Late planted Fritillaria Raddeana

[Knud Poulsen]

November 2008 I got an offer I could not resist. The offer includes 50 bulbs of Fritillaria Raddeana, which I planted the very last week of November.

November is obviously not the best month to plant these bulbs.

Can I do something to ensure that the bulbs - on the long term - is spoiled at least as possible by the late planting? I'm thinking about dead heading the plants shortly after they put up their flowers.

[Maggi Young]

Knud,
I would want to be sure the bulbs do not get too wet  on the next month or so. Having been late planted they will want to make lots of growth ( I hope!!) and while they will need some water, too much may rot the roots, which,( because of the delay in planting) may not be growing at the same rate as any top growth. I would not take theflowers off as soon as you see  them.....for several reasons... first, the bulbs have already been put inder stress by their late planting
 second... cutting the flowers off makes a wound for rot or disease to enter the already weakened bulbs.....
three.... a bulb which flowers and  is pollinated and goes on to make seed will grow on for several weeks longer than one whose flowers are not polinated... therefore you can give these bulbs a longer period of growth (and therefore feeding) if you allow any flowers to grow naturally.
 It would be my idea to mix a little bone-meal into the soil around the bulbs ( if you have not already done so) and to feed the bulbs at each watering, (when the growth is established) with a dilute liquid feed ( half strength mix) or sprinkle some sulphate of potash ( called  PatentKali in Germany or Kaliumsulfat ) around the bulbs which can be taken in to the soil as it dissolves.

[Knud Poulsen]

Maggi,

Thank you very much for your advice, which I really appreciate.

I will try to compare the development of these late planted bulbs with another Fritillaria raddeana stock of mine, planted September 2008.

[Ian Y]

Knud

It is an understandable failing in us all that we cannot resist the bargain bulbs

Frit raddeana is a very early rooting species often it is making new roots before the old foliage dies away so I have a suspicion that your bulbs roots may have initiated and been killed off.

If this is the case then the bulbs will go into what I call survival mode and there are two possibilities.

1) They will put up some leaves and possibly try and flower purely from the energy stored in the bulbs and what can be absorbed directly through the bulb without the roots. Foliar feeding in growth is beneficial in this case.

2) They may not appear above ground at all this year but a new bulb will still form as the old one passes on its store. Unlike true bulbs Fritillaria bulbs die every year as a new one is formed.

It is just possible, depending on how the bulbs were stored that the roots remained dormant and they will grow in which case it is my experience for late planted bulbs to flower very early.

Good luck and keep us infomed of their fate.