Re: dividing tuberose (Polianthes)
Julie wrote:
Several years ago I planted a cheap Costco bag of modest-sized tuberose pips
> (each ca 1.5 cm diam., 3 cm tall) in a large plastic pot on my deck and have
> left them alone since then. At the end of last summer I noticed they had
> broken the pot from growth. Today I tipped out the contents and had a go at
> dividing them, and was astonished to find that each original pip (Sunset
> calls them rhizomes, but they don't look much like rhizomes to me) has
> produced literally hundreds of offsets to form a grapefruit-sized mass.
> Pulling them apart, they proved to be brittle and many broke off without any
> rootlets attached. My question is: will those that come off with no obvious
> rootlets regenerate roots, or are they goners? Do they have a base plate
> like narcissi? I carefully teased apart the first few hundred and then gave
> up and replanted hunks of attached pips. Thanks for any advice you can
> give.
Dear Julie and all,
Polianthes tuberosa (Agavaceae family) comes from Mexico with tropical
hot and humid summers and dry winters. The central rootstock flowers
only once (monocarpic) As you pointed out many bulblets are formed on
the side of the mother'bulb' which can be peeled off and replanted in
April. Depending the their size they will need 2-3 years before they
will flower in their turn. Just push the bulblet into the ground 10-15
cm apart, followed by a good watering, cover the bed with a transperant
plastic and just let it heat up. During May the bulblets will sprout
and when they touch the plastic it can be removed. Keep most and choose
a sunny shelter position. The plants can be left in the grounduntil
they have flowered (2-3 years) But once you have smelled the tuberose
you find it worth witing for.
Hope this will be of some help.
--
Lauw de Jager
BULB'ARGENCE, 30300 Fourques, France
Region: Provence/Camargue Climat: Zone 9a (Mediterranean)
Tel: 33 466 016 519 Fax: 33 466 011 245
Web : http://www.bulbargence.com/
mailto: de Jager@bulbargence.com
