The Bulb Maven

Hippeastrum Part Two

H. bukasovii

Hippeastrum bukasovii

H. bukasovii is endemic to valleys in northern Peru, where it grows in warm moist conditions, going dormant in the winter.  I assume the winters are fairly cold, since it grows at altitudes up to about 6000'.  It has not been difficult for me, growing in mix #1 with no added heat.  i do keep the bulbs dry during dormancy, and I keep the seedlings on one of my heated benches for their first year.

 

H. calyptratum

Hippeastrum calyptratum

H. calyptratum is a true epiphyte from the Organ mountains of Brazil.  It grows in moderately warm conditions in high humidity, and should be treated more like an orchid than a bulb.  I grow mine in mix #2 and keep them on the heated benches, with the bulb sitting on the surface of the mix.  Mine have never offset.  Apparently, it is bat pollinated.  One of my very large bulbs regularly sends up four different scapes in succession each year.

 

H. curitibanum

Hippeastrum curitibanum

H. curitibanum is another Brazilian species.  I am not sure of the exact locale or habitat it derives from, but I do keep mine on the heated benches, and had no success in bringing them to bloom before I gave them extra heat.  It is a fairly small species and appears to be closely related to H. aglaiae.

 

 

 

H. cybister

Hippeastrum cybister

H. cybister is a marvellous species from Bolivia and Argentina.  It grows in the summer, but has a fairly long dormancy from autumn through winter to mid-spring, at which time it comes into bloom before the leaves emerge.  I am not sure of the habitat it occupies in its native countries, and I have four different accessions, each of which is slightly different.  I grow my bulbs in the standard mix #1 with the bulbs half exposed and keep them dry during dormancy. I do not give mine extra heat.

 

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Hippeastrum

I will go through my list of species Hippeastrum and explain my growing conditions.  I do not believe there is magic involved, and some species are very adaptable, others are not.  Correct watering is critical, otherwise Hippeastrum are very prone to fungal diseases.  I do not routinely treat for fungus.

Hippeastrum argentinum:

H. argentinum is from arid regions in northwestern Argentina.  Unfortunately, although I have had them for several years, I have never brought my bulbs to bloom. I grow them in Mix #3 on a heated bench.  They come into growth in mid to late spring and produce leaves throughout the summer.  They go dormant at the end of summer, then remain dormant for six to seven months.  I keep them very dry during dormancy.

Hippeastrum aulicum:

Hippeastrum aulicum

H. aulicum comes from forested regions in coastal Brazil and is not cold tolerant.  It is said to be an epiphyte, since it grows on tree branches, rocks and litter on the ground.  I have found it to be easy, growing it my standard mix #1.  In my conditions it dies back somewhat in the summer, comes into growth in the fall and blooms in the middle of winter, often in time for Christmas, but I do get blooms later in the spring also.  I keep it dry with the bulbs planted on top of the mix, with about 1/4 of the bulb below the surface.  I do not give it extra warmth.

 

 

 

H. blossfeldiae:

Hippeastrum blossfeldiae

H. blossfeldiae is from coastal Brazil, where it grows in sandy coditions.  It is not cold tolerant.  It has been easy to grow in mix #1 with a little added pumice.  It needs good drainage to avoid fungal disease.  No extra heat.

 

 

 

H. blumenavium (aka Griffiniopsis blumenavia)

Hippeastrum blumenavium

H. blumenavium is from moist woodlands in Brazil.  This species is not cold tolerant.  I keep it on a heated bench and water year round.  It is a tiny species, only about 10-15cm
tall.

 

I will be posting on more.

www.telosrarebulbs.com

 

Hippeastrum Cultural Tips

Hippeastrum bukasovii

I am frequently asked for more specific cultural information on growing Hippeastrum, so I will try to address this here.

 

There is no ‘one size fits all’ formula for growing Hippeastrum species, since they can come from a variety of habitats.  I am not addressing here cultural information for the hybrid Hippeastrum that are available in the trade, since I have little experience with these, and I will therefore try to give tips that have worked for me growing my own limited collection of species.  Bear in mind that conditions will vary according to the climate you live in.

