South African Bulbs/Geophytes 2018

[Paul Cumbleton]

Shocked and so saddened to hear this news.

[François Lambert]

I would like to know more about hardiness or lack of it for South African bulbs. I will be doing more experiments myself, but meanwhile if anyone on this forum has experiences they can share it would be most useful. Do you grow any under glass with no heat? Have you tried any in the open garden? Any information would be helpful

Paul

Eucomis are pretty hardy no matter how you grow them.

I have right now a pot with Moraea Huttonii in the open and they show no damage signs of the last weeks where temps drop to -5°C at night.

On the other hand, my Nerine Bowdenii are absolutely not frost hardy.

I also have crinum bulbs, the Bulbispermum and any cross with Bulbispermum in it's parentage are also hardy, and the same for Crinum Moorei.

And finally, I also have some Dierama outiside in pots and these also show no signs of damage from the cold.

[fermi de Sousa]

Brunsvigia marginata in flower - not sure if it's the first time as I can't find an earlier record of it.
Grown from Silverhill Seeds,
cheers
fermi

[ArnoldT]

This one was a surprise.

Popped up in a pot of Gladiolus.

Moraea elegans.

Large flower compared to some of the other Moraeas I've grown.

[ArnoldT]

A new one to me.

Lachenalia callista

Long tubular flowers suggest bird pollination.

[Rimmer de Vries]

Lachenalia callista
first photo 19 Feb, second and third photos today 1 March, it likes the heat under the T-5 lights and almost No water !

[Rimmer de Vries]

Lachenalia orchidiodes
From 2013/4 AGS seed #3428

[Rimmer de Vries]

Lachenalia bachmanii a fast grower- pops up in neighboring pots of dry pumice

[Steve Garvie]

Nice plants and images!

Could you possibly post some photos of your setup under artificial lighting?
What temperature range do you keep them at and what is the wattage of the lights?

[Rimmer de Vries]

Nice plants and images!

Could you possibly post some photos of your setup under artificial lighting?
What temperature range do you keep them at and what is the wattage of the lights?

Thank you Steve. I use an iphone for the snaps. Nothing compared to your exceptional photos.

These plants are in the garage under A 6 tube T-5 lamp with the standard 54 watt 6400k tubes they came with. The 6 tube units have 2 switches, to save on heat i typicall only use the outer 4 tubes with the inner 2 lamps switched off. The lights are set to be on sun up to sun down-but very bright light all day. The lamps are about 1 foot above the pots and when it is not cold out (below freezing) the heat from the lights is a bit much for the winter growers so i leave the garage open to the weather, wind (and critters) as much as possible. The upper shelves of this shelving rack are for the plants that can tolerate more warmth and the lower shelves and floor are for those plants that did not like the heat. I need more lower shelves. I find that plunging pots in a styrofoam fish box of sand helps moderate the heat. I hope to build more sand plunge beds. And plant some things directly in the sand like i do in my sand frames outside. 

I would love to keep the temps cool 40-60F but after a few hours with the lights on it can get about 75-80F and 40-50F at Night. Temps are About 45-65 when below freezing outside. I need to get a new fan. The past few weeks have been mild and many trays are brought outside to enjoy the sun and rain and cool spring temps.

[Steve Garvie]

Hi Rimmer, many thanks for the very helpful description of your set-up. I am planning to try artificial lighting for some Pleione and other (semi) hardy orchids.

Have you thought about trying LED lighting? There are consumer LED striplights of 6,500 kelvin that do not require a separate driver and will fit into standard T5 fittings. The main advantages are reduced power consumption (can be 50% less than fluorescent) and much less heat production as a consequence of the greater efficiency of LEDs as a light source. The big disadvantage is the initial capital outlay, though LED lights last longer and consume much less power so are cheaper in the long term. Another problem is getting a good balanced light output. The colour temperature of a light source (the Kelvin temp) does not give a true indication of its suitability for growing plants as it only reflects the sum total of light wavelengths. Green plants have peak light absorptions at about 400nm and again at 680nm -the range between (known as PAR: Photosynthetically active radiation) is what is most relevant for a plant light source but unfortunately the PAR output of specific LEDs and T5s is rarely available. I managed to obtain a PAR light meter and so plan to check out some of the readily available LEDs rated at 6,500K to see which are most suitable.

It is also easy and cheap to rig up some computer fans (connect to an AC to 12v DC transformer) for use in cooling light units and encouraging air movement over plant leaves. Cheap fan units designed for aquarium canopies can be bought on ebay.

[ArnoldT]

Here's a Lachenalia callista close-up with better light and an unknown Lachenalia.

[ArnoldT]

A steady returner.

Not yet fully opened.

Veltheimia bracteata.
 

[ian mcdonald]

Are there any suppliers of bulbs in the UK.

[ArnoldT]

Ian:

Have a look.


http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Sources