Pleione humilis, anything wrong?

[enrico]

Hi all,

During the last days of January I received some Pleione bulbs I ordered. One of these bulbs is a P. humilis. As you can see (honestly not very well) from the photo the bulb came with an "almost blooming" flower. I planted it in a little pot with moss, sphagnum moss, perlite, bark and peat. I sprayed it a few times (no more then every 2 days) with little water when I felt the moss was dry. The pot is outside (temp between 2-10 degrees) and is exposed to the sun during the morning for a few hours.
The flower did not develop and is now withered.

Did I do anything wrong or is it normal? Should I change anything?

best regards

Enrico

[Slug Killer]

Hi Enrico

The bulb looks fine and I would keep it as it is but watch out for frost if its outside and rain! If it gets too wet now you stand a chance of root rot. You would be better off in a cold frame or glass house or even in the house. Not sure what country you are from?

As for the flower it has aborted but this may be because of sun exposure to early or simply got cold one night. Also newly acquired bulbs can abort anyway after different changes in humidity and temperature.

keep potted but barely damp until root and leaf growth appears and it should be fine.

David

[Guus]

I agree, I keep my Pleiones completely dry in winter. I stop watering in October/November and do not water at all until flowers have appeared or first growth is seen. So I think it might be the, even sparse, watering that made the flower decide not to set through. I use moss that survives the dry period without any problem.

[enrico]

Hi,

I live in central Italy, in Pisa, the bulb is outside but in a covered terrace (open only on one side) so there is no chance of rain.

thank you very much,

best regards

Enrico

[Maren]

Hi Enrico,

I am sorry your Pleione humilis bud aborted. This is not unusual. Depending on the length of time your pleione was in transport and the conditions while en route, it often happens that buds start to grow and then get knocked back. Not your fault. You get the best results if you order early and have your bulbs delivered by mid January.

Last year, I waited for a consignment of pleiones for over a month. No doubt they had been forgotten in some postman's van. By the time they arrived (late February), they had rooted into the packaging material and all flowers were rotten. I was able to save the bulbs and hope they flower this year.

Good luck with yours. The bulb looks nice.