My conditions here in northern California are as follows:  very cool temperatures in
summer, rarely going above 60F in daytime, with night time temperatures around
45-50F.  In winter we get light frosts, with temperatures in the 30-45F range. 
My Hippeastrum species are grown in greenhouses which raise the daytime
temperature to about 80F on a sunny day in summer, but we get a lot of summer
fog.  Night temperatures drop to 45-50F in summer, which I feel is too cool for some species.  Humidity is high because of the fog.  My bulbs are rarely stressed from heat or low humidity.

The bulbs are grown on raised slatted benches with good air circulation and drainage.  The species from the warmest regions are grown on heated benches.  These benches are covered in propagation mats kept at around 68F to offset the cool temperatures at night.  These benches have been essential in getting some species to bloom reliably and set seed. The greenhouses are not heated in winter, other than these heated benches.

MIXES:

My standard mix for Hippeastrum is a mixtures of horticultural pumice, perlite and finely ground peat.  I vary the mix somewhat according to the region the bulbs come from.   I use perlite because it is cheap and light.  You can replace the perlite with more pumice, if you wish.  I have used coir instead of peat, but found I had more problems with soil fungus.

Mix #1:  The standard mix.  1/3 pumice; 1/3 perlite; 1/3 peat.

Mix #2:  For the epiphytic bulbs such as H. calyptratum.  2/3 pumice; 1/3 orchid bark.

Mix #3:  For species that need very dry conditions, such as H. parodii.  2/3 pumice; 1/3 peat.  I have also used pure pumice with good results.

WATERING:

I keep all my Hippeastrum very dry.  I keep them dryer than the top 1-2” of soil
drying between watering, since some are in deep pots to accommodate their large
root systems, and the medium at the bottom of the pot can remain very moist and
promote fungal diseases.  I have never lost a bulb to dryness, and water about every two to three weeks in summer, less in winter (or not at all).  Shallow trays of seedlings or small bulbs are watered about once a week.  All get a liquid fertilizer with micronutrients with every watering in summer.

REPOTTING:

I repot all my bulbs very frequently, and I think this is essential to controlling disease and promoting healthy growth.  Repotting takes place in the winter and virtually all the Hippeastrum (other than seedlings) are repotted into fresh medium with the old
potting soil discarded.  The bulbs and roots are washed, and all old tunics, dead roots and any dead tissue removed to prevent fungal rots.  Sometimes I dust with sulfur when replanting the bulbs.  The pots and benches are also washed at this time.  I have large greenhouses, and very little problem with disease, and I think it is because of these sanitary procedures.  If problems are developing from fungal rots (the most common problem with Hippeastrum), it will be noted early when the bulbs are repotted and can be addressed then.  If this seems like a lot of work, it is!  My Hippeastrum collection is very valuable to me, and worth the effort and I prefer not to use fungicides unless absolutely necessary.

I will follow up with tips on each of the species I grow.

www.telosrarebulbs.com

 

Pollen

I had mentioned before, when I posted about Pamianthe peruviana, that I had failed to get viable pollen the last two times my bulbs bloomed.  Usually my Pamianthe bulbs bloom in December, but this year to my amazement, one bulb has just bloomed for a second time, and this time I have pollen.  Pamianthe is supposed to accept its own pollen, so I have carefully pollinated the four beautiful flowers, and now I will wait for the results.  If it does take, it still will take about 15 months for the seeds to ripen.  The last time I did get seed from my bulbs I had more than one bulb in bloom at the same time, so I was able to cross pollinate the bulbs.  I only got one seed pod, but it was an amazing size and produced a lot of seed.  This time, with only one bulb in bloom, I can only hope that it will indeed be self-fertile.

I have many bulbs from equatorial regions and they bloom very erratically, coming from climates that often have no discernible seasons.  I just don't know what triggers these species to bloom, and it is often frustrating to have several bulbs, but never two bulbs in bloom at the same time.  The answer?  I freeze the pollen, so that when I do get another bulb to bloom, I have pollen on hand to pollinate the bulb, otherwise I would never get seed.  I have quite a little pollen bank in my freezer.  The pollen seems to remain viable for one to two years.  I have snipped off the anthers of my Pamianthe, and will let them dry in the freezer with the package open, then date the collection and put them away wrapped in aluminum foil.

