Calochortus Weedii Propagation
Jane McGary (Fri, 29 Jun 2018 09:50:28 PDT)

First, note the change in spelling, "Calochortus," which will help when
searching for information on this species, and with our archive.

I think Calochortus are self-fertile, so if Ana's sole flowering plant
is producing seed capsules, the seeds inside will likely be able to
germinate. It's worth putting a light-weight bag around the capsule(s)
to protect them from being eaten and also to catch the seeds, which can
fall out quickly once the capsule splits. Sow the seeds in fall, about
the time it starts to rain where you are, and keep the seed pot moist.
If you have a lot of seed, use several pots, because Calochortus damp
off easily if they come  up too thick. Seedlings may appear quickly or
not until spring; in any case, don't let the pot freeze solid. When the
leaves wither, keep the pot in a cool, shady spot and water again with
the fall rains. Keep the young bulbs in the pot for another year, then
turn them out and plant them in separate pots or directly in the ground
where you can protect them from being eaten, for instance with some
hoops with netting stretched over them.

Don't try to dig up the existing plants, but it's worth scratching a bit
of soil around what remains of the stem to see if there are stem bulbils
(little structures with a rounded base and usually a sharp apex)
attached to the stem just below the soil surface. Many Calochortus
produce these, and they can be detached and planted separately in a
protected spot.

I found the best deterrent against rabbits was predatory dogs, but I had
a fence around my entire property to keep the dogs in. Coyotes also
help. Rabbits in the American West tend to have population cycles, and
peaks in the cycle are usually followed by a peak in their predators the
next year. Ana's Calochortus population may recover when the predators
catch up to the rabbits.

Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon

On 6/29/2018 8:36 AM, Ana Weimer wrote:

_______________________________________________
pbs mailing list
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net
http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…