Very basic lachenalia questions (Rick Buell)

Dell Sherk ds429@frontier.com
Sat, 24 Oct 2015 15:06:22 PDT
I’ve posted about my experience with lachenalias before. They are great favorites of mine, and I have continued to try to grow them for many years in very varied conditions. The period when I had the most success was when I grew them under lights in an unheated attic room. I believe cool temps is the key, if they get enough light. Drainage also seems crucial. Jim Duggan recommended planting the bulbs in pots surrounded in a layer of sand with fast draining medium above and below the sand layer where the bulbs resided. I found this to be a very satisfactory technique in that cold attic setting. Now I am struggling to keep a room cool enough for lachs under lights.
Anyway, keep trying; and the species are great, so you do not need to get the hybrids, I think. They’re pretty easy from seed, and Silverhill in South Africa offers enough species to keep anyone busy for years.

Dell

Dell Sherk, WV, USA, 




From: Fred Biasella
Sent: Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:47 PM
To: 'Pacific Bulb Society'
Subject: Re: [pbs] Very basic lachenalia questions (Rick Buell)


Hi Rick,

I have mine growing in small 4" pots and the bulbs are about 1" deep. The
only problem I have is that they can get a bit leggy in late winter due to
the warmth in the house. Oh to have greenhouse.

The blumenavia are doing wonderfully and it looks like they'll keep their
leaves through the winter. Do you keep them bone dry through the winter or
water just a little bit? Last weekend I brought in all the pots and now I'm
feeling the pain. My partner has a very old (200+ years) Christmas cactus
that he inherited from his Great Grandmother that weighs about 50lbs and one
of the major contributing factors of my sore back. I think I'm getting too
old...sigh.

Warm Regards,
Fred   

-----Original Message-----
From: pbs [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Rick Buell via
pbs
Sent: Saturday, October 24, 2015 2:54 PM
To: pbs@lists ibiblio. org <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Cc: Rick Buell <rredbbeard@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Very basic lachenalia questions (Rick Buell)

Hi Fred! 

I should have thought of contacting you first. I used almost exactly that
mix, except my orchid bark is a little too large so I didn't use it, and
instead added a tiny bit of sphagnum moss. I probably don't have these in a
cool enough spot, so I'll put them on the east porch, close to the house. Do
they need a deeper pot? I may have crowded these too much, with four bulbs
1.5cm wide in a 6" pot. The tips are just at the soil level...too deep?

My blumenavia is producing the last of its seed, and the leaves are all
dropping as before, with another dormancy approaching.  I never saw a
dormancy pattern like this. How are yours doing? I suspect that the new
seedlings won't do this for at least another year or so.

I hope you're doing well as winter approaches. I still have to organize a
lot of the larger plants I just brought indoors, which is no minor job.

Take care, 

Rick

From:"Fred Biasella" <arlen.jose@verizon.net> date:///Sat/, Oct 24, 2015 at 1:39
PM
Subject:Re: [pbs] Very basic lachenalia questions (Rick Buell)

Hi Rick,

I grow mine in a mix that is high in pumice and perlite with some pro mix
and wood chips mixed in. About two weeks ago I put them outside to start
their growing season and they don't seem to be bothered by the cold but when
it gets very cold, I'll bring them in. I have a nice east facing window that
should make them happy.

Warm Regards,
Fred

-----Original Message-----
From: pbs [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Rick Buell via
pbs
Sent: Saturday, October 24, 2015 12:39 PM
To: pbs@lists ibiblio. org <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Cc: Rick Buell <rredbbeard@yahoo.com>
Subject: [pbs] Very basic lachenalia questions (Rick Buell)

I'm potting up bulbs of l.viridiflora and l.aloides, and not sure how they
should be set in the (gritty) medium, and how much room in the pot they
require. I understand that they're heavy feeders, and prefer lots of sun,
regular moisture in a very cool environment, and also read that they can be
a little crowded in the pot?

Any practical advice here will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rick Buell












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