Rhodophiala question
Jane McGary (Wed, 18 Jun 2014 19:25:04 PDT)
Pam wrote,
Another question. I have a nursery propagator friend who grows out all seed
for me and he grew R. advena seed for me in fall, 2011 (BX 286). There are
now many seedlings still in a pot that I'm sure is too shallow. What I read
about this sp. is that it's summer dormant.....so am wondering why in this
100-100+-degree weather, they are showing no indication of going into
dormancy. Should I transplant them directly into a raised concrete planter
(25 inches tall)? Water regimen? Do these need a totally dry summer
dormancy? Or do they receive water in habitat year round? In what month can
I expect them to flower?
I have grown this species from seed to flowering, and as I recall it
didn't take too many years. They are early summer flowering in nature
and grow on low hills, mostly in the Coast Range, that become fairly
dry in summer, often among grasses. However, there is probably some
moisture from fog in summer. Anyway, I would not dry them out hard or
bake them. Any Rhodophiala bulbs I have dug down to in nature have
been growing quite deep. Here is a translation of the cultural
information on it from an earlier edition of the CHilean "FLora
native de valor ornamental, Zona Centro", the new edition of which I
mentioned on an earlier post:
"They flower in the third or fourth year from seed, when the bulb has
reached the necessary maturity. ... Plant them in full sun, in soil
with good drainage, rich in nutrients. Replant them every three or
four years, because production of bulblets (offsets) is low. ... Do
not transplant [seedlings] the first year in order to give the bulb
time to increase in size. They can also be increased by removing the
head [I think theymean the top of the bulb], scooping, and cutting
the bulb across, by offset bulbs or bulblets, or micropropagation."
As I recall, I left the seedlings in the pot for two or three years.
It was a gallon pot. I kept them frost-free, and they probably need
that. I eventually tried them in the bulb frame, and they died.
Jane McGary
Portland, oregon, USA