I encourage others to do the same thing.  You can share pollen of Hippeastrum, for instance, enabling crosses that you could never do from a limited collection.  If you are looking for pollen of a specific species (please don't just ask me what I have) you can contact me.

www.telsorarebulbs.com

Mouse Wars

When you grow things for a living, Mother Nature will inevitably throw you a curve ball.  Some years it is an unusual freeze, killing your tender plants and bulbs, another year flooding, causing increase fungal disease and rots.  The springs of 2010 and 2011 were unusually wet and cold, and as a result I lost virtually all my native lily relatives, Erythronium, Fritillaria and the lilies themselves.  They just vanished.

This year it has been a plague of mice. My greenhouses are like the Hilton Hotel to mice.  They are large, warm, dry and full of wonderful things to eat.  We are surrounded by fields, and in the winter they migrate in, sort of the equivalent of New Yorkers going to Miami for the winter.  They burrow into the pots making cosy little nests and eat their little hearts out. My two female cats, brought home two years ago for the specific purpose of controlling mice did a fantastic job the first year, and I lost not a single pot to mice.  This year it has been very different.  Perhaps they have becoming accustomed to a soft life, lounging around in my office and eating prepared food, or maybe they are just overwhelmed this year.  I have seen them many times with dead mice, so they are doing something, but when I was gone for a week I came home to serious devastation in the Oxalis benches.  One bench of Oxalis pots was almost completely wiped out.  They have taken to gnawing through the pots from the side, then hollowing out the mass of bulbs, in some cases leaving not a single bulb remaining.

Something had to be done.  I tried every sort of mouse trap on the market, and caught precisely zero mice, while more pots fell to the mouse hordes.  Poison was out of the question, since I don't want to poison my cats.  I finally decided to try to prevent the little devils from getting up on the benches by sheathing the legs of the benches in metal.  It was not a small job, but it seems to have worked, although I have to be vigilant to not allow anything to lean against a bench allowing them access.

Now I wonder what challenges next year will present.

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Greenhouse work

The seasons march on, and this time of year I am thinking constantly of what lies ahead:  seed sowing the Mediterranean species; reorganizing the greenhouses; repotting most of the bulbs and getting ready for winter in general.  Autumn is the busiest season as far as bulb care is concerned, since the Mediterranean climate bulbs must all be repotted before they start to grow around the end of October to the middle of November.  A few can wait a bit longer, and during the same time period seed must be sown of most species.  Some bulbs multiply, but others, like Calochortus, must be sown every fall, and it is a very big job. 

In preparation for the tasks ahead, I am completely reorganizing my Mediterreanean greenhouse and having benches made.  In the past I have had all the pots on the floor.  This was largely due to the expense involved of buying or making benches, but now I am happy to say that I am able to invest the needed money.  This is helped by a new product, a plastic bench top that is light weight, easy to clean and relatively inexpensive.  Before now greenhouse benches were made of metal, so they were very heavy, very expensive and would degrade over time.  The new bench tops are UV stable, and should last a long time.  Here above I am in the process of moving every single pot twice, fist off the floor and out of the way as each bench is brought in, then organizing them alphabetically on the benches (and still smiling!).  I won't trust anyone else to move them, since they must be kept striclty organized or I simply can't find things.  Even so, as I put Calochortus plummerae in place, I will inevitably stumble across a couple of pots of C. bruneaunis that I overlooked, necessitating moving them all again.  Arrrgh!

Mark and Shawn, seen here, have also put a new ventilation system in, and now the greenhouses are vented automatically, keeping the temperature well below 85F even on warm sunny days.  Both the new benches and the new ventilation system are intended to make my work easier and more efficient, and, hopefully, to reduce losses.  The problem I have had with the pots on the floor is inadequate drainage, with the bottom layer of potting medium not drying out completely in the bulbs' summer dormancy.  Summer dormant bulbs need to be kept completely dry during their dormancy, so any excess moisture can encourage rotting.  I am expecting that elevating the pots off the ground will improve things considerably with better drainage, better air circulation and easier access.

