Repotting

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Mon, 07 Oct 2013 17:08:05 PDT
If I have a small pot with a lot of bulb seedlings in growth, I 
prepare a larger pot of the same soil and make a hole in it the size 
of the small pot. I get the small pot moist so the soil doesn't fall 
apart too much and pop out the soil ball and plop it into the larger 
pot. Not as good as waiting for the seedlings to go dormant, but 
sometimes these things get away from one.

If you purchase bulbs of amaryllids in particular, they may arrive 
with a little root growth. These can be planted carefully so as not 
to break the young roots, which will eventually become much longer. I 
have even received Fritillaria bulbs in growth and in bad condition 
and was able to save most of them. In such cases the bulbs should be 
dusted with sulfur before planting, or treated with whatever 
fungicide you prefer.

If you accidentally dig up a bulb in growth, as I did with a cluster 
of crocuses yesterday while weeding, you can just put them back in 
the ground and they will usually not be harmed. Last month I planted 
some Veltheimia bulbs out of a big pot that were well started into 
growth, and they are now leafed out and appear fine (though they 
won't once we have a hard freeze, but I was tired of hauling that big 
pot in and out of the house).

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA




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