Ornithogalum dubium

[John85]

I have been given some bulbs of O.dubium.
When'd I plant them?As there are frost tender,is it better to wait till next spring to pot them up? If so how do I store the bulbs so that they don't dry out too much or start growing too early?







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[jshields]

I used to grow O. dubium for some years.  First we need to know where in the world you live.  For me, it was a winter grower, and I kept the bulbs in the pot year-round.  I'd say plant immediately, in dry potting mix, and keep dry till autumn comes, whenever that might be for you.  Then start watering.

Jim Shields

[Maggi Young]

John,  I remember Paul Tyerman sayingthat he had a problem getting O. dubium bulbs to break dormancy, so I would be wary of letting them get too dry and so I'd pot them now and try to keep the soil  just very slightly moist to avoid them going into permanent hibernation.
And Paul Cumbleton mentioned in 2010 that his O. dubium were still in growth  in late June - maybe it is a good idea to keep them  green for as long as possible, once you get them growing?

[Maggi Young]

Follow this link : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4424.msg121877#msg121877 to see what Andrew Broome said abut his plant- it seems it is not always a simple matter to grow this!

[Ezeiza]

Several of these winter growing Ornithogalums are not easy to grow except in a warmish dryish climate. They need full sun, very gritty soil and warmth the year round. This of course, meaning a mild, frost free winter and a hot summer. The reason why S. African bulbs do not "wake up" is too cool conditions while dormant.  Here where summers are long and really hot we never experienced a single case of any of them "not awakening" as is sometimes described. The flowers are beautiful and worth growing but additional heat will have to be provided during winter and probably they will have to stay in a greenhouse in summer for a good baking.

[John85]

Thank you all for the informations.
For a good baking in summer no need for a greenhouse here.Summers are usually hot and dry.But in winter we can have a few nights with -6°c.The greenhouse is just not frost free(-2 or -3°c)
If I start watering them in spring(March)once there is no more danger of frost in the greenhouse,will the growing period be too short?

[pontus]

I have also had problems with growing ornithogalum dubium from dormant bulbs, but they are usually widely available as superb potted specimens in garden centres here in pots, as they are well lked here in Sswitzerland.

I had a potted specimen in 2003 bought in early april and had just opened its first flowers. it kept on flowering untill late july!, probably breaking the record of flowering length of any of my bulbs...it also produced a 2nd stem, and went dormant in august. However, even kept frost free in teh pot, it did not regrow very well the next spring, and there was not much left of the bulb, so I think it may have become exhausted from the flowering.....

I would say also that overwatering can probably make the bulbs rot.

The potted specimens in garden centres here are grown in 10 cm plastic pots with 1 or 2 bulbs per pot in a well drained, sandy mix with some rich, fine compost added.

Pontus

[François Lambert]

I had another winter growing Ornithogalum years ago (lost this one because I had too much trouble to give it the right growing conditions).  It really needed the climatic conditions from where it originates to be replicated : a dry & hot summer dormancy, followed by cooler wet winter growing season - which meant for me growing it indoors on the window sill.  I think even the day length has an impact because those bulbs originate from quite hostile climates and in some way need to be sure it's winter.  Those Bulbs sold in garden centers have often been tricked to flower at the wrong time of the year by playing with the number of hours daylight they get in the greenhouses.  They are lovely to see when you buy them, but once they are in your home they get completely stressed because neither temperature nor daylength matches what they should get.  My only wintergrower left is a shamrock, it's too tough to die, offsets incredibly, but has never flowered.  The foliage has just died now & I have stored the pot in the hottest spot of my home now.  Usually, the growth restarts in the fall, curious to see if my hot summer rest is what they were missing to flower.