Rain at last??/When to start watering
Jane McGary (Sat, 16 Oct 2004 09:02:49 PDT)

Mary Sue wrote,
"Last week we had a number of days of very hot weather and it looks like my
Oxalis ambigua which was looking so nice has died and some of the
Lachenalias that were just coming up have shriveled leaves. I'm wondering
if either will recover. I had watered some of my dormant containers, but
not all. Anyone else want to update us on their experiences?

My climate is similar to Mary Sue's in summer but colder and wetter in
winter than where she lives. On the principle that bulbs adapted to dry
summers should not be hot and wet at the same time, I wait until an
extended cool period to begin fall watering. This year that happened
earlier than usual, so I waited a little longer, until late September.
HOWEVER, I have certain parts of the collection that are never allowed to
become totally dry, and all but the real desert Fritillarias and almost all
the Narcissus species are in these sections. A lot of crocuses do better
there also. I don't soak these sections, I just wave a hose over them every
10 days or so. I also have a coverable raised bed where I put "tough" bulbs
that can take anything western Oregon can throw at them, except for really
severe wet freezes (they're covered late November through February).

It's true that once you start the bulbs growing, you should not let them
desiccate. This is especially crucial with Crocus.

Note that all my potted bulbs are plunged to the rim in sand, in clay or
mesh pots, whereas Mary Sue has quite a few in solid plastic pots that
aren't plunged. I've never had a problem rehydrating the dry soil because
it's so gritty (1/4 pumice, 1/4 gritty clay topsoil, 1/2 sharp coarse
sand). If a pot does dry out badly, something that often happens when I
have delayed planting something obtained from another grower, I drop it in
a bucket filled with enough water that the pot can sink almost to its rim.
Even nasty soil mixes full of peat and bark will soak up in 20 minutes or
so. Such mixes are also likely to contain perlite, which will float off
under such treatment and cause a disposal problem.

I have to admit that the potting soil I make at home is quite heavy, and I
understand why commercial growers and some home gardeners use lightweight
components such as peat, perlite, and bark, but I'll stick with my mixture
until I can no longer lift it. (Then I can take up orchid growing....)

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA