Hi Lee: I think it was blind luck. I have treated them the same way as Bessera, kept dry in winter, then watered throughout the summer. this batch behaved differently right from the start, emerging from dormancy very readily when I started watering in late spring/early summer, then growing throughout the summer, which my other batches did not do. My previous sowings would not all emerge from dormancy when I watered, and some would emerge from dormancy in late summer. We did have a warmer spell in late summer here, and they had been heavily watered right before the bud emerged. I still have two pots of bulbs from previous sowings, and one did not emerge from dormancy at all this year (I will check to see if they are still there). The other pot, which is two years older than the one that is blooming, sent up a few measly leaves that are much smaller than the more recent sowing. Diana > On Oct 1, 2011, at 8:46 AM, Diana Chapman wrote: >> Soon to come is Behria tenuiflora, in bud now. When they open I will >> post a picture. I have started seed of this Mexican species several >> times, but have never brought it to bloom. >> > So Diana, are you willing to share your secrets of how you did this? I also, have started seeds of Behria tenuiflora in two different years from accessions from two different locations both times. But I haven't been able to get them to grow beyond the second full year of growth after the first year of sowing. They never seem to come back from dormancy for the third year of growth. (Except for two still small seedling-looking leaves…) In fact, I'm not even sure what growth cycle to try to get them to grow in. It seems they come out of dormancy and grow and bloom in response to hurricanes or tropical storms blowing through southern Baja California. These types of storms are at their peak in August and September which is also the warmest part of the year. I am uncertain as to whether they are dormant the remaining 10 months of the year. > > --Lee Poulsen > Pasadena, California, USA - USDA Zone 10a > Latitude 34°N, Altitude 1150 ft/350 m > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >