snowdrop cultivation and virus

[loes]

that reminds me, many of the drops i bought last year are much smaller bulbs this year, is it possible that they have been weakened from transplanting in the green resulting in smaller bulbs? i hope it is this, and not me making mistakes in culture again.
and example is mrs thomson, i bought it last year dormant as a big bulb from ivycroft, it bloomed (although not typical) and seemd fine, but when repotting time came the bulb was very much smaller than before...(and this was from a dormant bulb)
all my drops are pot cultured and repotted anualy. they are fed well during the growth season so i cant make out why some are smaller than before?

thanks
rob

aaah,I`m glad I`m not the only one with this problem.
It was my idea to have all my drops in pots in the greenhouse and also in the ground.so I could admire them at eye level and take pictures and compare with the ones outside.new potted bulbs flower perfectly but after a year and repotting about half of them flower,the others only have leaves.
as this is not what I had in mind,I planted a few outside again.hope they will be bigger next year and flower again.now only a few new bulbs are in pots and the more common ones,as I have more bulbs of them.I think they really want to be out in the soil with more stable water and temp conditions.
but still,hope anyone has an answer and I can enjoy them flowering in the greenhouse.

[Paddy Tobin]

Loes,

I really don't think pot culture is suitable for the general run of snowdrops. As you say, the more consistent conditions prevelant when they are planted in the soil seem to suit them far better.

Snowdrops in pots is like birds in cages, I think.

Paddy

[Paul T]

Paddy,

In my garden I find that quite often the snowies do better in pots for me, particularly from the multiplication point of view.  I think it comes down to the fact that the get better watering in pots than in the ground.... no root competition from other things taking their water from them while in growth.  Those in the ground do fine, but I don't think they multiply much at all for me there, whereas they usually do in the pots.

[Brian Ellis]

It was my idea to have all my drops in pots in the greenhouse

Loes, is it that they are in the greenhouse and drying out quickly that makes a difference possibly?

[Paul T]

Loes,

The other problem with the glasshouse may be that the temperatures are rising quicker than outside and so force the Galanthus into dormancy more quickly?  That would mean a shorter growth season, which would results in smaller bulbs at the end of the season.  That's another possibility anyway.

[Paddy Tobin]

Paul,

Our contrasting growing conditions obviously demand different approaches. Certainly, drying out in the garden would not be a concern here while drying out or becoming too hot in pots in the glasshouse most certainly would. I suppose we must develop growing regimes which most suit out situations. For me, and this reflects my habits as a gardener as much as my climatic conditions, growing in the garden is by far the most successful method.

Paddy

[loes]

Paddy,Paul,Brian

thanks for your suggestions.
although I try to keep them moist in the glasshouse I think they perhaps dry out a bit so that would be the problem.although nivalis cv`s do good both in soil as in pots.others are not happy in their pots so I will plant them outside.(must have a bigger garden).The conditions in the garden are not that good,big part is flooded every now and then.not a problem for nivalis but elwesii and others want a dryer place to stay and for peshmenii ,reginae-olgae and fosteri I must find a dry and sunny spot, don`t I.
or perhaps make a fish box trough,like rob.

[Brian Ellis]

i have about 30 packed into it!

Rob this concerns me, should you have imported virused stock from anywhere (I do hope you haven't, especially as I know how expensive some of them are) it will go through the others in the box like wildfire.  Much safer to have them segregated, I seem to recall you are not able to plant them in the ground, but that is generally the best place with a good couple of feet between clumps.

[Brian Ellis]

Rob, you sound as though you are making the best of your situation and hopefully this will counter any problems, particularly as you are renewing the soil in the troughs every year.  I think we are all getting very concerned about viruses as no-one seems to have definitive answers.  I can't think of anything else you could be doing in your situation, we just all need to be as vigilant.

[Otto Fauser]

Rob,
 you state that G. xallenii is a known virused snowdrop in england , what are the telltales of the virus ?My stock of it , which Chris Brickell [Wisley]sent to me in 1982, seem to be ,in my eyes , clean.
    Otto.

[Brian Ellis]

Otto
The monograph says that many stocks show signs of viral infection, rather than they all have it.  Like G.Augustus there are non-virused plants available, and if you got it from Chris Brickell I would think it is more than likely good stock.
 

[Brian Ellis]

I believe Joe Sharman reckons he has a clean Augustus.

[Thomas Huber]

I just found this discussion and would like to know the signs of virus in a snowdrop!
How do I distinguish a healthy bulb from an infected one?
Have been offered some bulbs of an old stock of Augustus, but I'm not sure whether
to take this beauty or better say "no". 

[Brian Ellis]

Hello Thomas, as with lots of virus you see it in the leaves, streaking and striping.  If present it is more apparent if the plant is under stress.  The scientists don't seem to have done much investigation of disease in Galanthus although they have studied virus in Narcissus and found several different ones.  I think the rule of thumb is 'If in doubt, isolate the plant and destroy if necessary.'

[art600]

Thomas

If it is from old stock, I would accept them and keep in a pot for the first year.  It should then be evident if there is a virus. 
A Galanthophile friend of mine was splitting a large clump and asked if I wanted some - YES PLEASE.