Albuca bulbs not leafing out

[petershaw]

I have had Albuca spirals for several years, all from seed of various sources. Every year they leaf out early, and then flower.

One pot showed little foliage but bloomed nicely which others did nothing.

One pot shows the tip of the bulb missing (no pill bugs or evidence of mice damage to the surface of the media.)

The other image is a crowded seed pot with nothing.

The only change was leaving them outside in the winter.... okay, thats a big change, but I am in Santa Cruz CA along the coast in what is called Sunset zone 17. Too cold?

[Martin Bohnet]

I admit I'm a bit confused - did you continually force your Albuca spiralis

to summer growth? I wouldn't expect mine to stir before September, and we're on the same hemisphere.

[Leo]

Be sure you have A. spiralis. There has been a lot of confusion around this name. It is definitely a fall - winter - spring grower. I have seen people try to keep it on a windowsill as a house plant; many winter-growing Albuca remain in leaf so long as temperatures are moderate and they receive water. These don't look right and rarely flower.

[petershaw]

I admit I'm a bit confused - did you continually force your Albuca spiralis

to summer growth? I wouldn't expect mine to stir before September, and we're on the same hemisphere.

I only watered the one that flowered when leaves popped up. Other than that the others have shown little evidence of anything.

Any idea why the bulb lost its growing point? Assuming its a true bulb the basal plate seems intact so it might have a chance.

[Uli]

Hello Peter,
Sorry to be a bit late with my reply, very busy.....
Albuca can swap a season and still be perfectly healthy. Albuca spiralis comes from a very dry climate, the spiraling of the leaves is considered to be a strategy to catch more water from fog than it would with straight leaves. These dry climate bulbs have to be able to survive long periods of drought.  You state that they normally leaf out early, early in which season? As Leo stated you might have turned their growth rhythm upside down by keeping them indoors (air conditioned= cool?) so that when you brought them outside they behave like bulbs who do a Hemisphäre swap and go into a prolonged dormancy.
Could the bulb with the missing center be the one which flowered? I find that in Albuca the old scapes often leave a big hole in the bulb after drying off. Some of these bulbs need another active season to recover from that. Some Albuca species seem to be at their best flowering for the first time from seed. And then decline but not without producing large amounts of seed. This applies to Albuca juncifolia and A. fragrans for example,  while others form bigger and better flowering clumps with time.
My suggestion is to leave them outdoors, keep them in a half shaded place and give them a sparing watering with a fine rose every 4 to 6 weeks. When growth starts put them back to a sunnier place, later in full sun and water more but still sparingly once in leaf. Apparently the curling is much better in hard growing plants.

Hope that helps 

Uli