Help, ID please

[Slug Killer]

Anyone got a name for this pretty one?

[johnw]

Just repotting this Lachenalia received as L. aloides Tricolour.  Thousands of offsets and with live fine white roots despite a bone dry summer existence under cover.  Just checked it out and it doesn't seem to fit, photos of Quadricolour do not match either. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Also wondering if Lachenalia or Cyrtanthus are phosphorous allergic? There is no mention of an aversion in Cape Bulbs or on the web.

Wondering also if there is a source for Tecophilea seeds or corms in the UK?  No one seems to supply or deliver in North America. Years ago I got Leichtlinii (not a great form in retrospect) from P&M but should have gotten the different coloured forms as well. About 5-7 years ago there was a call for T. seeds to replenish populations in Chile - no one to my knowledge ever heard back from the requesters.

johnw

[Paul T]

John,

Neither are allergic to Phosphorus as far as I know.  Both genus I have repotted like my normal daffs etc, i.e into potting mix with my "bulb food" added.  It is a bulb food that can keep Liliums flowering each year in small pots (when i used to sell flowering bulbs), and they're heavy feeders so it is a good fertiliser for bulbs.  I can check for sure the NPK ratio if you'd like, but neither Cyrtanthus nor Lachenalias have ever been bothered by the same treatment, in fact they both flower much better if repotted and fertilised I find.

As to the Tecophilea seed sent to replenish Chilean stocks..... Alberto in Argentina should know about it as he is strongly into the conservation of their endemic south american species.  If he's reading this maybe he can respond to you and let you know what happened?

[johnw]

Paul - Thanks for the information. I would be interested to know your fertilizer formula especially considering your Lily success in small pots.

I should have said I think it was the RHS The Garden who asked owners of Tecophileas to send their names and addresses to someone collecting seed for re-introduction. Having done so no one ever got back to us to request seed, not that ever had more than 6 or so a year.

By the way, do you know to whom we send bulb photos for the IBS website? No response from the usual fellow whose name escapes me.

johnw

[Paul T]

John,

Sorry, can't help with the IBS.  I have nothing to do with them now-a-days.  I'd rather spend my time with the PBS mob!    The PBS Wiki has lots of wonderful pics on there, if you haven't seen them already.  I can post a link if interested.

I'll look up the Bulb Food details for you.  It is a commercial product, not something I mix myself.

[Paul T]

OK, the older version (they've recently changed it slightly) which I can attest to for the Liliums when I used to sell at the markets, had totals as follows...

Nitrogen (N)      3.0%
Phosphorus (P)  4.9%
Potassium (K)    3.1%
Sulphur (S)       7.9%
Calcium (Ca)     10.0%

The current version available has the following totals...


Nitrogen (N)      3.1%
Phosphorus (P)  4.7%
Potassium (K)    2.9%
Sulphur (S)       9.2%
Calcium (Ca)     9.5%
Iron (Fe)          0.05%

I can give you more of the breakdown into types of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Calcium for each of them if you are wanting them.

Fairly minor changes, but I thought I would rather give you the details of both as you were interested in the Liliums when I was growing them successfully in small pots.  Repotting them each year, I could get a single large Lilium bulb to flower every year in a 6 inch pot using the above fertiliser plus some soil wetting agent (I always use it to help keep the pots moist throughout, because here there is always a danger of things drying out and repelling water if we miss watering pots.  Not a problem a lot of the rest of the people here on the forum have I realise.    The new formula has been around for a bit under a year but I have as yet seen no problems with it.  You needing any more info?

To the moderators.... if you feel this is worthwhile moving or copying to a fertiliser thread if there is one..... feel free.  I've responded here where it is asked, but have no idea of whether it is of interest to anyone else reading as well?

[johnw]

Thanks for all the information Paul.

Yes I have the PBS site and it is excellent.

johnw

[johnw]

Another 1994 Allium sp. from ACE#2430 as yet unidentified; collected Yulong Shan above Xi Song,China 3500m to 30cm tall.  The leaves  look rather variegated with darker green edges (deficiency perhaps?). The shoot is very stout and produces 5 or more flowering stems which are flattened & winged. The flowers are greenish white. The flower stems arch and flop but 3 or more weeks of wet overcast weather can't have helped.

Any suggestions on a species?

Galtonia viridiflora and G. princeps have flopping stems here. Is this common in coolish northern areas? Phillip & Rix shows perfectly erect stems on these Galtonias.

thanks

johnw

[SueG]

Galtonia viridiflora and G. princeps have flopping stems here. Is this common in coolish northern areas? Phillip & Rix shows perfectly erect stems on these Galtonias.

John
I've grown galtonia in my northern english garden and the stems didn't flop for me
Sue

[Paul T]

John,

I've not flowered Galtonia viridiflora myself, but I do note that the growing plants I have do tend to flop over much more than the other couple of species I grow?  Not sure about flowering stems though, as I have not had any.

[johnw]

Galtonia viridiflora and G. princeps have flopping stems here. Is this common in coolish northern areas? Phillip & Rix shows perfectly erect stems on these Galtonias.

John
I've grown galtonia in my northern english garden and the stems didn't flop for me
Sue

Sue / Paul - Are they in full sun?  Perhpas that's what they want.

johnw

[SueG]

Sue / Paul - Are they in full sun?  Perhpas that's what they want.

johnw

Yes mine are in the most sunny part of the garden so it may be that.
Sue

[Paul T]

Mine are in full sun too.  Doesn't seem to bother any of the other Galtonias, but maybe viridiflora prefers some shade?

[rob krejzl]

maybe viridiflora prefers some shade?

Doesn't seem to for me. I don't grow regalis, but the others do well in full sun. I wonder if they're just being grown a little soft?

[gote]

Hello Slug Killer,
I wonder what happened to your query.
Your plant is definitely not Galtonia viridiflora
Neither is it Phosphorus manure.

It looks as perhaps 'Attraction' but it is very difficult to say.
The small differences in colour between the red nymphaeas tend to come out badly in photos.
The colours do also change from location, (sunnier=darker), time of year and age of individual flower.
What size are the flowers? Attraction is a largish one that can cover a couple of metres in diametre..

Göte