Stagonospora infection - collected threads

[art600]

This bulb came to me as an unexpected gift from a friend on the forum.  Don't click on the picture if you don't have a strong stomach.  You are looking at the bulb from the underside - it has completely lost its bottom half (including basal plate) but there are still signs of life.  Is there any hope I could rescue this?

 

And still a friend?

[Alan_b]

And still a friend?

Absolutely.  I very much doubt the problem came with the bulb and if it did, he was not to know.

I don't know what the white things are, Mark.  The photograph viewed on a computer monitor shows more detail than you can see with the naked eye.  I need a microscope.

[Maggi Young]

I do believe there's hope.... scrape all the gunk away with a very sharp blade, clean it up and I reckon those little white lumps will convert to bulblets.
 Courage, Alan!
 

[Roma]

Something is eating my snowdrops!  Galanthus corcyrensis (or reginae-olgae ssp. vernalis if I must).  One clump is very chewed and the nearest two look as if something has eaten the flowers.  The rest of the clumps look fine.  I suspect a vole or possibly a mouse.  I think the roe deer would have eaten more.

[Alan_b]

I think the roe deer would have eaten more.

I'm told snowdrops are not very palatable but sometimes a rabbit will nibble a few before reaching that conclusion.  Or a roe deer perhaps?

[Alan_b]

... I reckon those little white lumps will convert to bulblets.

Yes, the eye of faith can certainly see bulblets forming, but does that mean I should put it in vermiculite in the airing cupboard rather than back in the ground?

[Paddy Tobin]

Have you pheasants, Roma?

Or hens? My hens don't eat the snowdrops but they do pick at the flowers and leave them on the ground.

Paddy

[steve owen]

Steve

Does this mean that your healthy bulbs will not be put into lattice pots until they are dormant?

Arthur
Its a bit complicated. About half of my repotting into lattice pots (preceded by the routine I posted a few days ago) are rescue jobs where ill-health is visible in the plants. The other half are healthy plants where a) the clump is very small (maybe just a single bulb acquired and planted last year) and b) it is either quite rare and therefore costly to replace, or is growing not too far from one of the ill-health clumps.

I reckon it will take three years to complete the exercise. I already have stacks of the lattice pots. Keeps me off the streets.

I also change the immediate soil where I take the bulbs from and disinfect the surrounding area whether the bulb(s) coming out are ill or sound. So there is a cost involved.
Steve

[Maggi Young]

... I reckon those little white lumps will convert to bulblets.

Yes, the eye of faith can certainly see bulblets forming, but does that mean I should put it in vermiculite in the airing cupboard rather than back in the ground?

My vote is for the airing cupboard.... gimme a minute I'll canvass the BD...........

[Maggi Young]

And the BD says...... he'd plant it in the ground since at this time of year the pips will soon be wanting to make roots and he thinks that the ground is where they'll best do that.

 Have to say that Ian the BD is better than me at such things, so.........

[KentGardener]

My vote would be for sharp course sand in a pot in the garden.

[Maggi Young]

My vote would be for sharp course sand in a pot in the garden.

 ... in a pot in the garden....do you mean in a pot plunged in the garden, John?

[Alan_b]

I know this is a bit much, two horror stories in one day, but this pot used to contain a bulb of Trym and a bulb of Percy Picton.  When neither appeared I inspected the contents.  Absolutely no trace of the bulbs but two big fat happy grubs (one is towards the front of the picture and the other is just in front of the pot.  These creatures seem to be the scourge of my attempts to grow snowdrops.  I think they are the larvae of the swift moth because these eat roots and bulbs and they look pretty similar to the pictures I have seen.  This is the first time (to my knowledge) any of my pot-raised snowdrop has been eaten which is bad, because I had been hoping the moths avoided laying eggs in pots.  On the other hand the circumstantial evidence against these insects is now so strong I will be forced to investigate means of combating them.  The moths themselves are said to be active May to July so maybe I should be looking to apply some sort of treatment (insecticide/nematode/) at that time?     

[mark smyth]

lets see what Anthony says but they arent what I call swift moth caterpillars? Are they still alive? Can you get a better macro shot of them?

[mark smyth]

I'm now educated

you are correct with your ID.

Dursban that I mentioned for sooooo long will sort out this caterpillar, vine weevil grubs, Narcissus fly adults emerging, leather jackets ...