wintering-over Spring bulbs in pots

Peter Taggart petersirises@gmail.com
Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:47:08 PST
On Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 7:29 PM, Gene Mirro <mirrog@yahoo.com> wrote:

> "When  we were discussing this topic, Gene Mirro wrote " I grow Dutch
> bulbs in a mix of bark, sand, and garden soil, with some lime and bone meal
> mixed in.  They love it. "
>

I have grown bulbs in pots like this, I still use a mix like this for
lillies, trilliums, Biarums. and others. This sort of potting mix behaves
differently to the sandy / gritty loam I usually use for tulips, oncos etc.
One problem I sometimes have is if there is a sudden hot spell in early
spring, plants without the bark/ organic content in their potting compost,
prematurely go dormant from drought. These organic mixes give a different
problem - the pots need to be kept cooler to prevent the moisture retentive
mix from cooking the bulbs. It works well for reticulata Iris in a north
facing frame here. Shading the drier mix to keep it cool and prolong growth
is counterproductive for me.
Peter (UK)



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