PBS Forum

@Uli Urban

I'm updating my labels prior to bringing bulbs in for the Winter. Was the Cyrtanthus sp. bulb you received from John Lavranos in 2014 ever identified?

I received it in BX 440 (2018), but I've seen it listed in a number of other BXes as well.

Thank you for your time and generosity.

Oh, umm, should I have entered this under Mystery Bulbs?

Thanks,

Mike

I'm having some issues with Grass Spiders (aka Funnel-Web Spiders or Carpet Spiders). I live on a lake (Finger Lakes in Western New York State). High humidity levels lead to lots of bugs. Lots of bugs leads to lots of spiders.

My collection of plants (largely Amaryllids) are in pots. They Winter in the basement, and then are mostly spread out along the top of the breakwall for the Summer. For the last six or seven years, I've has Grass Spiders colonizing most of the plants that are in the full sun. The 'carpet' of their webs gets so thick that I'm worried the plants aren't getting enough sun, although none have been killed off by the spiders yet (can't say the same for the squirrels).

I usually end up removing the web-carpet daily, which can be a major pain. Most of the carpets do reach the three foot maximum coverage (per my web research) by mid-July. Is there some herb or something I can grow, or sprinkle on the plants, to repel the spiders? I'm not interested in killing them, I want them eating as many bugs as they can. I just don't want them constantly burying my plants in webs.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can render.

I have 2 pots of Scilla madeirensis. As I was moving the pots outside today (frost free date in the area is 5-31), a rogue gust of wind snapped two of the stems off slightly above the bulbs. I now have two foot long(ish) leaves that are in very nice shape (plus a few somewhat more roughly used leaves that I already tossed).

It seems a shame to just toss the two good looking leaves. What would be the method of treatment most likely to result in either bulblets, or rooted leaf segments?

Thanks,

Mike
In Finger Lakes region, 6A, where we still haven't had any rain yet (last rain was 15 days ago). Although it looked like pending rain first thing this morning, that resolved into a blustery, but clear, day. Anything right up near the lake is getting a bit drenched due to all the waves crashing ashore, but more than a few feet back, it's still crispy.

If anyone is interested in free tubers of Mirabilis jalapa, shoot a message to my Forum inbox. I have about ten tubers available. No charge, no swapping necessary.

Some people in warmer zones may find M. jalapa a bit on the invasive side. It blooms heavily, and each bloom WILL set one seed. The seeds are large-ish and distinctively jug-shaped. It is easy to check over the area near the plant once every ten days or so and collect the dropped seeds. If any sprout (90-100 percent germination rate), they are readily identifiable, and easily pulled. I have been growing the plants for around twenty years in Zone 6A and have only had volunteers survive the winter three times.

Google Mirabilis jalapa 'California Wild Magenta' for images of plants in bloom. Several images come up for Dave's Garden, and JL Hudson (where I originally got the seeds).

Sorry, but please only reply if you are in the continental US. Again, I am not charging, but if you feel more comfortable doing it as a swap, let me know... I'm sure we can find something to swap. The tubers just started to sprout, so I want to get these out as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Mike
In the Finger Lakes area, Zone 6A where we can't plant out safely until Memorial Day.
 

I requested Oxalis sp. from BX481 (item 98 from Robert Parks). What I received isn't O. sp., I think it is probably O. versicolor RP 2 (item 101). The flower color and leaves are dead on, however the plants (and flowers) never got any bigger than Pearlwort (Sagina subulata). It's hard to tell from the pictures I can find on our Wiki, and Google searches, since there aren't really any that include something giving a sense of scale. Is that the normal size of O. versicolor, or is the RP 2 variant maybe a dwarf?

I suppose it could also have been from the inopportune attention of a fluffy-tailed rat (aka grey squirrel) that dug the bulbs up daily until I put 1/4" of pea gravel on top of the soil (although that was many weeks before the bulbs started to grow). Said squirrel eventually offed itself when it decided to eat 10-15 Hippeastrum striatum bulbs (leaves, roots, and strawberry-sized bulbs) for lunch one day.

Mike
Zone 6A region of the Finger Lakes - where the temperatures peaked in the low fifties today, after a week around 0 F.

I saw a listing for Sarracenia seeds and decided to try growing some, even though I have no previous experience with Sarracenia. The seeds are for Sarracenia 'New Hybrids' mix which is described as 'Hybrids of alata, flava, leucophylla, purpurea, and their hybrids.'

Online research indicates Sarracenia germination requires the seeds to be prechilled. Some sites suggest as little as 2 weeks, some state 8 weeks or more. The information supplied with the seed packet states 'For best germination, try 6 weeks prechill, then GA-3 and light.' I have tried Gibberellic Acid (GA-3) before, and was underwhelmed by it, so I'm planning on just the prechill. Should the 6 weeks be sufficient prechill, or should I maybe wait until this fall, so that I can prechill them all winter (in the unheated garage).

Since the resulting plants will be hybrids, do I need to worry about planting more than 1 seed per pot (i.e. - will hybrid vigor be an issue prior to plant maturity)?

Any experienced Sarracenia growers care to share tips?

The seeds should arrive Tuesday(ish). Fingers crossed.