dry rot of bulbs in winter storage
Monica Swartz (Mon, 13 Jun 2016 18:59:09 PDT)

Hi Uli, I have had problems with a dry rot during summer storage of
winter growers. Last year was very bad. Unlike your description, my
infection turns the bulbs hard and if broken, they are powdery and
tan-colored. It seems to be an infection that I suspect is spread by
fungus gnats in the spring. It doesn't seem to matter how the bulbs
are stored or if they get supplemental water during the summer. I've
learned that even if some bulbs in the same pot with infected bulbs
look ok, they rarely are and don't wake in the fall. All pots are
treated for gnats, but they breed in the ground here so they still
investigate the pots. My best defense is keeping multiple pots of
each species in case a pot succumbs. If anyone knows a way to treat
a pot so that the gnats won't run all over it, I'd love to hear it.
monica