Did some potting up of baggie raised seedlings today. I removed a inch or so of soil for pics of the baby bulbs on this bag. There are ten bulbs in there with six showing and four on the other side undisturbed. The two in front are the size of marbles. !00% germination on this one--from Connie, of course! I planted this clump directly in the ground AS IS, the way you see it. My experience has proven to me time and again this is the best way to deal with such a tightly woven mass of roots and baby bulbs. What happens is that next year these bulbs will grow apart and expand outward as they search for new fertile ground around their parameter.
Hint: If you decide to go the baggie method and use those polyethylene shoe boxes to stand the bags in (we all use them, I think), I've found that filling in the sides and voids with sterile sand or perlite so the roots are always in the dark--and cool, always gives me the best root development. A couple of my bags had roots growing back up the sides and almost out the top. But baggies aren't the only method I use--I use more pots than anything--but whatever it is you use, make sure your roots are KEPT in the DARK!
I also had three seed batches that had mostly delayed epigeal germination rather than general immediate. Seeds were planted about March 23rd. A definite second group started coming up about three-four weeks ago. Thus the delimma: what to do about the fully matured early ones now going dormant while I put the newbies under the lights to grow them out--and hopefully squeeze a quick chill in somewhere before next May or so. So, I spent a good while this afternoon very carefully separating the old from the new, retrieving eighteen mature marble size bulbs in all without disturbing the babies a real lot. I'll know more in a couple days. Pics are of two of the three batches after the fact; company came and I hid the camera while they watched closely, seriously interested!
In other news, most all of this years seedlings are near dormant. Note the little spots? Nothing new there. It could be a little copper toxicity from my last fungicide treatment or else a little botrytis caused by the late fall dew or too high humidity in the green house. Copper fungicides are not very effective at temps below 45-50'F In any case, no problem at this stage of the game. They'll soon go into their winter resting place.
Also started a few scales a couple weeks ago. Some very expensive stuff in the unmarked bag.
And brought the last two seed stems inside yesterday to finish ripening/drying in here. Its beginning to freeze-thaw every couple nights now--so, I'm playing it safe--I've done this before.
