Tecophilea repot/ pot size also aril/arilbred iris

John Lonsdale john@johnlonsdale.net
Tue, 26 Jul 2005 15:59:00 PDT
Mark,

I don't generally touch pots of seedling bulbs at all until they have had 3
seasons of growth, 2 if they are very robust growers.  Chasing around tiny
bulbs is a nightmare, especially if your 3 1/2" pot of crocus seedlings has
50+ tiny corms in it which look not much different from the compost mix.
Thereafter I completely repot everything every year.  In some cases it isn't
absolutely necessary but the bulbs generally do better.  You can get away
with every other year, in which case it is often recommended to replace the
compost down to the level of the bulbs.  I don't really know why and can't
think of a logical reason!  If I'm going to leave them for two years without
repotting I just clean up the 'grass' and put them back in the greenhouse.  

I would recommend keeping your aril/arilbred divisions completely dry (but
not desiccated) until mid-September, at which point you can give them
moisture with minimal chance of rot.  I'd keep them dry under the greenhouse
bench.

J.

John T Lonsdale PhD
407 Edgewood Drive,
Exton, Pennsylvania 19341, USA

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