Rhodophiala - Summer 2011

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

We've posted a pic or two in the "A Rhodophiala Question" topic, but I thought we should have a place to put together pics for those of us commencing the flowering season for this lovely genus.  Hopefully Heinie and any others who're flowering them in the next while can post them here together.  

I mentioned in the other topic that we'd had rain the other night......  That was the 16th February, buds started emerging on the 17th, the following picture was taken on the 18th, and the first flowers will open tomorrow (the 21st).  Pretty impressive response to rain, isn't it!!?    There's now 6 stems in the pot of Rhodophiala bifida, this is my red form that has only 1 or 2 flowers per stem.

Enjoy.

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

I never got back here to post the pic of the flower that opened on the 21st.....  That is the red one below.

The pink flowered variety, also attached, has up to 8 flowers per stem.

[Heinie]

Those are beautiful flowers Paul. I like the photo where the 3 scapes just emerge above ground. I like to follow a plant's progress when that happens.

[fermi de Sousa]

The Rhodophiala bifida has just started here as well. These are planted raised beds in the Rock garden

and next to the driveway,




cheers
fermi

[santo2010]

Here are mine!
R. Bifida, Also starting after big rains(pics are last year's, but that's because I didn't take this years yet).

[santo2010]

And here I put other(R. Rhodolirion) taken this summer in the wild.

[Paul T]

You posted that somewhere else as well, didn't you?  I remember that wonderful striping, quite unlike any Rhodophiala I'd seen before.  Very nice.

Good work, Fermi.  How many flowers per stem is your red?

[Guus]

I have sowed three species about one month ago in moist sand and kept them in the fridge that way for about 3 weeks. Now I have taken the pots out. Should I keep the plants in the sand if they emerge or shgould I take them out and plant them in another type of soilmix? What mix are you using?

[johnw]

I have sowed three species about one month ago in moist sand and kept them in the fridge that way for about 3 weeks. Now I have taken the pots out. Should I keep the plants in the sand if they emerge or shgould I take them out and plant them in another type of soilmix? What mix are you using?

Guus - See my posting Reply #14 at http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2813.msg181471#msg181471

""25 January - I received my SRGC seed today. A package of Rhodophiala sp. ex BCW5132 was great to get. Does anyone have any information on this plant and who the collectors were?"

Seeds planted the next day (i.e. 26 January) came up yesterday (i.e. 15 February). They were planted halfway down a 7.5 cm. diameter deep pot."

Seeds were planted in a gritty bulb mix and kept at 18c.  None seem to have any dormancy requirements but on the other hand some never sprout.

johnw

[santo2010]

Guus, Soil mix, watering, and temperature, depend on which Rhodophiala are you trying to grow. They need very different care.

Have anyone grown Rhodophiala Montana from seed?
Any tips?
Thanks!

[johnw]

Guus, Soil mix, watering, and temperature, depend on which Rhodophiala are you trying to grow. They need very different care.

Have anyone grown Rhodophiala Montana from seed?
Any tips?
Thanks!

Santo - Can you give us some tips on the different care some species need?  I will check tomorrow as I think I have some R. montana from seed.  Ashley may as well.

johnw - tremendous rain and wind here tonight. +8c. Flash freeze predicted overnight.

[fermi de Sousa]

Good work, Fermi.  How many flowers per stem is your red?

Hi Paul,
just 2 or 3; I've not had a flower yet on the ones I got from you (still potted - perhaps they need to be "liberated" into the ground?) to compare to see if they are the same clone. I had no seed set last year but the previous year got a pod - not sure if I self-pollinated it or used some other amaryllid (?Sprekelia) on it - it'll be some years yet before I know .
Mine are all the same clone but in two locations and I've used pollen from one patch to see if it'll set seed on the other.

Santo.
That red is amazing! If you get any seed to spare please let me know!
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Santo,

Seeing Fermi's comment I had to go back and look for the red.  I'd only seen your striped pic, I somehow missed the red.  That is one heck of a colour.  A real "ox blood" type red.  Wow!!  I too would be interested in some seed (or some offsets from Fermi's seedlings sometime in the future if you can spare him some seed  ).  That is a gorgeous colour.

[johnw]

Guus, Soil mix, watering, and temperature, depend on which Rhodophiala are you trying to grow. They need very different care.

Have anyone grown Rhodophiala Montana from seed?
Any tips?
Thanks!

Twelve good-sized two year old montana seedlings here in a 12.5 cm deep pot. The necks are above the gritty mix. At the time I sowed seeds oif 6-8 spp.  As with the ones I just sowed these were no different:  in a gritty bulb mix, soil moist, in plastic bags under fluorescent lights at 18-21c, up in approx. 21 days and then removed from the bags and placed in the greenhouse a week or so later.   As bulbs here they are slow to break dormancy but are coming now as the sun is warmer and the greenhouse heats up, otherwise 4-5c at night in there. These montanas have out-stripped the other spp.  Hopefully ezeiza will come to the rescue with precise information.

johnw

[santo2010]

I have picked up the R. Montana seeds from their habitat. The bulbs were as you say just under the soil level. The soil were very sandy. Where they are, I think it rains in Autum, in winter it snows, and in spring. The rain seems to be very poor, as there are nearly no vegetation. They have a dry summer. Till now I haven't been lucky to reach the second year. This one, with the last seeds I've got I'm been very careful.
About the R. Bifida seeds I have selfed them this weekend so I should have them in a while. If they didn't set seeds, I have got from last year. (They can have up to seven flowers per stem).