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Growing bulbs from seeds

Date:Thu, 25 Apr 1996 06:23:00 GMT
    From:"Mace, Michael" <MACE1@APPLELINK.APPLE.COM>


What I've learned from our discussion so far is that:

1. I can't complain about people collecting bulbs unless I make sure
they know
how to grow them from seed.

2. Those of us who do grow bulbs need to contribute seed to the
exchanges so
people can get it easily.  I slacked off this year, but won't again.


Here are some growing tips.  I know the topic of bulbs is marginal to a
lot of
alpine gardeners, so I apologize in advance for the length of this note.

I have about 300 species of bulbs growing in my small backyard, in
8-inch (20
cm) plastic pots.  I used to think this was an impressive accomplishment
until
I met an Australian gentleman who claims to have 10,000 pots of bulbs. 
I don't
know when he finds time to eat.

The vast majority of the bulbs I grow are summer-dormant species from
Mediterranean-climate (summer-dry) areas, and my comments will apply to
those.
I've only been doing this for five years, so I don't pretend to have it
all
figured out yet.

--Soil and fertilizer:  The bulbs are all grown in a mixture of 50% peat
and
50% sand, with about three tablespoons of complete bulb fertilizer mixed
in per
pot (Lily Miller brand if it's available in your area).  I'm told I use
too
much fertilizer, but the bulbs do not seem to care.  I try to repot the
bulbs
every second year.  Soil gets re-used three or more times (I just add
fresh
fertilizer).  Do not make the mistake of using an organic fertilizer;
they
encourage rot.

--"No leaf mold or compost in the pots at all?"  That's right.  The
western US
species thrive on these conditions.  Some of the South Africans seem a
little
less happy, so I'm experimenting with adding a small amount of
sterilized
potting mix.  But I'm not certain the problem is soil.

--"Why plastic pots?"  Because the clay ones dry out too fast in my
climate.
If I were in a damper climate, I would definitely use clay.

--Watering:  They get watered once a week by a drip irrigation system. 
All the
pots are thoroughly soaked.  Watering starts in October-November
(whenever the
weather starts to cool) and goes until the bulbs are dormant (usually
late May
at the latest).  Desert species (such as the beautiful orange
Calochortus
kennedyi) don't get water until December, and are watered more
sparingly.  The
bulbs get absolutely no water in summer, but are partly shaded so the
pots
won't cook in the sun.

--Sun:  Mine get about half a day of sun.  If I were in a cooler or
cloudier
place, I would give them more sun.

--Seeds:  They are started in 24-ounce colored plastic drinking cups
manufactured by the Solo corporation (you cut holes in the bottoms of
the cups,
of course).  If you're in the US, you can probably buy Solo cups in your
local
supermarket.  The seedlings stay in the cups undisturbed for two
seasons, then
are moved into the 8-inch pots.

--Stratification:  Some bulb seeds need a period of damp cold before
they will
sprout.  These seeds go in two-inch pots that I bought mail order (the
smaller
pots save room in the fridge).  The soil is moistened thoroughly, the
seeds
planted, then the pots go inside plastic bags and into the fridge.  (It
helps
at this point to have an understanding relationship with your spouse or
roommate.)  The seeds will often come right up while still in the
fridge.  I
formerly used the damp paper towel method of germinating seeds, but
stopped
because too many seeds seemed to be dying due to the transition from
paper
towel to pot.

--How many bulbs to a pot:  It depends on bulb size, but the limit seems
to be
about six; any extras go into the rock garden where I can find out which
species fend for themselves best (so far the Ixias are winning).

--Pests & disease:  Around here, slugs and damping off are the main
enemies of
seedlings.  I bait for the @#$*^^%# slugs and spray a fungicide (Captan)
if
damping off starts to show up.

--How long it takes:  Typically the bulbs take 3-4 seasons to grow from
seed to
flower.  A few are faster, some take longer.

--Cold:  Many bulbs from South Africa are fairly sensitive to frost and
bloom
at times when lots of people are still under snow.  Most of the western
US
species are more tolerant of cold and bloom later -- especially the ones
from
colder parts of the country.  In fact, some of them are hard for me to
grow
because they don't get enough chilling here, and the summer gets warm
too
early.  A few species (such as Calochortus macrocarpus, a large bright
pink
flower with pointed petals) get a visit to the refrigerator every fall.

--Use in the rock garden:  Most of the western US bulbs, especially
Calochortus
species, are not very invasive because they don't divide quickly (or at
all).
So you can experiment with them in a rock garden without fear of turning
loose
a monster.  There have been several articles on the subject recently in
the
NARGS and AGS publications.

--Tulips:  One person asked about species Tulips.  I have only grown a
couple
of species from seed, since species Tulip bulbs are readily available by
mail
order.  The tulip species I've raised seem happy with the same treatment
as my
US bulbs, and most do not seem to need refrigeration.  They come back
happily
year after year, unlike the hybrid tulips you get in the store.

--Calochortus ("Mariposa Lily" and friends):  The Summer-dormant
Calochortus
species seem to be the bulbs that intrigue and frustrate the most
people.  They
have a reputation for being difficult, but they're surprisingly easy
here if
you keep the soil mix very lean and make sure they are absolutely dry in
the
summer.  Sometimes I've read suggestions that you should keep the pots
slightly
moist in summer, especially the first year.  This is a great way to kill
your
Calochortus seedlings.  Don't let the pots bake all day in the sun, but
do get
them completely bone dry if you can.  In my opinion, the more water the
bulbs
get in summer, and the more organic matter in their soil, the harder
they will
be to maintain.

--Other bulbs more people should grow:  Moraea, Romulea, Geissorhiza. 
All are
from South Africa, all are beautiful, and all are small enough to be
called
rock garden plants.  They aren't alpines, though.

--Sources:  There are several outstanding sources for seeds of western
US
bulbs:

Northwest Native Seed, 915 Davis Place S., Seattle, WA 98144, USA.

Southwestern Native Seeds, Box 50503, Tucson, AZ  85703, USA.

Jim & Jenny Archibald in the UK (I see someone already posted their
address, so
I won't repeat it).  The nice thing about the Archibalds is that they
not only
have an astounding seed list, but they also write pointed criticisms of
the
Alpine Garden Society and the European Union.

Between the three of them (especially the Archibalds), they offer seeds
of the
vast majority of western US bulbs.

For South African bulbs, the best list (and maybe the biggest wild seed
catalog
anywhere) is from Silverhill Seeds, 18 Silverhill Crescent, Kenilworth,
7700,
South Africa.

--More information:  To find out which species seeds need
stratification, get
Norman Deno's book "Seed Germination Theory and Practice."  He's at 139
Lenor
Drive, State College, PA 16801, USA.

For more Calochortus information, join the American Calochortus
Society.  I
learned many of my growing techniques from them.  PO Box 1128, Berkeley,
CA
94701-1128.  (In case anyone thinks I'm surly, please note that the ACS
often
disapproves of collecting wild seed, let alone bulbs.)

Mike
San Jose, CA (Zone 9)


-- 
Duncan McAlpine, Federal Way, WA
Why buy plants when you can grow them yourself.....?
http://www.eskimo.com/~mcalpin/
http://www.eskimo.com/~mcalpin/pumkin.html
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