PBS Forum

I'm not an expert on lily diseases, but two of the common ones that might cause this are:
1) Botrytis Blight (fungus)
2) Lily Mosaic Virus

To my eye, it looks more like Botrytis than virus.  Here are some resources:
http://www.sasklilysociety.com/lily-blog/the-liliys-most-common-plant-disease
https://plantlilies.com/lily-culture/pests/lilies-botrytis.html
https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=134972
https://marlslilies.wordpress.com/2015/05/04/botrytis-in-lilium-in-st-louis/

If it's Botrytis, it could be caused by unusually wet weather and/or other stresses to the plant.  There are various treatments for fungus diseases; see the articles above.  Fungus doesn't infect the bulb, so if that's what it is, you don't need to dig out and destroy the bulb (whereas if it's virus, you do need to do that).

From the photo, it looks like the growth tip is misshapen, which could be from physical damage to the growth tip as it was developing underground or when first sprouting.  (However, fungus can also cause a misshapen growth tip.)  Underground, a critter could nip the growth tip, or you might have nicked it with a shovel. Or if it's a new bulb planted (or moved) last Fall, the growth tip could have been damaged then.  It's also possible that the growth tip could get damaged by freezing temps when the bulb is starting to sprout.  (This happened to a lot of my lilies this year, which started to sprout after a week of 70s in February, followed by a return to freezing temps in March-April.)

I've read that they go dormant during summers in their native area; but I've also read that in places with more mild summers (e.g. England) they don't go dormant during summers.  I germinated some seed last fall, and grew them under grow-lights over the winter.  In mid-spring, they started to go dormant, so I assume that the strong grow-lights mimicked a hot/dry summer.  I've read that they like to be drier during summer than during their growing seasons, but not completely dry like some bulbs want. 

Good luck!

Hi:  Does anyone have experience with Dianella revoluta?  Does it send up only one round of scapes per year, or does it send up multiple rounds?  Thanks for the info.

Does anyone have experience growing Pasithea caerulea in a temperate climate?  I've read that even though it comes from dry areas of Chile, it can grow in the UK, perhaps even down to Zone 6. 

I germinated some seeds indoors in the Fall, and they've been growing indoors under lights for a few months.  My plan was to keep them growing indoors until May, then move them outside to adjust to summer before going dormant in Fall.  However, I've read that in Chile they also go through a Summer dormancy, but I haven't been able to find out whether they also go dormant in Winter in Chile.

So, my questions are:
- Should I follow my original plan, and try to keep them green indoors until Summer, then set them out and let them go dormant (even if they start senescing early)?
- However, they seem to be starting to go dormant now even though it's "not Summer" in my plant room.  If they go dormant in March-April, should I just let them sleep all the way until Fall?  Or should I let them be dormant for perhaps 2 months, then see if they wake up for another short growing season before Summer actually hits here in July or August?

Thanks for your suggestions.

Thanks, Mark; very interesting!

Has anyone ever harvested "saffron" from other Autimn Crocuses besides C. sativum?  (Obviously NOT from the Colchicums!)  Do any others yield a reasonably usable substitute for pure saffron?  Thanks for the info.

Quote from: janemcgary on June 29, 2023, 11:50:11 AMPaul, a good general book is "Growing Bulbs" by Martyn Rix. it contains the basics of every kind of information on how bulbs are structured and grow in different parts of the world, as well as cultivation recommendations. It can often be found used -- try Amazon and Powell's. The first thing to know is the difference between a true bulb and a corm. Tulips (true bulbs) do not naturally act as you describe. Normally the main bulb persists, unless it has been planted too shallowly, in which case it may produce a "dropper" to get deeper into the soil. I have 10-year-old species tulips still flowering without having increased vegetatively; these probably reproduce in nature mainly by seed.

Thanks Jane.  I found the book interesting and useful.

Quote from: illahe on June 29, 2023, 08:34:40 AMHi Paul,

I can't really speak to the Tulips as I only grow a few of the species, but for your question on North American Fritillaria, I can recommend the book Bulbs of North America, published by the North American Rock Garden Society 2001. The chapter on Fritillaria discusses bulb offsetting of the American species. You may also find the chapter on Lilies useful.

Mark

Thanks Mark.  I've ordered a copy of the book.

