Repotting Allium narcissiflorum and Oxalis enneaphylla

[Mark Griffiths]

Questions about 2 plants.

1. when is the best time to repot Allium narcissiflorum?

2. when is the best time to repot Oxalis enneaphylla and it's hybrids? do they like to be left as the rhizomes form mats or pulled apart and replanted?

thanks in advance!

[Mark Griffiths]

no one growing these in pots?

[ArdfearnAli]

Hi there,
            I tend to repot my alliums at the nursery as soon as the leaves are starting to die back. They tend to make roots in late summer/autumn ready for the next year.
As far as the oxalis goes we tend to split them up once they have finished flowering. I find they don't seem to mind even when the leaves are still present. I generally split the clump up into smaller clumps of rhizomes and repot them. I have found the secret is not to split them too small unless you are trying to build up stock as they can take an extra year to start flowering again.

Hope it helps

Alasdair

[Mark Griffiths]

thanks Alasdair, I actually repotted the Allium a couple of days ago. I seem to remember that the seedlings didn't die down until the middle of the winter - the main plant I had got grazed off by a slug so I didn't know when it would have naturally died down. It didn't look to good when I potted it not really anything I could point to as a bulb.

 

[ArdfearnAli]

If I remember correctly Allium narcissiflorum especially when young doesn't seem to have much of a bulb at all. It tends to be long and quite thin. I find even when of flowering size the bulb shape remains quite elongated. I reckon you should be ok as long as they are kept on the drier side over winter. They should hopefully come back into growth as soon as the weather warms up.

Alasdair

[Martin Sheader]

Mark, I have repotted oxalis at various times of year but find late January / February has been most successful. I have just repotted all my O. enneaphylla, O. adenophylla & O. laciniata. Large clumps are split up, but I like to leave at least 3-4 "bulbs" for O. enneaphylla or O. adenophylla. I grow most of my plants in 11x11x11cm mesh pots, in a sandy compost, plunged in sand in an Access frame. The sides of the frame are open most of the year, but the tops are usually closed. Plants grown in the open often go down with rust in summer for us - overhead protection seems to reduce this considerably. Hope this is helpful.

[Mark Griffiths]

thanks both!

The allium is now in the greenhouse so hopefully it will start up soon.

Hopefully in the next few days I'll be able to get out and deal with the Oxalis.

[Mattb]

thanks both!

The allium is now in the greenhouse so hopefully it will start up soon.

Hopefully in the next few days I'll be able to get out and deal with the Oxalis.

Hi Mark,

Just wondering how these went for you? I’m looking to repot some 1st year seedlings of A. narcissiflorum now winter is approaching (here in Tas, Aus). These ones are still very much in the green with no sign of dying down...

Cheers,
Matt