A Nerine experience

Matthew Mattus mmattus@charter.net
Tue, 05 Oct 2004 18:50:24 PDT
Hello All

Here in Central Massachusetts, I feel as if I am having quite a bit of luck
with my Nerine sarniensis hybrids, well at least eighty percent of them are
in bloom.  Late year, peak bloom happened in November, whereas this year
many are about to peak next week. I started watering them the same date,
Sept. 1st. But I feel that the cooler night temperatures may have brought
about the earlier bloom period. All thanks to Jim Shields who inspired me to
try them a few years ago.

I don't thing that I do anything different than most people. My N.
sarniensis never leave the greenhouse, which is glass, and they receive a
lot of bright light through the single panes. During the winter, the house
is kept at 50 degrees F, and may reach 75 to 89 F during a sunny winter day.
I use a lean soil mixture wich varies with what ever I have, but is
generally 75% plain pumice, 20%sharp pool sand and  5% John Innes #2. I do
fertilize about once a year, with a week dose, and take my chances, no
problem yet with virus. I dry them out in May, and they really bake through
the summer on the high shelves in full sun, basically they are abused.

I keep about a hundred fifty bulbs of about 50 named . Some N. sarniensis X
bowdenii hybrids too. I think they've performed quite nicely for me, this is
the first year that I am propagating them, from seed crosses, and by
division, as well as triple scaling a few to experiment.

Matt Mattus 
in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA Zone 5
Where we are expecting our first killer frost this evening, and I just
finished moving many plants into the greenhouse.


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