www.telosrarebulbs.com  

February

After a long spell of really beautiful (and much too warm) weather, winter has returned, with one storm front after another marching across the Pacific Ocean, and bringing cold, wet and windy weather.  In the greenhouses yesterday a hail storm erupted, and the noise was so intense that when I tried to call the dogs I couldn't even hear my own voice.  The wind is bitterly cold, making work outside virtually impossible, but in the spell of sunny weather I was able to start clearing out a big flower bed in my front garden, removing shrubs that were not particularly attractive and perennials that were becoming invasive.  I have little time to spend on the garden, so anything that spreads or seeds itself about is now permanently banned.  The wind makes it impossible to grow large or lanky things, either, so out they went too.  Now the bed is completely replanted with clumping perennials, some bulbs and small compact shrubs, and I am looking forward to seeing how it will fill in.  It has been great fun, and I am reassured that I can still do heavy digging and shrub removal.

During the sunny spell the Oxalis were breathtaking, literally a carpet of color in my Mediterranean climate greenhouse.  Oxalis obtusa is at its peak with beautiful veined flowers in a wide range of lovely colors, all shades imaginable of orange, many different pinks and yellows and various combinations.  I am choosing new ones to list on the web site, racking my brain to think up names, since I have completely run out of color descriptions.  The one above is Oxalis obtusa 'Strawberry Cream'.  It is interesting that the color intensity of Oxalis obtusa varies from year to year.    I have not figured out why, whether it is temperature, sunshine or nutrients.  This year the colors are particularly intense.  Here is O. o. 'Buttercream' to the left and O. o. 'Lemon Cream to the right.

This is the time of year when bulb work is far less.  Seed sowing continues, but is almost done.  The winter-growing species need watering and fertilizing regularly, and this year I am fertilizing them with a liquid fertilizer at every watering, diluting it to half strength.  I have had difficulty keeping to a schedule of fertilization, sometimes forgetting to write down what I did, so this is easier to keep track of.  I also treat the seedlings for damping off fungus, very prevalent in this cold damp environment, and I keep fans on the pots of seedlings to keep the air circulating.  I am repotting some of the South American species, plus twin scaling some rare bulbs that I need more of and that are slow to reproduce.

It is the time, also, when I start revising the web site.  I am getting very frequent "can I order now?" inquiries, since the site still has 2008 on it, and I don't want to change it until I have it largely done.  Customers can order now, but with the proviso that there might be changes that will affect their order.  I usually have the web site finished by the end of March or beginning of April.  I have great difficulty sitting still for any length of time, so I have to do my computer work in chunks of a couple of hours at the most, then get up and do something else. 

I am looking forward to spring, which comes early in California.  The storms are welcome, for the entire state is in the middle of a drought that started about two years ago, with reservoirs badly depleted.  I am thinking forward to the dog trials and my yearly trip to Table Mountain in the Sierra Nevada foothills to see the wildflowers, and hoping to squeeze in a trip to the high country in the middle of summer.  So much to look forward to!

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Sowing Seeds

The big seed sowing takes place in autumn and early winter here at Telos.  This is due to the fact that the majority of bulbs grown here are from Mediterranean climates, regions that have cool rainy winters and summers that are dry.  The bulbs from such regions come into growth when the rains commence in autumn, and are dormant in the summer.  In their native regions seeds ripen in early summer, some staying attached to the pod until the rains commence, others being scattered on the dry ground where they lie until there is enough moisture for them to germinate.  For gardeners accustomed to sowing annuals, this seems to be a surprise that many seeds need cold temperatures to germinate.  Indeed, heat would either be fatal to the germinating seed, or would completely inhibit germination of the seeds of Mediterranean climate bulbs.  To the left is a germinated seed of Lewisia rediviva.

For most of the bulbs native to the western USA I place the seeds in slightly dampened vermiculite in a ziplock bag, then put the bag in the refrigerator.  In an evening I can bag up dozens of species this way.  The bags are checked regularly, and the seeds are sown as soon as any sign of germination takes place. This saves me a great deal of time, making seed sowing spread out over the winter.  In addition, if I have bad batches of seed, I am not filling up greenhouse space and wondering whether to throw the pots out. I can tell after two or three months that nothing is happening.  Germination of the species native to the western USA takes anywhere from two weeks to four months, the longer period needed for the alpine species.  Here is a bag of germinated Calochortus kennedyi, ready for sowing. 

