Bulb Log 10/11

[David Shaw]

I was interested, though sorry, to see that even you, Ian, lose bulbs to the freezing temperatures. Our downfall has usually been the bulbocodium type narcissus that fail due to this cause. We sorted that this year by building a new conservatory style front porch in which we installed a frost-stat heater and moved the narcissus into there during the really cold weather - it worked!
For a change we lost many of our autumn flowering crocus in the unheated greenhouse instead. A first. My thoughts about this are that the crocus came into growth and were flowering in October/November and so were being watered. The extremely low temperature in November took me by surprise and the pots were moist/wet when they froze and this killed the bulbs. The spring flowering crocus which were in dryer compost survived and have been flowering well.

[tonyg]

I too have lost some autumn flowering crocus (and some C imperati - spring flowering) and various other bulbs in the greenhouse.  The greenhouse plants tend to be in smaller pots (less corms) and as these dry out more easily they get watered more often.  I do not seem to have lost any crocus that were outside in frames.  I also keep the less hardy things in the greenhouse in the misguided view that they will be safer there!  This will be true in future, when I have soil warming cables ... yes, you can hear the door of an empty stable being bolted   The problems were worst on the greenhouse benches as the severe cold above and below the pots was able to penetrate more deeply than in frames where the pots sit on a layer of sand on the ground surrounded by insulating concrete blocks.  Even seedling crocus have survived outside although Narcissus cantabricus seedlings at the edge of the frame where the rain blows in (wetter) seem to have taken a hit.  Sternbergias in the garden are fine, those in pots don't look so good.  I will be planting out more of my bulbs this summer .... not that I am cutting down on the pots exactly, just have many pots of seedlings to evaluate

[Gerry Webster]

I have posted my own experience with respect to cold-induced losses elsewhere on the forum. This is somewhat different to that of both Tony & David. I suspect that there are so many variables here that any generalisation is impossible.

[mark smyth]

I have lost most of my collection of autumn flowering Crocus I think in time I will have lost all as damage shows itself. Damage is not only done to Crocus but my Galanthus peshmenii collection, reginae-olgae and all, I think, of my autumn flowering Colchicums.

[tonyg]

I have posted my own experience with respect to cold-induced losses elsewhere on the forum. This is somewhat different to that of both Tony & David. I suspect that there are so many variables here that any generalisation is impossible.

Please can you remind me where to look Gerry. 

[Maggi Young]

Try here for some comments, Tony...
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5171.msg189216#msg189216


The early snowfalls that came in November and stayed longer than usual were a real strain for a lot of plants, whether in the garden or suffering the cold under glass. Coming after last year which also was a "stinker" it is little wonder that so many plants are suffering or even dying.

I know there are growers in the south of the UK who say they've had minus 16 or whatever but I question how long they had that low temperature.... it may have been that low but only for a very brief time. Here the weather was consistently low and with bad winds etc adding to the problems.....I would suggest that  even if a temp of minus 16 is recorded it may only have hit that low for a vert short period and that much more damage can be done by a less extreme temperature, but experienced over a longer period.

 I agree that generalisations are not really possible in this matter as in so many others.... only sure things are death and taxes, I guess!

[annew]

And chocolate.

[Palustris]

Just returned from Ian Young's lecture to the Wirral AGS group. One word only FANTASTIC!

[Maggi Young]

And chocolate.

   yeah, that is a sure thing in some places!  
It helps you get over the stress of the sick plants.  

[Maggi Young]

Just returned from Ian Young's lecture to the Wirral AGS group. One word only FANTASTIC!

I do hope you introduced yourself, Eric?

Glad you enjoyed it and are safely home.... is the weather bad there ?

[Gerry Webster]

I have posted my own experience with respect to cold-induced losses elsewhere on the forum. This is somewhat different to that of both Tony & David. I suspect that there are so many variables here that any generalisation is impossible.

Please can you remind me where to look Gerry. 

Here Tony, in response to your blog:

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5171.180

[Graeme Strachan]

Of the many crocus species in flower Crocus kosaninii is a member of the vernus group and I find it is quite easy to grow although I have not tried it outside yet. I am keen to get as many bulbs as I can growing outside as well as under glass and I will make a big effort to achieve this when I am next repotting them. I will plant them into the new sand bed I showed last week. So often we struggle to grow a bulb in a pot giving it all the protection we think it needs only to find that many of them will grow much better in the garden.

Ian,
      As you know, I live just up the road from you and Crocus kosanini grow well for me outside. Except for the more common crocuses which I grow in my grass, I grow the rest outside in plastic pots which I put in sand filled troughs.

                        Graeme

                   

[Maggi Young]

Excellent local report, Graeme...
I'll go tell him.....

[wooden shoe]

Maybe it will be safer to grow species outside as well as in the greenhouse.
I grow almost all bulbs outside in the open because I think they look so much better in the scenery than in pots, but I must admit there are plenty reasons why you would place them in a pot.
For now it looks like I have lost 1 out of 3 Crocus niveus, some Narcissus canaliculatus and Narcissus papyraceus is doing very badly. All other 200+ bulb species do fine including some 30 Crocus species and it has been -12C this year in the garden and the winter before that even -17C.
In the very cold winter of 2009-2010 I had split up my collection of Nerine bowdennii and took half inside and left the other half in the ground. I was surprised that the ones that were left in the ground did better and flowered better than the ones that were replanted in spring, so this year I left them were they were and they again survived without any losses.
Ventilation is of course much better in the open and that would fence of a lot of fungal diseases.
I am lucky to live on good draining sand and I'm sure it wouldn't work for everyone but it might be worth a try.