Boobed Again!

[David Nicholson]

Too wet to do anything outside (AGAIN!) today so I commandeered some of the kitchen work top (protestations were made!!) to tip out some of my bulbs prior to re-potting and hit a problem with the first pot of Iris Katharine Hodgkin.

 When I tipped the pot out I found the the bulb cases were quite soft (but not rotten in any way) with maybe a couple of mini bulbs in each case. I have to say that the bulbs were Garden Centre bought and therefore may not have been in the best condition when I bought them, but they flowered well. They flowered under glass and were fed well, from the flower buds showing, with a half strength tomato fertiliser every other watering. After flowering I put them outside and gave them a feed of Sulphate of Potash. Eventually I neede space and moved all the dormant bulbs to the rear of the greenhouse where I forgot about them! I re-discovered them about half way through the really hot April. Too late to water them so I put them under the greenhouse staging until today.

The question is what did I do wrong, apart from forgetting about them?

[mark smyth]

I have had the same problem in the past especially with winogradowii. These were grown in pots which may be why they rotted

[Paddy Tobin]

I noticed rather a glaring mistake in Ian's Bulblog of today. He lists the various ingredients which go into his mix but omits the vital one which is illustrated in the first photograph - a cup of tea. How could you possibly mix compost without a cup of tea, or coffee.

Paddy

[David Shaw]

I am also in the process of tipping out bulbs grown in pots. The pots being given protection in the green house or under a frame are coming out as expected but I am shocked by the condition of the compost in pots exposed to the elements. It is just sooo WET!
I am storing these bulbs in latice pots to dry them off.

[Ian Y]

David your iris bulbs have reacted in a typical way to lack of moisture and so food at the right times. It could be that they may not have formed a good enough root system last autumn due to late planting or being kept too dry.
You do say that you neglected them in spring and that is the critical time when the plant is building the bulb for next year. It is essential the bulbs have sufficient moisture for a period after the flowers fade so they can collect a store of starch and they can only do this is if there is moisture present.
Look after the bulbs well and next year you should get them back up to flowering size - better still release them into the garden and they will look after themselves.
David I am finding some pots in the bulb house, that have not been watered since April, are also holding on to moisture to the danger of the bulbs.

[David Shaw]

Ian, could youre still moist pots be due to you now using square, platic pots.
I am finding that composts in plastic pots are much wetter than those in clays.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for that Ian, I will do better next year!!

[Ian Y]

David, yes it is partly to do with changing over to plastic pots and me having to learn to get the watering precise. But I also found occasional clay pots held on to moisture longer and I think it has something to do with the bulbs. It is often Sternbergias that are too wet and they tend to have bigger bulbs so I do not know the exact reason but that is why I usually tip out the sternbergias early to let the dry off and prevent rot.

An early announcement that next weeks bulb log will be late appearing - it may not reach your screens until a week on Sunday - so do not panic it wil appear.

[shelagh]

Hi Ian,

We grow several pots of Sternbergia foliage!  We know they do flower because generous friends have given them to us whilst still in flower, however we have never managed to get them to reproduce this condition.  Unfortunately they are not much use for foliage classes.

Shelagh

[Ian Y]

Shelagh
Sternbergias can be a problem when you are looking for flowers.
They need plenty feeding of the potash kind and a good warm period in summer to ripen the buds.
I often lay the pots on their sides to get the sun better in our cool northern garden and this does help.
I also think that searching out a clone that suits your local conditions is worthwhile - grow from seed.