Forming odd bulbs

[johnjearrard]

Chad gave me a bulb of 'Spindlestone Surprise' this afternoon, and in the process unearthed these curious bulbs forming. Two bulbs in a line on the same axis (and there was possibly a third lower down). Anybody seen it before?

[mark smyth]

Yes I've seen it. The plants want to be deeper and repositioning the bulbs

[Ezeiza]

This is common in Rhodophialas. Of course the bulb waste a lot of energy in producing a "deeper swelling". It is indicating as Mark says that the plant desperately seeks depth.

Does anyone know how deep are Galanthus bulbs found in the wild?

[johnw]

John - I was asked to dig a fair number of bulbs from a nearby stand of G. nivalis. Of maybe 500-800 bulbs that I dug I saw only a few offsets, most were these same sorts of swellings.  Curiously like yours none of the bulbs - normal or otherwise - had tunics, they were all healthy and snow white.

johnw

[Alan_b]

Yes I've seen it. The plants want to be deeper and repositioning the bulbs

I've seen this too but thought it was the reverse, the bulbs are too deep and are repositioning themselves by forming a new bulb a little way up the stem.  I think to go deeper they have to haul themselves down by the roots.

A bulb needs roots to take up water and nutrients so I think it is fair to assume that it is the bulb with the roots that is the original and is fuelling the repositioning process.  This certainly isn't the topmost bulb but we cannot see if there is a third bulb below the two on the right.  When I saw this, the bottom bulb had roots and the upper bulb was just forming.  

[KentGardener]

I always thought the same as Alan when I have seen this happening (ie they are trying to place the bulb nearer the surface).  I've also noticed it happening with Bluebell bulbs.

[johnw]

Just to confuse matters many of these swellings here were running horizontally in the soil.   Were the bulbs searching for a drier or moister spot?  Perhaps even a richer spot but why not just offset the normal way and elbow your way into a new site rather than making a beeline?

Thinking back the garden was on a good slope, maybe it was easier and quicker to send a runner uphill to get deeper than to go straight down.

johnw

[KentGardener]

Just to confuse matters many of these swellings here were running horizontally in the soil.   Were the bulbs searching for a drier or moister spot?  Perhaps even a richer spot but why not just offset the normal way and elbow your way into a new site rather than making a beeline?

Thinking back the garden was on a good slope, maybe it was easier and quicker to send a runner uphill to get deeper than to go straight down.

johnw

Wow.    Thanks John.  That has got my brain going overtime as to the purpose for these 'new bulbs' developments.

[mark smyth]

I see the enlongated bulb on bluebells that are pot grown

[Chad]

Does anyone know the anatomy of these?  If I cut them up would I get more plants?  This was a small but congested group of  'Spindlestone Surprise', and I have replanted each 'chain' as if it was one plant at the original depth; but in better soil and now well spaced from its neighbours.

Chad.

[johnw]

Does anyone know the anatomy of these?  If I cut them up would I get more plants?  This was a small but congested group of  'Spindlestone Surprise', and I have replanted each 'chain' as if it was one plant at the original depth; but in better soil and now well spaced from its neighbours.
Chad.

Might be interesting to attempt a twin-scaling on the swollen bits. They certainly would be cleaner on the interior than a shooted bulb.  I don't have the Bible nearby but seems there is a brief mention of these in it, at work and can't check, only the gideon here. 

johnw