time for potting pleiones ?

[Lars S]

Well, it´s time for my first question on this forum. Here goes.

I have just received some pleione bulbs and when unpacking I noticed that some of them have started to make what I suppose is the beginning of a flower spike. Being a complete newbie when it comes to pleiones I´m not sure if that (the spike) means that they need to be potted as soon as possible. I would rather wait a month or so since daylight still is scarce up here in Ultima Thule. What do you think ?

Lars

[johanneshoeller]

Lars, which Pleiones have you? Can you send a photo?
I keep my Pleiones very cold (0°C -4°C) a long time, and at the end of February I will pot them. Do not water before there are new roots or leaves!

Hans

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Hello Lars,
I'm in the middle of potting mine right now - but then, I don't live in Ultima Thule.... 
I keep my bulbs in a frostfree shed - perfect in a normal winter - but temperatures out here have been between +10 and +13°C over the last few weeks and the early varieties are clearing showing rapid development of the flower bud. (Eiger, Hekla Locking Stumps, Asama, Forrestii just to name a few)
The bulbs may very well also have been exposed to somewhat higher temperatures where they come from and during transport, but if you now keep them in the dark (which shouldn't be very difficult for you... ) and cool, you can drastically slow down the further development of the buds and wait with potting until mid February or even a little later.  Just keep an eye on them every once in a while to prevent surprises.
Good luck - and don't forget to show us some pix when the time comes. 

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Lars,
The advice given so far is very good - keep then as cool as you can (but not freezing!) and this will slow down the growth. However I would stress what Hans said about checking them frequently - they will eventually come into full bloom even in the dark and cold. I know when people try and hold them back to display at the later shows that it works for a while but then there seems to come a point where they can't wait any longer and they rapidly come into the bloom. It can be a bit odd to open the fridge door and see a pan of Pleione in full bloom in the dark and cold! One other point is that Pleiones really don't like it when temperatures change frequently. There is a small chance that putting them into the cold after such a mild period may upset them and the buds will abort. If they do, the leaves will still grow as normal, only the flower will be lost. If you do keep them in fridge, try to raise the temperature gradually when the time comes to take them out.
Paul

[Lars S]

Hi all !

The pleiones I´ve got so far is P limprichtii, pleionoides "Blakeway Philips", Britannia "Doreen", bulbocoides "Yunnan", Shantung "Ducat" and formosana "Snow Bunting". As you might guess they come from Paul so they obviously have enjoyed much milder conditions than I can offer right now. They are all new so I have no photos yet, sorry.

Thank you all for the advice given. I think I will try to keep the bulbs in the fridge for another month or so. Once we´ve passed february, daylight will increase rapidly. If they show signs of really developing av flower bud I guess I will have to pot them anyway. By then I also might have mastered the technique and can show photos of the flowers ...

Lars