Repotting
Jane McGary (Mon, 07 Oct 2013 17:08:05 PDT)

If I have a small pot with a lot of bulb seedlings in growth, I
prepare a larger pot of the same soil and make a hole in it the size
of the small pot. I get the small pot moist so the soil doesn't fall
apart too much and pop out the soil ball and plop it into the larger
pot. Not as good as waiting for the seedlings to go dormant, but
sometimes these things get away from one.

If you purchase bulbs of amaryllids in particular, they may arrive
with a little root growth. These can be planted carefully so as not
to break the young roots, which will eventually become much longer. I
have even received Fritillaria bulbs in growth and in bad condition
and was able to save most of them. In such cases the bulbs should be
dusted with sulfur before planting, or treated with whatever
fungicide you prefer.

If you accidentally dig up a bulb in growth, as I did with a cluster
of crocuses yesterday while weeding, you can just put them back in
the ground and they will usually not be harmed. Last month I planted
some Veltheimia bulbs out of a big pot that were well started into
growth, and they are now leafed out and appear fine (though they
won't once we have a hard freeze, but I was tired of hauling that big
pot in and out of the house).

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA