California bulbs for sandy soil

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Sat, 23 Jun 2012 16:29:26 PDT
Joe asked,
>I have sandy-silt, silty-sand and I'm looking for dependable bulbs 
>that thrive in such.  Natives or otherwise.
>
>California, USDA Zone 9, SWGB Zone 16/17.

Almost all bulbs can be grown in this type of soil as long as you 
supply them with a little extra fertility and plant them deeply so 
they will be cool enough during their dormant period. I grow hundreds 
of Mediterranean-climate species, including California natives, in 
pure coarse sand over a layer of compost and clay, and when I had 
them in pots, my soil mix was half sand and one-quarter ground 
pumice. I fertilize them once in fall and three times in spring with 
soluble fertilizer (Miracle-Grow Blossom Booster) at half strength.

As for dependable, you will have to experiment with that!

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA




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