Yes they were better in a slightly drier spot in summer than I would normally plant galanthus. The fungus seemed to prefer these conditions too. Pathogenic fungi seem to favour waterlogged soils. Humus improves drainage and aerates the soil. In such conditions the white threads soon mop up any staggy. Over acidic composts and soils are not appreciated either. Adding some lime or old morter and avoiding acidic manures is also helpfull. I innoculated my compost heaps with organically grown brown mushrooms. The bases of the stalks with some mycorhiza present was enough. The white threads soon colonized the whole heap and gave quite a crop on and off as a bonus. I don't know what species I have in the leafmould though. Alnus species are known to be rich in nitrogen fixing bacteria. I imagine they have fungi specific to them. But the leaves might be too rich? Poplar leaves and legumes are rich in nitrogen. Not good if used pure. I would not bother investing in a shredder. It speeds up decomposition yes, but I can wait an extra year. Gathering the leaves with a lawn mower chops them nicely though. They blow around much less in that state. Mark > Message du 07/12/13 19:31 > De : "Jane McGary" > A : "Pacific Bulb Society" > Copie à : > Objet : Re: [pbs] re Rainlilies & Stagonospora > > Like Peter and Mark, I always added leafmold (UK > leafmould) to my bulb potting soil when I grew > bulbs in plunged pots in coldframes. I harvested > this component by sieving the top layer of soil > under an area of alder trees on my former > property. Every day during repotting season I > harvested a large wheelbarrow full to mix into > the day's batch of soil. It was a hard job but > worth it. One belief of mine, however, is that if > you use "live" leafmold like this, it's important > to keep the bulbs dry during their dormant > season; otherwise the microorganisms that > decompose the leaves may attack the bulb tunics. > You will be able to see the mycorrhizae on the tunics. > > Now I have plenty of oak leaves thanks to my > neighbors and three large compost bins for them, > but I don't have a shredder as I could not find a > well-reviewed one that is electric rather than > gas (petrol), and it is too hard to start the gas > ones. Any advice on this would be welcome." _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/