Fall bloom
Arnold Trachtenberg (Wed, 10 Sep 2003 15:39:06 PDT)

Flower initiation in bulbs has always been a fascinating subject for
me. It is always amazing how some plants flower on schedule regardless
of the environment. I have witnessed cyclamen, boophone and others come
into growth under artificial light( same on/off period) as if they were
outside and exposed to lengthening days.

I remember reading about integrated Pest management principles and
counting the number of days that a certain temperature was reached.
This could be used to calculate the appearance of pests and determined
the timing for the application of control practices.

So why no the same with colchicums or crocus for that matter. I could
be that after 45 days of days over 85 degrees the flower ripens and it
is not so much the appearance of the cold but the length of time that
heat was present. I guess we will all have to go to the lab to wok this
out.

Arnold