Finally, a rainy day. I don’t think that we’ve had a rainy day since June, so not only was this a welcome event for the garden, it provided some guilt-free time for me to work inside the greenhouse, where in less than a month, things will start getting busy as autumn arrives.
One chore I’ve been over due on is replacing the sand in the raised plunge beds which I use for the many South African bulbs, and Cylamen species. As you can see, some Cyclamen are starting to bloom early, even before they are watered around Labor day ( Sept 1) which initiates their autumnal growth. As cooler mornings of late summer start to occur, many of the autumn growing bulbs which have been dormant all summer, are starting to grow, moisture or not. With the fresh, damp sand, I pull anything that seems to be starting into growth, and move it to the front of the greenhouse where the sun is stronger, and where I can provide a little bit of moisture with hand watering. Too much moisture this early may rot these plants since daytime temperatures are still hot, and the air, still humid.
A pile of old Nerine foliage in one of the raised beds.
The cleaned bulbs are then relocated in their pots to the front of the greenhouse in prep for their first full watering next weekend. I also removed some smaller bulbs to share with friends, and to repot separately.
Another Nerine, here, a Nerine masoniorum ( I think-lost the tag), a summer grower, is starting to show a significant number of flower buds. I have struggled to get this small bulb to bloom in the past, but after some research I found out that this evergreen variety will bloom in autumn, if it gets a dry period in early summer, and then gets moved outside again for lots of moisture. Last summer, the ducks ate all of the flower buds off, so this year it is in a secret location in case the ducks are reading this. There are about 24 stems coming up.
The green lanterns of a self-seeded Nicotiana langsdorfii, wave in the breeze.
Why not try using Coir pots? It would look great, environmentally sustainable, would added benefits… ?
Coir pots would be too porous, since success with Nerine and other Amaryllids comes from moisture retention during their hot, summer dormancy, even clay would not work in New England, unless I kept the pots on a sand bed. Plastic works best since it helps keep the fleshy, roots turgid. Are you aware of any sodium issues with coir? I have friends who have lost significant collections of winter growing Narcissus species and Cyclamen species when repotting in coir a a soil since the coir was prepared by a salt method? I have used coir with some orchid species, and with Clivia with success.
How timely, I have already had some Nerine starting to put out foliage so I watered a bit. I hope I did not do the wrong thing! I have to read your article again from your mag which you did last year.
When you take off the layers from the bulbs are you removing them from the soil and potting up in fresh soil or are you just pulling off some of the old layers from the bulbs?