Cyrtanthus TOW
Mary Sue Ittner (Fri, 02 Jan 2004 17:29:47 PST)

Dear All,

I know this is a slow week and that Rhoda and Cameron are out of town, but
surely there are some of you out there who grow this genus who haven't yet
shared your experiences with it. Robert Parker I remember in Pasadena said
it was his favorite!! So Robert, tell us which ones you are growing and
blooming.

Has anyone ever tried using liquid smoke with the ones that won't bloom or
planting them in clay pots and then setting pine needles or twigs or
something on top on fire to get them to bloom. Or has anyone tried the bee
keeper method of creating smoke and piping it into a plastic bag with a
Cyrtanthus inside of it and closing up the bag and leaving it for a day or
so before setting it free. If you have tried any of these methods, tell us
the results.

And does anyone think it is the smoke, the removal of competing vegetation,
or the nutrients in the ash that make a difference with this species. Or
all of these. Rhoda and Cameron when you come back even if you read this
several weeks later please respond to this question if no one else has.

When we visited Rhoda and Cameron when they were living in the Eastern Cape
they told us about seeing Cyrtanthus in bloom not very long after fires.

Mary Sue