Calochortus

Randall P. Linke via pbs pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net
Tue, 03 Dec 2024 02:51:29 PST
On Tue, Dec 3, 2024 at 1:12 AM Diane Whitehead via pbs <
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:

> I am ready to give up on trying to grow Calochortus from seed.
>

When I lived in Seattle I grew about a dozen calochortus species, mostly
from seed.  I had them in pots, 5x5x6 inches deep and placed them, with
most of my other bulbs, in an above ground stepped platform that was closed
from the outside.  It was also under deciduous trees that provided shade in
the summer.  I used ordinary potting soil mixed with sand and pearlite.
They thrived, returning every year and blooming each spring.

Since moving to Spain I have continued to grow them with little trouble,
having had several flower for me last year.  Many were bulbs that I brought
with me, most, which have yet to flower, were grown from seed that spent
three to four years in refrigeration.  I had mostly good germination and
regrowth from those I planted last year.  I have been having very good
germination from most of those I planted this year as well.

My climate here is very much like the Central Valley of California.  Hot
dry summers and cool moist winters.  Despite being inland and at a higher
elevation we do not get as cold as the Sacramento Valley, more like the
banana belt in the foothills above the valley.

The key issue I have found is keeping the bulbs cool during dormancy.  What
losses I had since moving here was in pots that were not kept in deep shade
over the summer.  This was complicated as we were remodeling the house we
bought and keeping things safe from the contractors sometimes took
precedence over providing ideal summer storage conditions for my dormant
bulbs.

Randy Linke,
Armilla, Granada, Spain
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