Seeds of bulbs from the western Cape Province of South Africa can't be handled in this manner, for they need a diurnal swing of at least ten degrees F. to facilitate germination.  If placed in the unvarying conditions of a refrigerator they would not germinate.  They are sown in situ in the greenhouses.  Tiny seeds, such as those of Lachenalia are left uncovered.  Here is a pot of freshly sown Gladiolus carinatus seed.  The gladiolus seeds will be covered with a thin layer of sand or seed starting mix.

Seeds of South American members of the Family Amaryllidaceae are sown when they ripen.  Most amaryllid seed does not keep for long, so it should not be stored for more than about three months before sowing.  These are also sown in ziplock bags, but they are kept at room temperature, since these species are not from Mediterranean climates, and are usually subtropical.  I keep them in my office at room temperature, which will average about 60F.  Here is a bag of germinated Hippeastrum mandoni seed. 

Growing bulbs from seed is an exciting and satisfying experience, but one that most gardeners have not attempted.  Many bulbous species will mature to flowering in three to four years, and you can grow species this way that are difficult to find in commerce.  The seed lists of plant societies offer a tempting array of unusual bulbous species, and there are small specialty seed companies that offer even more.

www.telosrarebulbs.com 

Season's End

The shipping season is virtually over.  I can still ship some bulbs, but the winter-growing species that are in storage are sprouting and need to be planted.  In addition, most of the bulbs in pots need to be repotted before they are too far along in growth.  I leave my bulbs in their pots for two to three years, then the potting mix needs to be replaced, becoming deficient in nutrients and with salt buildup from fertilizer.  Disease organisms can also build up in old soil, and the soil becomes compacted from watering and breakdown.  The old potting mix I keep, if it doesn't look like it has any major problems, and I apply it to my flowerbeds.

Michelle and I have finished potting my Oxalis collection, a total of 541 pots, shown above.  I am delighted, and looking forward to the incredible display that will unfold over the winter.  This morning we cleaned seed that had been collected over the summer, putting the seed in small coin envelopes labeled with their botanical names.  We also sowed many California natives, by putting the seed in plastic bags in damp vermiculite.  The bags are placed in the refrigerator, and sown in pots as they germinate.  This is absolutely necessary for any species that come from high altitude, since they need a lengthy winter chilling before they will germinate.  I also handle a lot of the low elevation species this way, though, since it saves time.  I can bag up dozens of species in a very short time, place them in the refrigerator, and take out the bags when I see any sign of germination, and this spreads the seed sowing out over the winter.  You have to know what you are up to though, since some species, such as most of the South African ones, need a diurnal swing in temperature to germinate, so putting them in the refrigerator would not work.  It is a surprise to some people to find out that many seeds need cold temperatures to sprout, gardeners being more familiar with sowing the seeds of annuals and tomatoes, but all the winter-growing species, including Narcissus, Crocus, all the California natives and any from similar climates, must be sown in the autumn and exposed to cool temperatures.  I sow the great majority of seed at this time, since Telos grows so many bulbs from Mediterranean climates such as South Africa, California, Chile and the Mediterranean region, climates characterized by cool rainy winters and dry summers.

As one season ends, another begins, and this is the most exciting season of all at Telos Rare Bulbs.  Over the winter there will be a succession of bloom, and while winter rages outside, the greenhouses will be ablaze with color.  Right now there are just a few 'teasers', hinting at what lies ahead.  The Nerines are almost finished, but there are still plenty in bloom.  To the left is a beautiful hybrid I called 'Fiesta'.

The species Gladioli from the Cape Province of South Africa are starting into growth, with shoots visible in most of the pots.  One or two bloom in the fall.  Pretty little Gladiolus carmineus has already made an appearance, with its cheerful pink flowers appearing before the leaves emerge.  Here it is to the right. 

