Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Bulbs => Ian Young's Bulb Log - Feedback Forum => Topic started by: cliffhirst on April 29, 2008, 07:32:38 PM

Title: frits that are brown when emerging from the compost
Post by: cliffhirst on April 29, 2008, 07:32:38 PM

:'(I have a number of frits in my cold greenhouse and for the first time some have been fantastic,but some have emerged and are brown and pull away from the bulb. I have examined the bulbs and they are white and plump. What am I doing wrong. Any advice would be most welcome

Regards cliff hirst

Title: Re: frits that are brown when emerging from the compost
Post by: Lesley Cox on April 29, 2008, 08:00:26 PM

Hi Cliff, and welcome to the Forum. I haven't come across your name before.
Before rushing in to do anything, realize that my comment is just one, from the other side of the world and you should gather up as much information as you can, especially from Forumists like the Bulb Despot, Ian Young and many others. But here's my reaction.

I haven't struck this with my own frits and in any case I don't grow any under glass but in your place I think I would drench the whole pots in a good commercial fungicide, a comprehensive one preferably. Then I'd drain them thoroughly and if the bulb roots are still actively growing, I'd keep those just barely damp, only enough for them not to shrivel up. It may pay to put the pots on their sides until they die down totally, in order to keep any moisture out of the holes where the stems came from. If the bulbs are still white and plump I guess there's still hope for next year especially if the bulb bases are intact but I'd be keeping them very much on the dry side as the stems seem to have rotted.

It's probably important to diagnose the problem accurately in the first place and I can't help with that. It's likely not something that's highly contagious like botrytis, or probably all your frits would be affected. It may be just a matter of poor drainage in those pots?

Title: Re: frits that are brown when emerging from the compost
Post by: Gerry Webster on April 29, 2008, 08:45:58 PM

Cliff - Commiserations. It's difficult to make any possibly helpful suggestions without further details of your problem. Which frits were affected? At what stage of growth/development? What is the composition of your compost? What is your watering regime? Are you growing in plastic or clay pots? Were the pots plunged?