Repotting Galanthus

[Melvyn Jope]

I always regard the repotting task as a pleasure even though from time to time the emotion is despair on finding a void in the compost where the bulb should be.  There are however moments of mild euphoria when the bulbs have increased really well, the photo shows G. Primrose Warburg where the original three have increased to seventeen. If only they were all like that!

[Martin Baxendale]

Hello Melvyn. Were the original bulbs recently chipped or twin-scaled? I've found that recently chipped bulbs sometimes do this, splitting very freely. Or were they just very big strong bulbs at the last repotting? Whatever; a very satisfying increase, much better than usual for Primrose Warburg. Details of your potting mix and feeding programme would be most welcome!

[Maggi Young]

Yes, Melvyn, it would be good to hear how you treat them.

The little ones are so neatly arranged around the mother bulbs, aren't they?

[Paul T]

Bleedin' 'eck Melvyn, that is amazing!  And as Maggi said, they are so perfectly arranged.  Wow.

[johnw]

Melvyn - Quite fantastic. Can you tell us the potting mix you use? I think my mix is too lean and gritty.

johnw

[Melvyn Jope]

Hello all, I will attempt to answer your queries.

Hello Melvyn. Were the original bulbs recently chipped or twin-scaled? I've found that recently chipped bulbs sometimes do this, splitting very freely. Or were they just very big strong bulbs at the last repotting? Whatever; a very satisfying increase, much better than usual for Primrose Warburg. Details of your potting mix and feeding programme would be most welcome!

Not  chipped or twinscaled during my ownership, I was given one bulb which increased to three good bulbs then on from there.
My potting mix is nothing magical but I have increased sharp sand and leaf mould from beech leaves with encouraging results.Other components are JI 3 and grit and a bit of peat, no exact proportions I just add until it looks and feels right. I wanted to improve the drainage of my mix and it has worked. I think the key thing (for me) in growing Galanthus well is regular feeding and I use a liquid seaweed extract. Another factor is that I always grow my bulbs when first received in plastic pots in cold frames so that I can check them out for any problems, it also makes control of watering and feeding easier.
Some will know that I have concentrated on Galanthus reginae-olgae and by way of encouragement to those that I have given seed the attached photo shows bulbs ready for repotting from seed sown on the 4th June 2006. The seeds were sown in the same open mix in a 5",(1litre) pot. About ten of these will flower this year and as can be seen some have already made offsets. Flowering from the third year doesn't seem so long when you grow a lot, As I am sure you experience Martin the main problem that occurs is space taken when they are potted separately for evaluation.

[johnw]

Melvyn - Thanks so much. I guess it is time to start composting some beech or oak leaves.

johnw

[Gerard Oud]

That sharp sand protects from drying out and it works well. A steady grower is a better grower and you find it back in the results at the end of the season. I do grow twinscaled bulbs to flowering size with almost the same mixture Melvyn.
I know that you can select on producing offspring. There are snowdrops that produce no or little offspring and when you do find a bulb with 2 to 4 bulbils, you must keep that one seperate because these are the best growers.

[Martin Baxendale]

At this time of year, Melvyn, with repotting time upon us, I try not to think about the number of pots waiting to be seen to! I have so many young seedlings still crowded into communal pots, yet to flower. When I start to think about the space demands they're going to make further down the line, my nerve starts to go!

I use pumice grit and baked-clay Molar granules to get good drainage and aeration, but I've never got around to making my own leafmould. I know it seems to be the magic compost ingredient for bulbs in pots and I really should start some as I don't seem to get the very fast bulb development that you're achieving - more like five years to flowering on average. I should probably be feeding more but also probably crowd the seedlings into the pots less. I feel they might develop faster with more space in  larger pots, with some leafmould and with heavier feeding. Which liquid seaweed feed do you use, and at what strength? I tend to use half strength with seedlings but suspect they could take full strength after the first year.

[Melvyn Jope]

Hello Martin, the liquid manure that I use is Maxicrop. As I now have quite a lot of seed to sow I usually use two litre pots so that the seedlings have plenty of space and they stay there until large enough to pot on in individual pots. The seed that I sow is almost exclusively Galanthus reginae-olgae which probably means that my regime needs to be a bit different from yours,. After sewing they are placed in the open in shade until the first frost and then they are placed in a cold frame.After the initial watering I dont bother to water again unless its obvious that they are getting really dry, they do not get fed in the first year. For the first watering in the second year no liquid manure is used but in each subsequent watering full strength liquid manure is used.
Gerard, I agree with your comments too but all the time I have sufficient space I will give all the seedlings a chance just in case there is something good but growing a little slower!

[Martin Baxendale]

Thanks, Melvyn; useful to know that you use full-strength liquid feed successfuly from the second year stage onwards. I'll start doing that too. I'll also give the Maxicrop a go. I've always used Tomorite seaweed-based liquid tomato fertiliser at half strength but I've always felt that, while this might suit many bulbs, for fastest development from seed snowdrops could do with a more balanced feed with more nitrogen and phosphate and less potash than tomato fertiliser offers. High potash is of course good for disease resistance and good flowering, but seedling snowdrops tend to be pretty disease resistant (and any that aren't wouldn't be good plants to grow on for selection anyway so won't be missed if they die) and good flowering isn't an issue in the first three or four years.

I've found that the warm-habitat species reginae-olgae and ikariae put up very strong, large seed leaves compared to some other, more cold-habitat, species. It's quite possible that this helps with rapid seedling development, and I have found that reg-olgae and ikariae do seem to come on quite fast, though I haven't been keeping any kind of proper records.

Re. growing regimes, I can see that drainage is going to be a major issue for you, raising lots of reginae-olgae from seed. For my seedlings, I suspect my compost is sometimes almost too free-draining. The full-strength Maxicrop may help, though.

[Brian Ellis]

Most helpful to have your tips Melvyn and Martin, just catching up after being away and now I will have to launch into repotting!

[Anthony Darby]

Gordon Bennett! Just spotted this. I have just received Galanthus schaoricus and G. alpinus and want to grow them on in pots; I am also about to re-pot my reginae-olgae, so this is a very useful thread.

[Anthony Darby]

I moved my 'Spindlestone Surprise' and from one bulb last year I found this.

[Eric Locke]

Very nice Anthony and certainly a  "Surprise" for you from this lovely variety.

Eric