Tecophilaea Cyanocrocus
Diana Chapman (Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:16:35 PDT)

I really have to weigh in here. I have been growing Tecophilaea for
many years, and they usually produce one or two tiny offsets per mature
bulb which will take several years to mature. They also do not produce
'copious' seed. In my greenhouses, I have to hand pollinate and get
very little seed set. I have tried various growing media and growing
conditions in the hope of being able to produce more bulbs, but nothing
has made any significant difference.. My seed germinates at about 50%.

There is a reason they have been expensive. They reproduce slowly, they
are very rare, and, most importantly, there is only a tiny market for
these bulbs. If the Dutch are growing them in quantity now, I actually
doubt that this will last, since the market just isn't there. I have
seen other desirable bulbs come and go from Dutch suppliers, so I would
jump on it now and buy some. To produce a bulb for $5 or less you have
to sell a lot, or it isn't worth the effort. This might be a very short
term offer.

Diana
Telos Rare Bulbs