Galanthus October 2012

[Brian Ellis]

I couldn't agree more with what Alan says Jennie, I dug a 'Rodmarton' clump up a month or so as a friend wanted one, I discovered a lovely clump with one in the middle looking decidedly gray and mushy.  I hawked it out and renewed the soil - and of course planted some in a pot for her.  I think if she had not asked for it I would have lost most of the clump this autumn - but the important point is that if that had happened and I had left it undisturbed, in another few years any bit of bulb that was left would have renewed itself to build up the clump again.

I think that you are doing all the right things although, as Mark says, you don't want to break any roots at this time of year as they will not re-grow being simple roots with the growth point at the tip - once broken off that's the end of that root for this year.  This is the time of year when they appreciate some water as they are beginning their growth, if it doesn't rain over a ten day period I tend to give them a quick watering to keep them damp.

Although it is devestating to lose the most precious bulbs, I do have a 'glass half full' attitude, in that 90% are doing well.  I do wonder how many of those losses were new bulbs to you this year.  The beginning of the year was dreadful and lots of bulbs were frozen in their pots at some time, whether before sale, in transit or after sale.  My own thoughts are that this did not do them any good whatsoever and could account for some losses.  The bulb would exhaust itself coming to flower and not be able to renew itself for this year if the roots were damaged.  Last year I lost count of the number of bulbs that I sent to people who had severe losses, I was pleased to do so as mine were doing alright.  As you say 'Here we go again" - the spring is a time of great trepidation to see which ones have made it and which need investigation - only relieved by the flowering of the favourites

[daveyp1970]

A lot of people might not agree with me but i do NOT like placing my snowdrops on a bed of sharp sand,the bulbs have done it to in the past have rotted because the sand holds onto to much wet on the base plate and not enough air spaces,a good open mix i find a lot better.
One of my favourite snowdrop gurus Cliff Curtis,the most approachable chap in the world and sooo sharing of his knowlegde keeps telling me to chip David,if you want to keep these modern drops going always chip.This is something i will be rolling out in spades next season end.

[Hagen Engelmann]

Jennie,
we all loose a lot of bulbs every year.
I try do give galanthus the conditions of their natural habitats. I never saw good populations in a forest of conifers. But they like Corylus avellana, Carpinus betulus and Platanus. I believe there is a kind of symbiose between these plants. The conifers are no friends of our snowdrops.

[Maren]

Martin, thank you for your kind thoughts, but I have decided not to grow any more. I have plenty of other fish to fry, so will concentrate on my pleiones and cypripediums. One can get carried away by infectious enthusiasm, especially on this forum. But I am quite prepared to acknowledge my limitations.

Good luck with yours, I shall continue enjoying them by looking at your pictures.

[johnw]

Maren / Jennie / Alan / Brian

I too have no problem losing bulbs and had a huge stack of labels to prove it. (I have not tallied up the $ loss)

You're not alone as I've lost these too - Virescens, & Greenish; Angelique  for the second time - ditto. 

Yamanlar, Heffalump (getting it going again),  John Gray (getting it going again), Mighty Atom (getting it going again), Sir Herbert, Cordelia (getting it going again), S. Arnott (getting it going again) give me great problems too.  This is the first year I've had Barbara's Double survive!

Alan  - I wish I had the room for 3L pots, I'm forced to go with 3 inch deeps.   Upon repotting this past August increases are at 15% last year and losses are the lowest ever, I eliminated peat and bark entirely from my mixes and replaced these with rotted and unrotted shredded oak leaves.  (I'm pointing the finger squarely at peat as the stag culprit.)  That along with a good fungicide drench at leaf emergence seems to have stopped the Stag problem ... or was it that garlic concoction?  While the garlic looked promising on Hippeastrums the red blotch returned with a vengeance, thankfully they are 15km from the Galanthus.

Two years ago I also sowed fall rye seed in all the Galanthus pots just as the leaves were drying down and watering ceased.  What was surprising is there still was a bit of moist soil at the bottom of some pots in August.  I will never try that again as the rye continued sprouting through last winter and like a fool I even managed to sowed rye seed in my Galanthus seed pots so it was chore getting the stuff out without disrupting sprouting seeds.  And the seeds are even under some tunics and reappearing!  This past May I sowed sunflower seed instead and they dried the pots out in short order and then promptly dried up and withered.  That said a few pots had a bit of moisture in the mix at the bottom of the pots in August.

No sign of Cambridge outdoors yet though we've had enough rain (a foot in August) to jump start the r-o's.

johnw - sunny and a chilly 6c, a close brush with frost last night, the basils survived.   

