Oxalis adenophylla
Rodger Whitlock (Sat, 22 Nov 2003 20:32:46 PST)
On 19 Nov 03 at 11:35, Judy Glattstein wrote:
This fall I purchased 5 Oxalis adenophylla. I potted the firm, dark
brown string covered tubers in a pot which was placed on the floor
of my cool greenhouse (heated to 50° F.) Curiosity is this cat's
besetting sin (but remember that while curiosity killed the cat,
satisfaction brought her back.) So I did some poking around on
Monday. Four are rotted and one has two white roots. Gently repotted
into a smaller pot. So it cannot be winter low temperature that is
the problem.
I've had Oxalis adenophylla -- the ordinary form you buy dried in the
fall, just like yours -- in my garden for about 15 years and it just
keeps on trucking along. I planted some more new ones last fall
(2002), bought cheap at an end-of-season markdown, and all (most?) of
them leafed out and grew just fine this last spring.
As far as I'm concerned, this species is as tough as old boots and
reports of difficulty with it puzzle me.
The older planting is in rather heavyish soil, the newer in quite
sandy soil, but neither spot ever gets standing water in the winter.
Not in full unabashed sun; shady in winter, noon sun in summer.
Let me hazard a guess: you kept the bulbs too warm, and fungal growth
outstripped plant growth.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
on beautiful Vancouver Island