Lattice Pots

[Alan_b]

I did a little research and found that the mesh my Blagdon pots are made from is too large to stop the caterpillars of the Common Swift.  

Paul makes a good point that is very relevant to my concerns.  I'm pretty sure that the holes on the lattice pots I have seen are large enough to prevent the grubs I have found (that I believe are swift moth larvae) from getting out after they have gorged themselves on my precious bulbs but they may well not prevent them getting in when they are less mature.  However I would at least then have the consolation of catching the culprit 'red-handed' and know more certainly what had done the damage.

Then there is the issue of what the holes are for.  I had assumed that because the pots are buried in soil or sand they won't be as free-draining as a normal pot surrounded by air and with gravity assisting the drainage.  Conversely in dry conditions they are  much better able to take in moisture from the surrounding soil/sand.  So I saw it as like having snowdrops growing in a normal bed but with physical protection against predators that move laterally through the soil and convenience when it came to lifting and dividing snowdrops.  I had assumed I would be able to put enough soil/compost in the pot to keep the bulbs happy and it didn't matter if the roots couldn't get out though the holes.       

[mark smyth]

Having bulbs in lattice pots will not stop pests getting to the bulbs. Narcissus fly grubs follow the leaves and go down to the bulb. Swift moth caterpillars are active at night and can walk to the pots. You must remember to give your bulbs a good depth the top edge of the pot will be a couple of inches under the soil level.

[Alan_b]

I was thinking that the combination of the lattice pot and a layer of grit on top of the pot (albeit then buried under a layer of soil) might do the trick.  I'm tempting fate to say this but I have never yet had a problem with narcissus fly and was only worried about swift moth grubs.

[mark smyth]

Three people told me that and when I went to their garden in June the fly was present. Two didnt know what the fly looked like.

[Anthony Darby]

I only use lattice pots to keep bulbs in a confined space which can be lifted easily. This is especially important when many bulbs are grown close together and clumps are thus prevented from merging. With cyps, my idea was to keep the medium separate from the surrounding soil which would mean instant death in my garden.

[Alan_b]

Three people told me that and when I went to their garden in June the fly was present. Two didnt know what the fly looked like.

And I could be another such person.  But I don't find the hollowed out bulbs that I imagine the narcissus fly creates and I dont find a larva in the middle of such a bulb because surely they should still be inside when I am lifting and dividing snowdrops?

[KentGardener]

I use the lattice pots to keep the bulbs separate in my little garden - nothing to do with bugs in my case.

I've just had an email from 'capital gardens' to say my order of pots is being prepared for dispatch - I'll let you know when they arrive.  In plenty of time for my May/June repotting session.  
 

[Toft Tops]

I've had my email too from Capital Gardens.  Just soooooooooo exciting!!!!!!!!!

[mark smyth]

Just now I lifted snowdrops in lattice pots. Here are what I found

elwesii Sir Edward Elgar - 9 bulbs, not many roots out of the sides, not many roots out of the bottom
elwesii x Allenii - 6 bulbs, no roots out of sides, none out of the bottom
plicatus plicatus - 30 bulbs, lots of roots out of sides, none out of the bottom
plicatus Wendy's Gold - 37 bulbs, no roots out of the sides, many roots out of the bottom
elwesii Lord Monostictus - 8 bulbs, no roots out of the holes

[mark smyth]

emptied the pot of Wendy and lots of roots are 'spiraling' around the bottom of a square pot! Photos later

[mark smyth]

here are the photos

elwesii Elgar x2
plicatus plicatus
plicatus Wendy's Gold

[loes]

why did you lift them,Mark?
a lot of Wendy`s you got

[mark smyth]

I want to release them from the pots so all roots can go out in to the soil. I added leaf moult and bone meal to their new planting holes.

[Alan_b]

plicatus Wendy's Gold - 37 bulbs, no roots out of the sides, many roots out of the bottom

37???  That must have been awfully crowded.  How many did you plant in the pot in the first place, Mark?  My idea was that I will start with a maximum of three bulbs per pot and lift on a two year cycle.  This year I have one potted bulb, 'Green Light' actually, that was a single bulb last year and this year is two bulbs each with about 8 pairs of leaves so will possibly be 16 bulbs in 2011.  But this rate of increase is the exception rather than the rule for me.     

[mark smyth]

possibly 5 that were given to me. I should have taken a photo. They were stacked about three deep