Tropaeolum tuberosum

AW awilson@avonia.com
Sun, 22 May 2011 10:11:39 PDT
Dear Eugene,

Thanks for making the suggestion. Let's consider it. T. tuberosum comes from
Peru, which is pretty close to the equator and thus has daylengths that vary
little from 12 hours all year. In San Diego, at 33 degrees from the equator,
daylengths range from about 10 hours in midwinter to almost fourteen in
midsummer. On that basis alone it would seem the daylength being either too
short or too long as an unlikely cause. However, one might say 'well, maybe
it's the day length at the time leading up to when the plant found
temperature conditions were also right to grow and bloom'. I suspect, but am
not certain, that could be any time here from April to September, the time
of warm temperatures outdoors, during which daylight hours range from over
12 through 14 and back to 12, not to quibble about which week of the month
when we're starting or ending. That would seem to say that daylight length
is not the answer. You might come back and narrow down the temperature
blooming time to limit you to midsummer and say that they really wanted a
shorter day at that time of year. Well, OK, but that is getting very picky.
It could, however, be tested by growing the plant in a greenhouse that gave
a longer growing period. There are surely many more people at similar
latitudes that grow the plant indoors. I note that Augusta, GA is at a
latitude pretty close to that of San Diego. Do you have a g'house or do you
grow it outdoors there? Let me know. Thanks!

Andrew
San Diego    


I wonder if T. tuberosum's refusal to bloom is due to daylength problems. 
Perhaps San Diego's days are too long, or not long enough.

Eugene Zielinski
Augusta, GA
USA


> [Original Message]
> From: AW <awilson@avonia.com>
> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: 5/9/2011 4:29:38 PM
> Subject: [pbs] Tropaeolum tuberosum
>
> For me, at any rate, although I have heard similar words used by 
> others, this climber has been a disappointment when it comes to 
> blooming. It has beautiful, brilliant flowers but it does not seem to 
> want to show them, no matter what I do. So, a few days ago I saw it at 
> a plant sale, a few dozen little plants on sale, and one big one with 
> it huge tuberous roots potted
up
> in a wide but shallow ceramic cntainer. It was magnificent, like a 
> coiled bonsai, with its lovely succulent leaves. Not a flower, of 
> course, but
lots
> of character when treated this way. Anybody else found a way to use it?
>
> Andrew
> San Diego


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