Dear John: Really? Are there studies on this? I am sure that I am not the only one here that has been deadheading their bulbs faithfully each season, simply because it is part of the the accepted lore and advice that has been passed on as gospel for generations. As an intrinsically lazy gardener, I am more than interested in this statement. I have been told (and please correct this if necessary) that most annual and dormancy prone plants, in general, consider their job done after flowering. Rand Nicholson > >I've never understood the urge to deadhead bulbs except where obvious >tidiness is required (snip) > Even more tangibly, the >presence on the stem of a fruit is an incentive, controlled by hormones, for >the plant to remain in growth and therefore build up a much bigger bulb for >next year. The 'drain' of photosynthates to the seeds is more than matched >by their accumulation in the bulb and the resultant performance next season. > >John Grimshaw -- Rand Nicholson Zone 5b Eastern Maritime Canada