Hello Norman-

I agree with everything Diana has already said, but
had a few additional
bits. You will be repotting in no time with a one
gallon pot and I think you
should at least go with a 3 gallon. This plant will
take some cramping and
will form decent clumps in the ground, but if too
cramped without adequate
root space, the flowering with suffer, so I would
not say that it is the
preferred condition like some Zephyranthes, etc. For
me, I find it is
tolerant of drier conditions than some Hymenocallis,
but that is from my
Florida perspective of dry which has humidity
usually well above 40% and
this plant certainly won't be happy if the soil is
too dry. Fir bark I would
not equate with compost. I would recommend something
like a mixture of
composted cow manure and medium course sand. Pumice,
perlite, and pea gravel
could be added but they will probably increase the
need to water more often
than anything else and are not really necessary.
Measuring from the basal
plate to the surface, I would probably plant about
two inches below the
surface with the neck partially buried, but I am not
sure what you mean by
one inch without a reference point. I know some who
plant them even deeper
but that is in Zone 7. This plant seems to be quite
hardy for me and does
very well in the ground here having been hardy down
to 17 degrees Fahrenheit
though only for a few hours at a time. I find it a
moderate producer
offsets. Steady & regular. I hope that helps.

Alani Davis
Tallahassee, Florida Zone 8b (for now)

-----Original Message-----
From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]
On Behalf Of Norman Rose
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 3:59 PM
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [pbs] Hymenocallis Question

Hi All,
I will be getting a Hymenocallis maximillini bulb in
a
few days. I have looked through the archives and
searched the web to learn what this plant likes.
Here
is what I have concluded. Needs rich well drained
soil. Keep soil moist. It needs a dry dormant
period
in the winter. The soil mix I will be using is
compost
(fir bark) sand, pumice,perlite and pea gravel. Does
this soil mix sound good. Also, I wanted to put this
in a 1 gallon black plastic pot. Does this bulb like
to be crowded? Is 1 inch deep OK for this? I live in
San Jose California. I know this variety comes from
Mexico and gets more humidity there than we get here
on the west coast. Any suggestions to my growing
notes
would be appreciated.
thanks again
Norman Rose
San Jose California Zone 9
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