Frit. imperialis

[David Nicholson]

But, Don Montague, expounded the theory about planting on their sides on TV only last week.

That's where I heard it!

[mark smyth]

David I suppose it's like moving snowdrops in the green

[David Pilling]

Mark - good point about the bulb moving back.

So that hole is full of soil and the soil acts as a wick takes the water away?

It is interesting to see the ideas or myths that are mentioned on Gardeners World and how they come and go. In the last episode no mention of putting agapanthus in small pots to make them flower, but lots of emphasis on feeding. Compared to the previous time when it was small pots.

[mark smyth]

and Agapanthus with big heads are less hardy than those with small heads 

[PeterT]

I have a large clump !
When I leave them in the ground all through the year I get little or no flowers... no matter how much fertilizer I give them.. 

If I dig them up when the leaves have shriveled and keep 'em dry in a paper bag in the shed, all through the summer and replant them in late August (when the roots start growing again) in well fertilized soil.... they flower like mad !!! 

For me, it's the dry summer that does the trick !!

I agree about a dryish summer, but these bubs can dessicate if stored too dry, they are not rhinopetalums!

[bulborum]

Ok

How the story starts

Once there was a bulb-salesman
who bought a lot of Fritillaria imperialis bulbs
with probably Rhizoctonia (I am not sure of it is this fungus, but we call it hart-rot)
because the bulbs are expensive
he is selling those sick bulbs

a year later the customers complain that none of the bulbs arrived

The bulb-salesman asked the customer how he planted the bulb
customer answers , with the hole (the old flower-stem was there) up

Salesman  O ,but than your bulb rotted , because water stays in the hole
and than the bulb rot
you have to plant the bulb on there side
so water can't stay in the hole

customer happy and buys new ones
salesman sells this time good bulbs (with roots are always healthy)
customer happy
and after twenty years the fairytale exist as true

its easy to control
there is a hole in the bottom from the bulb
just blow on the hole and you know

BTW I know the person who started the story
and it is not a friend


Roland

[David Pilling]

there is a hole in the bottom from the bulb
just blow on the hole and you know

Oh. Thanks for explaining.

I had some once, they rotted, didn't work out the thing with the hole.

[Maggi Young]

There are so many "old wives tales" that get trotted out again and again.... the Beechgrove Garden on BBC Scotland last week was repeating the "plenty stones in the bottom for drainage" nonsense - it never seems to occur to these "experts" to address the question of properly draining  potting medium.   
One of the Beechgrove bods is very keen on wittering about " scientific basis"  but  I can't for the life of me see any science in most of what he says.

[bulborum]

The worst of all
I am a bulb-salesman
when those fairy-tales are on TV or in a magazine
you can say what you want
Many customer don't believe you
Because it was ......................... who said it was true

Roland

[David Pilling]

repeating the "plenty stones in the bottom for drainage" nonsense - it never seems to occur to these "experts" to address the question of properly draining  potting medium.   

I would like to see someone on TV demonstrate that their mix is better drained, often they throw a handful of sand into a wheelbarrow of compost.

[bulborum]

I use 20% Black Lava 10-20 mm in my potting mixture
it works fantastic

Roland

[monocotman]

hi,

In our last house we had a huge frit. imperialis that flowered well for several years. It grew to be over 5 feet tall.
It was never fed and grew in a sunny border. However we did live on the edge of the norfolk 'brecks'.
The soil here has no real structure at all - it was virtually all sand.
If you dug a hole to plant something the edges would keep falling in.
I've also grown them well in a poor thin calcareous soil over sand.
I think that drainage is the key to success along with a sunny position,

Regards,

David

[mark smyth]

So in summary

plant deep, nose up, rich soil and added lime?

Will I add limestone sand above or below the bulbs?

[bulborum]

Never below the bulbs in the garden
you create a swimming-pool if it is raining a lot

Roland

[mark smyth]

Thanks Roland