Stagonospora infection - collected threads

[Martin Baxendale]

Jennie, to be on the safe side  (and for your peace of mind) I'd get all the snowdrops in that bed up, make sure they're clean and get them into pots in good, well-drained compost (half and half sand and compost would be good for those with no or virtually no roots, and keep them watered carefully - under cover so they don't get drowned by heavy rain, watering just enough to keep the compost moist but not wet. And longer term look for a different site for them.

[kentish_lass]

Thanks Martin.  I have just done exactly what you instructed and put them in my greenhouse (no heat).  I gave them the tiniest trickle of water.  How long do I need to leave them in the pot and when do I stop the watering?

I will dig up all of the snowdrops in that bed - it makes perfect sense.  What a shame.  It will take me a while to prepare enough room to sink lots of lattice pots elsewhere so all the snowdrops will have to put up with pots in the net polytunnel for a while.  The ground is so boggy and it is still raining so all a long way off yet 

I never dreamed snowdrops would be this difficult but I have them now so have to take care of them the best I can.  I am so grateful for the learned advice of everyone on this forum - I would be in such a state now without your help.

Jennie

[Alan_b]

Swift moth larvae attack the bulbs from the outside and eat their way in.  Narcissus fly larvae get into the centre of the bulb and then eat their way out.  I would say your hollowed-out Boyd's Double bulbs look more like the work of narcissus fly larvae.

This is what a swift moth larva looks like.  Typically the ones I find are about 2 cm long.       

[kentish_lass]

Alan - what a grim little thing.  I know for sure I have seen these in the soil and usually cover them up quickly.  I am starting to think I have both narcissi fly and swift moth grubs (so greedy I know )  Today I dug where they were (yesterday) to take a photograph of one.....and they were not there.  Probably crept off to eat my other treasures.  I will look again on Monday.

Here is the dogswood border where I put all my 'best' snowdrops and this is where the infestation is    This is about half of it - it goes on quite a bit further.  I know it is not acres of snowdrops but they are my stock plants and the best that I have.

Hope to see some of you tomorrow
Jennie

[mark smyth]

Nice line of Cornus.

[kentish_lass]

Thanks Mark.  Further up they are black, yellow again then Midwinter Fire on the end.  I have wanted to put snowdrops in front of them for so long.  Think it will have to be nivalis in future.
Jennie

[steve owen]

A grey murky day here, but at least it keeps the drops fresh.  Lifted and divided a good healthy clump of maybe 40 Lavinia and  once again, to one side were four diseased bulbs. So the lift-and-lattice routine is proving its worth. Jenny - in a previous post you asked how long a lifted bulb should be left in disinfectant. I routinely soak every lifted bulb, both the healthy ones and those that are unwell but I badly want to try to resurrect, in a mixture of disinfectant and fungicide for at least overnight. If I try to keep an unwell bulb I strip it of all scales until I get to clear white unmarked tissue - sometimes that means peeling it back to a central stalk. Occasionally I will remove a surface blemish with a sharpo knife and then leave the bulb in the open for that wound to dry off, just keeping the roots folded in moistened absorbent kitchen roll, before re-interring it. I never  replant a cluster of bulbs but always separate them.

155 lattice pots filled, 60 to go. Time for a hot bath.....

[kentish_lass]

Thanks for your help Steve.  I will soak them overnight.  I have now decided to put all precious bulbs that I have very few of into lattice pots until they bulk up enough to scatter around the garden.  I can suffer the odd loss if I have more than one.  I just need to keep my original stock plants as safe as I can.  Thanks for the tip on letting fresh wounds dry before potting - it makes sense.
Jennie 

[steve owen]

I have begun to suspect that depth of planting may be a factor in a snowdrop bulb's susceptibility to disease and bugs. I think I may have been planting my bulbs at too shallow a depth. Could we have some comment on the depth of planting issue, and what depth people aim for? It might be helpful to hear from anyone who has changed their habitual planting depth over the years and whether that has improved healthy growing.

[kentish_lass]

Yes I would be interested to hear about depth of planting.  I know that Ronald Mackenzie says 6" deep.  I suppose if you are planting in 11cm lattice pots you are governed by the pot....which brings me onto another question.

1. When sinking the lattice pots into the ground, is it essential that the lip of the pot is above the soil surface?  I would prefer the pots to be hidden from sight - could I mulch over the edges with bark?

2. I keep reading that bulbs in the sun are more susceptible to Narcissus Fly so I am willing to spray the ones in the sun.  Can anyone either post or PM me on a suitable product for spraying and when? 

3. When do the Narcissus Fly begin to lay their eggs? 

thanks Jennie

[Hans J]

I know that Ronald Mackenzie says 6" deep

What means 6" ?
6 cm or 6 inch ?

Thank you
Hans

[Mavers]

Hi Hans 6" is 15cms

[Brian Ellis]

Isn't the received wisdom two and a half times the bulbs height is the ideal planting depth, then if there is a descrepancy they sort it out themselves?  I followed the deep planting route and wasn't that satisfied with the results, one or two have been re-planted last year and are doing much better now.

Jennie it is much better with the rim out of sight, bury it just below the surface for a pristine effect, I then have a label front and back to show me where it is.

[Hans J]

Hi Hans 6" is 15cms

Hi Mavers ,

Thank you !
I have also look and found that 6 inch is 15 cm ...but this seems for me pretty deep
in other hand 6 cm is not deep enough

Hans

[Mavers]

Yes Hans it does seem a little deep.

I usually plant large bulbed snowdrops 10- 13cms deep, that is the base of the bulb being 10-13cms down in well prepared soil & the small bulbed tiny types about 5-7cms.

Mike