Fire, Smoke, Past PBS posts

Alberto Castillo ezeizabotgard@hotmail.com
Wed, 31 Aug 2005 08:32:47 PDT


>From: Run007CB@aol.com
>Reply-To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
>To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
>Subject: Re: [pbs] Fire, Smoke, Past PBS posts
>Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 19:32:52 EDT
>
>Hi Alberto,
>   I grow a number of Zephyranthes. I was wondering if you could elaborate 
>on
>smoke inducing "perpetual" flowering of Mexican Zephyranthes? What do you 
>mean
>by "perpetual?"
>
>    Best Regards,
>   Charles Edelman
>   South Texas 100+degrees

Hi:
   The Dutch has been researching for years (although results did not turn 
out as expected) on a method to obtain from a fat adult bulb all the flowers 
such a bulb would produce along its whole life during a single season. 
Amaryllids, for cut flowers, that is. Since the process of bud  elongation 
and  production takes place under certain temperatures, they reasoned that 
if under artificial conditions they would maintain soil temperatures during 
the narrow range required, flower after flower would be produced  within a 
short period (perpetual flowering). But, it is not perpetual as the aim  was 
to empty the bulb of all buds and flowers to have it discarded after it was 
over.
   Smoke treatment of Mexican species of Zephyranthes produced the same 
"perpetual" flowering. This is, the flowers were produced over a long period 
non stop. And, the bulbs were empty for several years afterwards. Hence, it 
was obtained through the action of smoke only without controlled soil 
temperatures.
   Unexpectedly, in the last  couple of years a sort of perpetual flowering 
in Mexican Zephyranthes was also obtained when the plants were moved to 5 
gallon containers. This was a complete surprise but the flowering season 
lasted for three whole months and even more in  a few species. Here no  
smoke, no soil temperature but  lots of  root run was the  single stimulus.
All the best
Alberto

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Amor: busca tu ½ naranja http://latam.msn.com/amor/


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