PBS Forum

Quote from: Judy Glattstein on September 18, 2024, 07:37:07 AM"Corms replace themselves annually. True bulbs add internal scales while outermost scales wither. But do not, as far as I know, replace entire storage unit."

Quote from: David Pilling on September 19, 2024, 04:52:18 PM"Hmm.  I've always wondered about the tunics on things like Tulips, do they grow afresh each year."

According to websites from two Dutch bulb producers (see below), Tulips (which are true bulbs, not corms) totally deplete the mother bulb when they flower and grow new daughter bulbs around the base of the mother bulb.  Judging from the pictures (and from when I've accidentally dug up bulbs), the new daughter bulbs start growing without a tunic, but then presumably develop their own new tunic at some point.

https://vdqbulbs.com.au/pages/growing-cycle-of-tulips
https://www.tulips.com/bulbs_life_of

My understanding is that the reason it's recommended to plant F. imperialis sideways is that the hole hole left from the stem collects water during the summer, which can cause the bulb to rot.  So, it's not an issue of general drainage; the issue is that you want to prevent water from collecting in the hole.  Presumably, the hole doesn't cause the same problems where the plant grows natively (i.e. the Middle East) because their summer season is drier than our is here in North America. 

I've never read anything about if covering the area during summer might be effective.  I imagine you'd need a pretty big cover to prevent water from seeping over towards the bulb.

Hi again:  Here's a follow-up to the question that I posted about Komoriya Nursery on eBay.....

After doing some more research and also hearing back from them, I've found out that they're a legitimate company that's got a long track-record of working with bulbs, and they're well-versed in what's necessary to ship bulbs (legally!) to the US. 

Even though they don't fully explain everything about the importing process under each listing they post on eBay, they've sold and shipped to the US for many years.  So, even though you can't always trust bulb sellers on eBay or Etsy to know the laws/process, Komoriya does.

Also, their website seems to be "under construction," so the listings of their products on their website don't correlate exactly with what they're currently listing on eBay (partially because of the seasonality of their offerings).

Here's the e-mail address for them that I received via eBay:
     komoriya.japan@gmail.com
And here are two other e-mail addresses I found for them (I don't know if they're still valid):
     bulb2@komoriya.co.jp
     bulb1@komoriya.co.jp
And here's the link to their website:
     http://www.komoriya.co.jp/

I started buying bulbs and seeds from foreign sellers about a year ago, so I'll outline what I've learned about the process in a separate post.

Thanks.
...Paul

Hello:

Has anyone purchased bulbs from Komoriya Nursery on eBay?  More specifically: Do they ship to the US with a phyto certificate?  Good/bad experiences?

Or does anyone have an e-mail address for them?

They seem to be a legitimate company, and they say that they ship to the US, but they don't mention anything about a phyto certificate in their eBay listing.  Their regular website is "under construction," and it doesn't have an e-mail listed or a Contact Us page.  I'm a bit leery to order something from Japan without a phyto.

Thanks for the info.
...Paul

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.