  Gladiolus stefaniae, seen here to the left, is a beauty, and just opened this morning.  In its native South Africa, it grows on steep cliffs in the spray of waterfalls, where it remains constantly moist in winter.  I should mention that the species Gladioli from the Cape Province of South Africa are nothing like the stiff gaudy hybrid Gladioli of commerce.  They are generally small and dainty in appearance, and are often sweetly scented.  There are other Gladioli that grow in summer, coming from other regions of Africa, and these formed the genetic basis of most the commercial Gladioli.  They are much larger, and more suitable for the garden.  I will post on Gladiolus later in the season.

A few Lachenalias are also starting to bloom, as well as Oxalis, mentioned in the previous post.  By Christmas there will be so much to see, Oxalis, Gladiolus, Lachenalias, more Crocus, some Narcissus, Tropaeolum, Romulea, and many more.  The display will peak in late winter when the California natives will be in full swing.  Who says winter is dull?

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Rain

It has been a long time since I posted, having been away for almost a week to a dog trial and a dog training seminar, then trying to catch up since I returned.  I actually did write a post the day before I left.  Just as I was about to hit 'save' the electricity went off, and I lost the entire post.  I had also been meaning to replace my battery backup.  Oh, well.  We had no electricity for the entire day, which also meant I lost a day of shipping bulbs, then I left the next morning.

My dogs did brilliantly at the dog trial, and we brought back 28 ribbons (you get two ribbons for each successful run).  We had a great time, and the rest of the trip was filled with adventures, not all of them wonderful, but definitely memorable, like the motel I stayed in, where from about 11pm to 3am it was party time, with boom-boxes, car alarms, screaming and yelling, fights, doors slamming, etc. etc.  When you travel with dogs, your options are limited.

Our first rain of the season arrived.  The day before the front moved in the dawn was magnificent, the mountains to the east rimmed with fire from the rising sun, the sky with just enough cloud to add to the drama.  Slowly the sky turned to mother-of-pearl as the sun made its appearance, with the long slanting rays illuminating the trees and horses, as though a spotlight had picked them out.  The next morning was dark, and I awoke to the soft pattering of raindrops.

The swallows are gone.  One day they were wheeling around the barn in great flocks, the next day there were none and the air seemed empty without them.  My office is in the hayloft of my barn, and they are a constant presence in summer, skimming and dipping over the fields around me, then returning to their nests on the barn and house where I can watch tiny heads appear over the rim of the nest when the adults swoop in with food.

On my morning walkabout last week I was greeted with a welcome surprise -- my first Brunsvigia in bloom.  I have been growing all my Brunsvigias from seed, and it certainly requires patience.  Brunsvigia minor  has bloomed after eleven years from seed.  It is a small one (as you can tell from the name), so blooms sooner than the others, which can take up to 20 years to bloom.

The beginning of the rainy season marks the time in the nursery for repotting, and I started repotting my large Oxalis collection.  This involves about 300-400 five inch pots.  They are starting to sprout now, so I can no longer ship them to other countries, since they will not pass inspection if they have sprouts.  Most of the pots need new labels, and this is a task I do not enjoy, but it is most necessary.  One of the banes of a bulb nursery is lost labels or labels that have faded to nothingness.   I use very large labels, about four inches by three inches, so that I can read the label from a distance without having to bend over, or (horrors!) pull it out of the pot.  I put all the important information on the back, such as date of sowing, source of seed, any data on repotting, etc. If the pots are outside, the labels can snap off in high winds, so I push them well down in those pots.  It is also beneficial to bury a label in the pot with essential data, so that if you do lose the label, or if it has faded beyond recognition, you can still identify the bulbs.  Dormant bulbs look like dormant bulbs, and it is easy to get them mixed up, especially when you have literally thousands of different species all growing together, like I do.  The labels last about two years, even in the greenhouses, then they must be replaced, and I use a special pen for labels (not Sharpies, which fade after about a year).

I have my work cut out for me, what with repotting, organizing the greenhouses for the seed-sowing season and continuing to ship bulbs.  I came back from the seminar filled with ideas for training and retraining my dogs, and am anxious to get started.  My dogs are doing well, but as we move up through the different categories from novice to expert, the courses get much more difficult, and flaws in training start showing.  Hannah won seven of her ten runs.  I made a mistake in one with my timing, so we placed third.  In two runs she was beaten by a few tenths of a second by a poodle.  Beaten by a poodle!!!  We'll have to work on that!

www.telosrarebulbs.com