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The compost I use is usually a mixture of two parts John Innes No2 (Singleton's is unsurpassed if you can get it),
It has just been brought to my attention that the growing instructions on my website http://www.dryad-home.co.uk/pages/growing%20info.html are out of date. I've now updated it, but here is the relevant part:The compost I use is usually a mixture of two parts John Innes No2 (Singleton's is unsurpassed if you can get it), two parts perlite, one part leaf mould. A slow-release general fertiliser is applied at the recommended rate before the pile is thoroughly mixed. The layer of very coarse sand around the bulbs is important. I’ve also been trickling fungicide over the sand layer before topping up with compost using the belt-and-braces approach.Do NOT use vermiculite – I find it stays too wet, and does not aerate the mix as perlite does. The problem with perlite is that when you tip the used compost onto the garden, it looks like an explosion in a polystyrene factory.
It may be worth a reminder of a previous discussion about Keith Singleton John Innes compost here: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=3532.0I would think for the kind of bulbs you mainly grow Anne that it would be very suitable. But we found that its very high organic content led to rotting of bulbs such as the Rhinopetalum group of Fritillarias i.e. those kinds of bulbs that are especially sensitive to moisture levels and need perfect drainage in a compost that doesn't hold too much water. We gave up using it for most bulbs - with a few exceptions such as the more moisture-loving Fritillaria camschatcensis which did very well in it.Paul
Anne,Thank you very much for these most useful instructions - would you please let me knowwhich fungicide do you apply and sorry - what is the 'belt-and-braces approach'?Gerd
Harald-Alex - your soil improver looks to have very impressive results.
Interesting to note that. I put in extra perlite for some things that need extra drainage. It is worth noting that most of my bulbs are either in clay pots or baskets plunged in sand which will wick away any extra moisture.I used to use grit a long time ago but could not find a source of suitable grit locally, also it was very heavy for me to move about. Many growers use it very successfully.
Haha! 'Belt and braces' - a Yorkshire saying. If you have a belt and also braces (two ways to keep your trousers up) then you have a backup in case one fails.The fungicide I use is Fungus Clear UltraRegards,Anne