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I pot my seedling bulbs up into bigger containers only after they start to grow in their second season. This way it is easy to judge which ones need potting up and which ones don't. If the pot looks overcrowded I repot,  if not I leave them in the original pot for another season or even two. I have never ever lost seedlings this way. But of course, I don't undo the rootball and would not dream to separate them. 
Regardless if potted up or not, all seedlings which start into new growth get their first dose of a balanced fertilizer low in nitrogen.

Uli 

Hello Wylie,

Also more color intensive than mine, very nice!

Uli 

Hello Wylie,

Is the picture showing the Crinum or the Amaryllis? I know that Rose Foncé is variable in color but this one is exceptional if it is not the Crinum.
The bulbs I photographed are stealing some water from a nearby irrigation, all the others, including Fred Meyer's White are still dormant. It is very hot and dry here.....

Uli 

Amaryllis belladonna Rose Foncé is always the first belladonna to flower at this time of the year. Here in front of Petraea volubilis. This is a combination made by the plants themselves, the Petraea was meant to cover the wall below this terrace but decided to scramble up....
Uli 

 EU Seed and Bulb Autumn Exchange 2023 now open for donations
 
Dear Members of the Pacific Bulb Society living in the EU,
Please read this information carefully and entirely.
The donation time window is now open for seed and bulbs for autumn sowing and planting. Martin has discussed the timing with me, this year we start earlier than usual. The weather in central Europe has been swinging between extremes resulting in some bulbs having already started into growth which is earlier than in previous years. Even here in Portugal we had a very late rain which moistened the compost in the pots of dormant bulbs. Some do not care but some have also already broken dormancy. It may be wise not to send bulbs which are clearly growing.
Please send your donations to
Martin Bohnet
Ludwigstr. 1
73035 Göppingen
Germany
Please send only healthy material cleaned of soil and debris. Please label each packet with the name of the plant and your own name, so that all donations can be traced to their donors.
If you are willing to do so, we would appreciate 5 portions of pre-packed seed, if you have much more or if you know the seed is very popular, you can add a larger amount in a separate envelope. This is no obligation but will reduce Martin's workload considerably. A seed portion should contain enough seed for a good potful of seedlings, in very rare seed a minimum of 3 seeds.
Free of charge seed envelopes can be requested at Martin's  <garak@code-garak.de>
Please do not pre-pack bulbs.
Every paid member with a postal address in the EU is entitled to order, you do not need to be a donor, but of course, this kind of exchange depends on the generosity of the growers. Please consider a donation of surplus material.  Every donor gets a refund for the postage in form of a bonus with a minimum of 5 US$.
The precise ordering information will follow once ordering has opened.
As we start this exchange early, the donation time window will remain open for longer, closure will be announced through the same channels in due course. There will be most likely a second round this autumn, and then another Exchange in spring for summer growing bulbs.
And.... Last but not least: Please send Martin an email  <garak@code-garak.de>  or a PM through the forum to announce your donation. This is important because there may be delays in postal services from some countries.
Please do not hesitate to contact me (Uli) in case of questions <johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de>
 
Martin and Uli

Dear Mary Sue, Dear Mike, Dear All,


Thank you very much for sharing your memories of Bob Werra who must have been a remarkable person. I have never met him but there is a lot shining through your words which does not need to be outspoken.

After reading Mary Sue's and your contribution in the email list I thought that it might be a good idea to save Bob's notes for the future, for example in the Wiki. You describe his notes like a condensed lifetime experience of a meticulous grower and good observer.

I do not know how the practical side of preserving these notes would look like, though.

Several years ago I found myself in a similar situation when the plant collection of John Lavranos was distributed after his death. John was a plantsman of the old school, generous, extremely knowledgeable and a language genius. I received about 80 pots of dormant bulbs, but unfortunately most of them without labels. I am still in the process of identification of some, there is a responsibility to preserve and care for this legacy. John's field notes are available but without labels I cannot really use them. 
I try to distribute as much as I can, his collection contains some real gems.

Bye for now 

Uli 

Hello Steve,

This all sounds very interesting indeed. Will you try to make them set seed?

Uli 

They don't have to go through the compost pile.....   The key to success is to keep the dormant tubers dry in the substrate at a minimum temperature of 12, better 15 degrees centigrade during winter. I had to learn this the hard way.....
Uli 

Orchid seeds? Hmmmmm..... of course you can grow orchids from seed but do they mention that you need laboratory equipment to do that? If not, I doubt that they are serious if their orchid seed sowing instructions look as if you would sow sunflowers.....
https://urbangardenseed.com/product/flying-duck-orchid-flower-seeds-rare-beautiful-orchids-100pcs-pack/
Uli 

I like the idea, too but it would really need to be wire and not plastic mesh...... I put the unripe seed capsules of Cyclamen rohlfsianum into very small organza bags. But on checking them I found open capsules but no seed. On looking closer, the ants had bitten a small hole into the bag and got to the seed.......

My adult Ixia viridiflora and other Ixia are repotted every year, I use the surplus to share.
For seed I use a large pot, 6 litre, which I normally do not do for seed. But with Ixia I have the best results when I use this big pot and leave the seedlings in the same pot without repotting for another season. They flower in their second season from seed and then they are treated like adult corms which they are.
I use a well draining and well aerated substrate based on composted bark but I think Ixia is not fussy about the substrate. 
Your mix of perlite and coir which has not been changed for years (and having even added corms to) seems to starve your plants. I fertilize at least three times with a balanced fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphate and low in nitrogen plus trace elements. Vigorous plants like the Ixia may get another dose of leftover fertilizer in between.
Depending on the weather water every two weeks may be far too little. Especially Ixia seems to need a lot of water during growth, I had aborted flowering stalks when they were not watered enough. I now attach them to continuous automatic irrigation with a system in which the plants get as much water as they use, which means that the substrate is constantly moist. I stop this once dormancy sets in which is much later than in non irrigated pots.
This way I have a very good display every year.

Uli 

There are now ,,boards" made of recycled plastic. I have used them in the past in my former garden in Germany with excellent results to contain my compost pile. And I have seen the same material here in Portugal for sale, including fence posts. It is heavier than wood but can be worked the same way. And the material is strong and solid. It is of grayish brown muddy color so fits well in the garden. It is maintenance free and should last for a long time.

Hello Peter,
There is one point I do not understand in this thread. Is your intention to build a raised bed with the sand plunge in contact to the ground or is it like Jane thinks a deep table with space underneath?

I think the table type with space underneath is not a good option, certainly not if built from wood. 

But a classic raised bed standing on the ground might work very well. From bitter experience I recommend to build it rodent proof to stop rodents coming in from below. If you want to use a liner to protect the wood in a raised bed, why not put the liner on the vertical board walls only and leave the bottom unlined except for a metal grid to keep the rodents out.

Bye for now 

Uli 

Quote from: David Pilling on July 08, 2023, 06:30:13 PMPhotos of the unknown plant I mentioned at the end of June, the flowers are now opening.

Looks like Ornithogalum caudatum syn. Albuca bracteata to me 

This is the night blooming tropical waterlily hybrid Antares. It is the second season I am growing it, the dormant tuber spent the winter in a non heated basin in the greenhouse and sprouted when the water warmed up. I was skeptical about night blooming waterlilies especially red ones because red becomes invisible in the dark. But the flowers open fairly early in the evening and remain open almost until midday when the day blooming ones take over. This way there are open flowers all day.
Uli