Hi Rob,
> I think Dirk mentioned that he continues to water the B
> grandiflora during their summer dormancy. Can you verify this
> Dirk ?
Sure can. I actually grow my Brunsvigia grandiflora with my collection of
Rainlilies. The Brunsvigia receive rain during winter and then I water them
along with the Rainlilies in summer. So, in summer, my dormant bulbs of B.
grandiflora get watered every couple to a few days and they don't seem to
mind this at all. They could possibly do with less water in summer, but I
have heard stories of them being lost without enough water during their
dormancy, so I just keep on watering them. The bulbs are now 6 years old and
appear to be thriving.
I must add also that I grow these in a foam box in a medium that consists
almost entirely of sand, a combination of fine and coarse grained sand. This
medium does not dry out very quickly but it maintains good drainage and air
within the mix.
Growing these bulbs in a richer medium, or in the ground, may require them
to have less water during dormancy, but I wouldn't dry them out completely.
When I first sowed these seed the resultant plants had an interesting growth
cycle. They would grow in Autumn and then go semi-dormant in winter, Then
they would perk up and grow strongly in Spring only to go semi-dormant in
the heat of Summer. They never really went completely dormant for the first
year. Ever since then they have grown through Autumn/Winter/Spring and have
gone dormant in late Spring through Summer.
This has been my experience with this particular collection of Brunsvigia
grandiflora, but that does not necessarily mean that all B. grandiflora will
behave this way. The variation in a species can be immense, and there is no
hard and fast rule to cover all the different forms of a particular species.
Many factors are involved, especially where the collection comes from, and
what climate you are putting it into.
I can safely say that, in my climate, this form of B. grandiflora acts as a
Winter growing species and it loves being watered all year round.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Dirk