Very interesting discussion. For what it's worth, here's my data: I grow a moderate number of Ferraria species. A few bloom pretty reliably (F. densepunctulata and cream and olive forms of F. crispa), while others make leaves but not flowers. I am growing them in 8-inch (20 cm) plastic pots with the same 50-50 sand and peat mix that I use for most other bulbs. It's amended with a lot of inorganic fertilizer when I repot every couple of years. Alberto told me to try growing them deep in the pots, so I did that with some of them last time I repotted and it may have helped (need to do more experiments to be sure). I try not to separate the strings of corms, after reading some comments saying that doing so makes them less likely to bloom. They get watered weekly from October to May, with no summer water at all. I tried them in the ground several times, but they disappeared promptly. Hope that helps. Mike San Jose, CA (zone 9, min temp 20F / -7c)