>From: Run007CB@aol.com >Reply-To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> >To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >Subject: Re: [pbs] Fire, Smoke, Past PBS posts >Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 19:32:52 EDT > >Hi Alberto, > I grow a number of Zephyranthes. I was wondering if you could elaborate >on >smoke inducing "perpetual" flowering of Mexican Zephyranthes? What do you >mean >by "perpetual?" > > Best Regards, > Charles Edelman > South Texas 100+degrees Hi: The Dutch has been researching for years (although results did not turn out as expected) on a method to obtain from a fat adult bulb all the flowers such a bulb would produce along its whole life during a single season. Amaryllids, for cut flowers, that is. Since the process of bud elongation and production takes place under certain temperatures, they reasoned that if under artificial conditions they would maintain soil temperatures during the narrow range required, flower after flower would be produced within a short period (perpetual flowering). But, it is not perpetual as the aim was to empty the bulb of all buds and flowers to have it discarded after it was over. Smoke treatment of Mexican species of Zephyranthes produced the same "perpetual" flowering. This is, the flowers were produced over a long period non stop. And, the bulbs were empty for several years afterwards. Hence, it was obtained through the action of smoke only without controlled soil temperatures. Unexpectedly, in the last couple of years a sort of perpetual flowering in Mexican Zephyranthes was also obtained when the plants were moved to 5 gallon containers. This was a complete surprise but the flowering season lasted for three whole months and even more in a few species. Here no smoke, no soil temperature but lots of root run was the single stimulus. All the best Alberto _________________________________________________________________ MSN Amor: busca tu ½ naranja http://latam.msn.com/amor/