Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Seedy Subjects! => Grow From Seed => Topic started by: maggiepie on February 28, 2009, 07:30:04 PM
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I received some Albuca Spiralis seeds in my lucky dip surplus seeds, they have germinated in a baggie with damp vermiculite, not sure what I am supposed to do with them now. ??? ??? ???
Any advice would be appreciated.
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Pot them in VERY gritty soil. They are desert plants and the habit of corkscrew leaves is obtained when they are grown on th edry side. Full sun. Frost free. Grow for as long as possible. Baked dry in summer.
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Ezeiza, can they all be in the same pot until they get bigger?
I must say I was really pleased when I received the seeds in the lucky dip and had googled them.
They look to be very interesting plants.
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Actually, seedlings left together in the same pot to compete with each other, far outgrow those that are given ample space.
They are fantastic plants. Another similar one is Albuca circinata.
We grow most or all our South African bulbs and corms in a 10 cm. (12 cm. at times) pot for the first season. For the second season on they are given more space mainly because of the depth many of them try to reach.
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Thanks for the advice, I hope they aren't doomed.
I do wonder though, when they would flower ( providing they survive) in a cold zone, do you think they could flower indoors?
Where do you live?
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I live some distance away, near Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I don't think your plants are doomed. Something important for these plants indoors is air circulation. A small fan moving the air around will greatly help.
Yes will flower from the third season on. The flowers are miniature, a dull greenish yellow, nothing to faint at, but all Albucas are fascinating in their complexity.
Best
Alberto
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Thank you Alberto, you have really cheered me up.
My house has plenty of air movement in winter, the air exchanger helps.
Winter is so much easier to bear when you have interesting plants to look at and tend to. :) :)
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One other note Maggie,
Although they are dryland plants, make sure not to make them TOO dry as seedlings. They need some critical mass before they start getting the 'lean' treatment...
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Thanks Carlo, I hope I can muddle through and keep them alive, I haven't potted them up yet.
I should do that today.
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My little seedlings are doing well and even showing signs of starting to curl, am wondering when they might start to go dormant.
At the moment they aren't showing signs of it but the weather has been cold lately after some hot days.
Hoping someone might have a clue ;D
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Albucas generally, being summer flowering, will go dormant after flowering and (?) seed set, probably autumn to late autumn. I'd keep them going as long as possible though, to get as much size as you can, before sleepy time.
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Hi Helen:
Curling is realted to water stress conditions. If they are well watered the leaves may even grow stiff.
Typically, seedlings behave diferently than adult plants. They may grow without signs of going dormant long after mature plants of the same species are. The longer they grow the fatter the resulting bulbs, as Lesley says. Under normal conditions, they bulbs will be dormant for the summer and resprout very early in the autumn (here in February, which is later summer). In many Albucas, the fleshy roots are perennial.
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Lesley and Alberto, I was under the impression that they flowered in winter here, I think I must be doing everything backwards.
How do you prolong growth for as long as possible?? ???
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In my mild climate, if they are winter growers like you Albuca spiralis, when spring arrives I move the pot gradually to a hakf day shade or even the whole day out of direct sunshine. Of course in this latitude the reflected (indirect) sunshine is strong.
Albuca spiralis flowers in spring and is dormant in summer.
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My seedlings have not gone dormant as yet.
I just tipped out some of the soil to see if they had made bulbs.
It looks like there's no room left in the pot.
Not sure what to do with them now.
The pot is a 3X3.5 inch pot.
Any advice would be appreciated.
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Wow Helen that's amazing to see how big the bulbs are already. Hope to see the next stages. You must be so pleased.
Angie :)
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My seedlings have not gone dormant as yet.
I just tipped out some of the soil to see if they had made bulbs.
It looks like there's no room left in the pot.
Not sure what to do with them now.
The pot is a 3X3.5 inch pot.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Well, If I had them like that, Helen, I'd top dress the pot again and leave them be wherever you've had them up till now and keep them going, with a very gentle watering regime, until they do consent to go to sleep. Baby bulbs often keep growing d for a longer time than we expect... I'm inclined to think they are programmed to make as much growth as possible in their first "season" to gain maximum strength for their first dormancy and if conditions permit them to extend that season they grap the opportunity.
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Maybe I'd suggest tipping the whole lot out as a single unit and replanting in a bigger pot, say 5 x 5" and otherwise, go with what Maggi said.
It's probably related to when they were sown and when germinated. Look what Ezeiza says above. If you can keep them growing for a while yet, say spring, you'll probably get flowers later in the year.
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Personally I would do as Lesley suggested and try not to disturb them but give them a little bit more room all around by potting them up a size or two.
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Helen is still in the midst of a Canadian winter.... if she topdresses the bulbs now, there will be no disruption to their continuing growth but, given the time of year , even the gentlest of transfers to a larger pot might be too much stress for them and cause a setback. I would be waiting until Spring has sprung before attempting a repot of these babies.
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Angie, I was really surprised when I dumped some soil out of the pot and saw the bulbs.
Lesly and Maggi, I moved them to a bigger pot, the clump held together when I upended the pot, ( very carefully) and I just sat them in the new pot.
They haven't shown any new growth for ages so they might have already been on their way to going dormant.
Am crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
Now I have some Albuca Shawii seeds to sow ;D
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How did your Albuca spiralis do Helen?