Hi Dave and all,
I start my Hymenocallis seeds on a sandy or gritty potting mix, the same
that I use for almost all my bulbs growing in containers. Some
Hymenocallis do need to be in water in the summer when growing, but almost
all of them also need (or at least tolerate) a dry rest period in
winter. Hymenocallis like it warm and sunny. Get them as warm as possible
and as much sun as possible. Don't dry the seeds and don't bake the bulbs.
I feed them with a soluble fertilizer when they are watered. They can use
a lot of nutrients when growing. All bulbs need more nitrogen and
potassium ("potash") than they need phosphorous (phosphate). I use and
recommend Scott's/Peters/Jack's Professional Peatlite mix (N-P-K =
20-10-20) with more nitrate nitrogen than ammonia/urea nitrogen. It also
contains micronutrients and trace elements. You might have to add
supplemental chelated iron once during the season.
Good luck!
Jim Shields
in frigid, snowy central Indiana (USA) where it was -6°F this bright, sunny
morning
At 05:04 PM 2/15/2007 -0800, you wrote:
>Hi all
> I just received Hymenocallis maximilianii seeds from the exchange
>(thank you very much Alberto). I was going to hold on to them until the
>weather got better and I had a chance to read up on them a bit, but the
>seeds had other ideas. They each have a tightly curled root (radicle,
>shoot, something) emerging, and need attention now! Could some of you
>advise me as to soil, temperatur, light and water requirements? Since
>there have been a number of posts regarding the adventures of
>photographing and rescuing plants of this genus (usually involving lots
>of water and mud), I sense overwatering them is not a problem, at least
>while growing.
>
>Thanks very much,
> Dave B
*************************************************
Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA