TOW N.H.Do in May - Garden
Rand Nicholson (Tue, 04 May 2004 05:24:31 PDT)
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