[kentish_lass]

Thanks to everyone for your comments re. losses.  I am not a gambler but it seems you need a gambling mentality to grow snowdrops!  However I do tend to live life on the edge so maybe that is why I continue to grow snowdrops despite how difficult they are to succeed with. 

Alan - you are right about the clumps not revealing whether there are losses.  I dug a clump of N. Viridapicis to give to friends and so many had Narcissus Fly but I doubt I would have noticed as the clump is so big.  Most of the bulbs I lost were on the small side so it never took much wet to rot them.  In future I am planting little ones into the ground in a shady area.

Hagen - I agree with you that conifers are not a good spot for snowdrops and I would never normally put them under a conifer.  It is only meant to be a very 'temporary' place for them in the shade until I make a few more beds in the woodland under deciduous trees.  Our woodland is huge but needs lots and lots of work as it is a mass of brambles and nettles.  I have raised the crowns very high on other conifers and snowdrops have thrived underneath them - but only cheap and cheerful ones that I did not mind risking.

So far in the woodland area I have had no incidents of Narcissus Fly whereas in the main garden it is rife.

Found 2 more losses today - a pot of 4 Irish Green  - my second attemp and a potful of Washfield Warham which luckily I have a second pot of.  Now I just have to wait and see which ones don't come up from older plantings in lattice pots.  I am glad I found the losses early though so I won't be gazing at the pots waiting for the green tips to poke through 

Brian - you are correct - they were all new ones.  However - Gloria is alive and well - yippee

Jennie

[kentish_lass]

A lot of people might not agree with me but i do NOT like placing my snowdrops on a bed of sharp sand,the bulbs have done it to in the past have rotted because the sand holds onto to much wet on the base plate and not enough air spaces,a good open mix i find a lot better.

Oh No!  I have put mine on a bed of sharp sand although I have added grit too.  Now that I think about it the sand does get wet and I will not be using it again.  That will give me something else to worry about now    I was using sharp sand and grit mixed as it was all I could buy from the local garden centre.

Jennie

[mark smyth]

My snowdrops, and other bulbs, in pots do well following Ian Young's formula - a mix of sharp sand, grit, leaf mould and bone meal

[Brian Ellis]

Brian - you are correct - they were all new ones.  However - Gloria is alive and well - yippee

Phew I didn't like to ask

[kentish_lass]

Phew I didn't like to ask

I must admit I held my breath as I knocked out the pot and there was the bulb looking much bigger and starting to root.  It's really funny how there was such mixed results as they all had the same soil mix, the same position in the bed and the same amount of moisture.  As you have all said - everyone gets losses as it is the nature of the beast.  Just wish it was not all the most expensive ones   

I have put the labels away and will replace them as and when I can......and move on.  See I am learning to cope better!!

John W - thanks for sharing your losses and glad to hear things are improving with your new mix.  That Rye seed experiment sounds a nightmare.

Mark - does that Ian Young mix have any soil added to it?  I have been adding leaf mould to plantings in the ground but don't have much thats ready - it takes years to break down into a soil like consistency.  Can you buy it?

[Alan_b]

I have asked the question about buying leaf mould before.  The answer, I'm afraid, is no - you cannot buy it.

Except that is, Brian was kind enough to tell me that it is for sale in limited quantities at Fairhaven Water Garden in Norfolk. I went there last year and brought about 8 sacks home which have contributed to a new raised bulb bed. 

[David Nicholson]

Is it for sale at Fairhaven just at specific times of the year or all year round please?

[Alan_b]

Thanks to everyone for your comments re. losses.  I am not a gambler but it seems you need a gambling mentality to grow snowdrops! 

I think you need the sort of mentality where failure doesn't put you off but spurs you on to try harder.  Perhaps that's the same mentality as that of a compulsive gambler?  If so, stick to snowdrops as you will lose money far less rapidly! 

[Maggi Young]

does that Ian Young mix have any soil added to it?  I have been adding leaf mould to plantings in the ground but don't have much thats ready - it takes years to break down into a soil like consistency.  Can you buy it?

The Young mix has no soil in it.  Shredded leaves can be used for the mix after only a few months.


Potting mix is two parts gravel, two parts sand and one part leaf mould.(Previously we used two parts loam in stead of the sand but we ran out of loam!)
See the recipe here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2007/260607/log.html

[steve owen]

Seen yesterday at the AGS Show at Ponteland (Newcastle) - a potful of Tilebarn Jamie, some in flower and others coming through. Checked my pot when I got home - no sign yet.