PBS Forum

In my hot and dry Portuguese summers I move the pots with dormant bulbs to a shady place, otherwise the black plastic pots become too hot. At some stage I empty all the pots and put the bulbs into paper bags.
But I try to keep the storage of the dormant bulbs in paper bags as short as possible. Some bulbs do not at all like to be stored out of the substrate, dry in a paper bag. These are replanting immediately and only the surplus is stored in a bag. I very rarely use plastic bags to store bulbs because they ,,breathe" and produce a surprising amount of moisture which may lead to rot.
Young seedling bulbs can be lost in their first dormancy if kept brutally dry so they get a light hand watering with a fine rose every 4 weeks or so. If kept too wet during dormancy they may also rot. Pot size matters: the bigger the pot the more stable the conditions are in the substrate. Clumps of mature bulbs are grown in 6, 8 or 10 liter pots depending on number of bulbs and size of the plants. My standard seedling pots are square 8 X 8 X 8,5cm. Anything smaller has proved unsuccessful.
Especially species winter growing gladiolus are prone to loss in their first dormancy.

Quote from: petershaw on Yesterday at 06:16:35 AMI have a lot of pots with lots of young bulbs, most winter growers. They have just recently gone dormant (some are still "growing").

I had hoped to share many of them via the Bulb Ex but I am wondering if this is the right time to divide them? I thought I understood they should be kept undisturbed until mid summer, but I am open to clarification.

I second that. The ones that have dropped leaves generally have mature bulbs, rooty things go to a warm shelf for a time. Generally if the tops are totally dry and done they are OK with lifting. It's a little frustrating with the Lachenalias I am attempting to turf out of the collection, as they skip leaves and flowers but still grow roots (in the absence of a hot summer).

Robert
hoping for a sunny day so I can see the rose colored Tritonia squalida.

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Success!!! Here is a photo of my Carlina acaulis seedlings. The cold stratification apparently was the key to success. I planted about 10 seeds and 6 germinated. After a particularly cold and rainy night, 3 perished and 3 survived. When these guys get a bit bigger, I will repot them into larger and deeper containers. I'll then get to see if they will grow in the heat and humidity here in the summer.  I will protect them from torrential summer rain by moving them under the patio. The good thing is that I learned how to get them to germinate and it only took 2 seasons. 

That depends on how hot it is and when did you water (or when did they get rain) for the last time.

I am lifting bulbs whose pots seem fairly dry and there's still some moisture from the last rain two weeks ago. Most have no leaves and roots but some have no leaves but keep living roots, in this case I cover them again.

I have a lot of pots with lots of young bulbs, most winter growers. They have just recently gone dormant (some are still "growing").

I had hoped to share many of them via the Bulb Ex but I am wondering if this is the right time to divide them? I thought I understood they should be kept undisturbed until mid summer, but I am open to clarification.

Peter

Those Eucrosia seeds sprouted within 3 days after floating. Guess I used a bottle of holy water instead of water from the tap.

Hi, seeds of EX08_296 Eucrosia mirabilis are already sending out roots!!

So many thanks to  Alberto Grossi!!

Dear members living in the EU,
The EU joint bulb order from the SA Bulb Company will be closing soon. If you still want to order, please send me an email with your order as soon as possible. This joint order is only open to fully paid members who have a mailing address in one of the EU countries.
Bye for now
Uli

Dear members living in the EU,
The EU joint bulb order from the SA Bulb Company will be closing soon. If you still want to order, please send me an email with your order as soon as possible. This joint order is only open to fully paid members who have a mailing address in one of the EU countries.
Bye for now
Uli