Galanthus in August.......

[Maggi Young]

Galanthus in August....... ? Finding that hard to believe? Not really... the 'drops are getting into full flight "Down Under".... in Australia Otto Fauser is enjoying his snowdrop season.... see his posts starting here:

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=7529.msg210723#msg210723

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=7670.msg210723#msg210723

[fermi de Sousa]

Shouldn't they be in the "August" thread then?
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Shouldn't they be in the "August" thread then?
cheers
fermi

 Ooops! will fix that! http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=7670.msg210723#msg210723

[johnw]

A few questions:

Is it essential to regularly open the bag containing chipped Galanthus to allow for air exchange. This has been recommended on several sites yet my understanding is that polythene allows gas but not moisture exchange?

Do folks grow 'Augustus' near their collection of other snowdrops?  As it has potyvirus I am amazed it is so incredibly vigorous.  Secondly the book says Ronald Mackenzie has a virus-free 'Augustus'. Has anyone seen it and exactly how does one produce a virus-free bulb other than selfing and growing it from seed again? In which case the name 'Augustus' should not apply. 

My experiment to dry out pots of Galanthus by sowing annual rye seed in the pots as the leaves were dying down has worked rather well.  The rye was not so vigorous as to dry the medium out too quickly, in fact a few pots were still moist halfway down despite not having been watered since June.  The roots nicey dried the tunics and especially those tight spots between offset and mother.  Survival in  general improved.  The only casualty was lagodechianus of which we had several hundred bulbs; somehow the pots were misplaced and we missed watering them until January - they did not approve. Still we have a dozen survivors and they reproduce like mad; if only they'd flower.

johnw

[Brian Ellis]

I don't know that it is essential John, but I open my bags once a week to allow air in and for me to check on their status.  It means any that are not looking good can be removed before they infect others.

Joe Sharman has virus free Augustus too.

[loes]

apparently I didn`t read the articles about chipping very good as I don`t recall reading to let fresh air in the bag.But I will do so and look at the chips carefully.This is my first attempt with just one chipped bulb,only 12 parts in the bag.but so far so good,no wilt or other bad signs.and after 6 weeks not yet a bulbil to see.

now my question:when do I pot the chips?I mean,should I put them in the soil after 3 months even if there are no bulbils or do I wait till they have bulbils,even when it is already winter?
any advice please?

loes

[Martin Baxendale]

I don't open my bags of chips and find they do fine without refreshing the air in the bag on a regular basis. In fact, I would imagine that opening the bags regularly makes it more likely that airborne fungi spores may get in. I check the bags by simply shaking the vermiculite gently around to expose the chips to sight (flattening the bags on a table helps too) so I can see if there are rot problems - which is usually pretty obvious without opening the bag.

Loes, I pot chips after 3 or 4 months even if there is no sign of bulbil formation. Bulbils can still continue to develop after potting, along with root formation which will help to keep the chip hydrated and firm even if there is no leaf growth. It's not uncommon for chips to fail to make bulbs and leaves the first season, but when you come to check on them after the end of the first growing season you'll often find that small bulbils will have formed. If not, then repot the scales again. As long as they are firm and healthy, there's a good chance that they'll make bulbils eventually.

John, I have Augustus from Ron Mackenzie and although it shows no signs of virus at the start of the season, it does later on. The theory was that some Augustus in some gardens may have been isolated before Augustus was infected with virus. But since the vast majority have virus, I suspect it got infected very early on, before it was widely distributed, and perhaps before it was distributed at all, so ALL stock may be virused. It never sets seed for me, so I think it's probably a virtually sterile triploid, which would explain its vigour despite virus infection. Often if a snowdrop is well grown the virus symptoms are not obvious, but show up when the bulb is stressed.

[mark smyth]

I have a very dry trough and just now I was adding some leaf mould to hold moisture. I lifted the snowdrops and found they have all produced new roots.

The down side is my peshmeniis have died. Could it be they were too dry followed by too wet?

[Martin Baxendale]

Were the peshmenii frozen in the trough during the last winter? They're not particularly hardy.

[Casalima]

Were the peshmenii frozen in the trough during the last winter? They're not particularly hardy.

For a second I read that as "Were the pelmeni frozen ..." 

[Maggi Young]

Were the peshmenii frozen in the trough during the last winter? They're not particularly hardy.

For a second I read that as "Were the pelmeni frozen ..." 

  Equally disasterous... I don't think you  can successfully freeze dumplings, can you?

[mark smyth]

Totally solid in their trough during December

[Gerdk]

Galanthus in August....... ? Finding that hard to believe? Not really... the 'drops are getting into full flight "Down Under".... in Australia Otto Fauser is enjoying his snowdrop season....

- Not alone in Australia - Galanthus reginae-olgae is out here.

Contrary to Sternbergia (which doesn't appear until now) it seems it enjoyed our wet summer.

Gerd

[Maggi Young]

Galanthus in August....... ? Finding that hard to believe? Not really... the 'drops are getting into full flight "Down Under".... in Australia Otto Fauser is enjoying his snowdrop season....

- Not alone in Australia - Galanthus reginae-olgae is out here.

Contrary to Sternbergia (which doesn't appear until now) it seems it enjoyed our wet summer.

Gerd

Well! That is a surprise... but a pleasant one, Gerd 

[loes]

thanks Martin,really helpfull comment.