is not usually mentioned in books that  
describe how to grow bulbs.  Authors may presume that their readers  
will buy mature bulbs rather than growing them from seed.

A compilation of seedling information would be very helpful.  I try to  
remember the rules:  For instance:   Keep seedlings growing as long as  
possible so they can build a bigger bulb.  Is this a general rule? I  
don't know.  It would be helpful to have a list of plants that it  
applies to, or perhaps a list of ones it does not apply to, if that  
would be a shorter list.

And dormant watering:  I find that a real puzzle.  Jane wrote about  
summer-dormant bulbs.  Does it apply to winter dormant ones as well?


Diane Whitehead
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8, cool Mediterranean climate
mild rainy winters, mild dry summers




More information about the pbs mailing list