Michael, Could temperature be an issue? Were the pots in direct sun? Could the sideways travelers have been growing to the cooler (or, I suppose, warmer) side of the pot? -|<ipp > From: michaelcmace@gmail.com > To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2011 21:19:03 -0800 > Subject: [pbs] Depth and California bulbs > > Jane wrote: > > > > >> Always give Calochortus bulbs as much depth as possible. They descend > > rapidly during the growing season. > > > > I wanted to add a bit more color to Jane's observation. I've long suspected > that my standard 8-inch (20 cm) pots were not a good home for my California > native bulbs. If I let them go a couple of years without repotting, I tend > to find the bulbs at the bottom of the pot. If I wait more than a couple of > years, the bulbs are often dead, apparently due to running out of room. > > > > I don't have the time/resources to build raised beds like Jane's, so last > year I bought some extra-tall "treepots" from Stuewe & Sons. (I think > someone on the list had recommended them; nice call.) The ones I bought are > eight inches wide, but 15 inches tall (40 cm). They look like tall black > wastebaskets. Last winter I tested several Calochortus and Dichelostemma > bulbs in them. > > > > The results during the growing season were encouraging but not uniform. > Calochortus superbus, luteus, argillosus, and uniflorus all bloomed > vigorously. But two bulbs of C. weedii made only short leaves but no > flowers. And the Dichelostemas produced a few weak leaves and did not > bloom. > > > > However, when I repotted in summer the results were much more positive. > Both of the C. weedii bulbs had increased in size by a lot, which is what > Calochortus bulbs do when they are happy. The Dichelostemmas were even more > surprising. Some of the bulbs had stayed in one spot and made pups, while > others had dived deep. By deep, I mean the bulbs had pulled themselves down > by about eight inches in a single season. When I dumped the dry soil out of > the pot, it came out as a single clump, and in the soil you could see the > tracks left as the bulbs migrated over against the side of the pot and then > went straight down along the side. It looked like you'd imagine an > earthworm tunnel would look, but at the bottom of each tunnel there was a > bulb. > > > > Why the bulbs did this, and how, I have no idea. But I can confirm Jane's > statements that these things crave growing room. > > > > Mike > > San Jose, CA > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/