I'm interested in finding a source(s) of info about the growth cycles of bulbs for variious species within Lilieae, particularly Lilium, Fritillaria, and Tulipa.  More specifically:  I know that in some species, the parent bulb completely depletes itself each year, and the plant grows a new bulb(s) for the next year; this happens in Lilium canadensis, and in many Tulips.  Conversely, in some species the bulb doesn't get fully depleted, and the plant regenerates the same bulb for the next year; this happens in Lilium martagon, and in many Fritillaria. 

I'm interested in tracing the phylogeny of this trait.  For example:  Do all Tulip species behave the same way?  Do all of the Martagon Lily species behave the same way, compared to the eastern NA Lily species?  Do all the western NA species of Fritillaria produce many bulblets (like F. affinis) every year, or do some build a bigger bulb and only divide under certain circumstances? 

Does anyone know of a good source(s) for an overview of this info?  I've been able to find this info for some individual species, but I'd like to find a general overview of it.

Thanks for the help.

In my outdoor garden beds, I've used these PVC labels for 2 years (left in place all year round); they've held up pretty well so far:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VGMM6YQ/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I hand-write on them using a black "paint pen," which doesn't fade the way that markers fade (i.e. even the "extreme duty" markers fade in just one year).  The paint pen took a little to get used to using, and I have to let one side dry before makring the reverse; but for a cheap system it's worked out well for me.

Jane:  Thanks for the helpful info.

One of my Fritillaria persica bulbs didn't come back last year or this year.  As I dug to replace it with something else, I found the bulb.  Apparently, something ate the bottom of the bulb and the basal growth plate.  The remaining part of the bulb was flaking into large scales.  Many of the scales have new bulblets growing on them.  They might have been growing for 2 years, so some of them seem pretty well formed.  (see picture)  I'd like to try to grow them into new bulbs.  Some questions: 

- They have been growing in soil; should I pot up the scales in soil, or some other medium (e.g. vermiculite)?

- Should I plant them as deeply as the original bulb had been, or should or I start them at a shallower depth?

- Should I cut the scales so that there's just one bulblet per scale, or keep them intact and separate the bulbs in a year or two?

- Given that I've interrupted this year's cycle early in the season, should I refrigerate the pots with the scales for a few weeks and then give them a "new" spring/summer?  Or should I just pot them up and let them rest until Fall?

Thanks for the help.

Hello:  I'm looking for a source (in the US) for plants, bulbs, or seeds of the following genera:
     Pasithea
     Caesia
     Excremis
     Stypandra
If anyone knows of any, please let me know.  Thanks.

Quote from: illahe on February 27, 2023, 10:18:27 AMHi Paul,

One nursery in Oregon has offered L. washingtonianum before  but it before but it looks to be unavailable on the current list, https://www.sevenoaksnativenursery.com/native-plants/perennials-and-bulbs/lilium-washingtonianum/

My guess they are selling seedlings, it does germinate readily here but the bulbs never seem to gain any size at my low elevation, 620'.

Here is a pic of it in the Oregon Cascades, only an hours drive from my house, and a 20 minute hike to see wonderful populations of it. The fragrance is powerful on warm sunny days in the mountains, it's such a great plant but so hard to grow! I'll plan to make a trip up to this spot to get some seeds for an exchange this season. Maybe someone will unlock the secret.

Mark

Hi Mark:  Thanks for replying

Yes, Seven Oaks has occasionally offered both L. washingtonianum and L. parvum in the past.  However, they only sell wholesale, and don't sell retail to individuals.  (I've asked!)

That's a great picture you posted.  I've heard from a number of people that even though L. washingtonianum germinates well and easily from seed, it's hard to grow it outside of its native habitat.  I've heard others also suggest that elevation might have something to do with it.  I'm not enough of a botanist to know if elevation itself can be a factor, or if it's a cofactor or coincidence with other factors.

Quote from: Arnold on February 27, 2023, 04:30:05 AMHi Paul

If you interested I have some small bulbs of Lilium sargentiae.

I'm in New Jersey and grow them outdoors in the summer but put in the cold greenhouse for winters.

Image attached from this past year

Hi Arnold:  Thanks for your comment.  Yes, I might be interested in some bulbs of L. sargentiae.  Please e-mail me at paul@paulsiskind.com, and we can arrange it.  Thanks.