[pbs] Tropaeolums
Jean & Brian
jeanbrian at earthlink.net
Sun Nov 5 22:26:28 EST 2006
I am attempting for the first time to start various Tropaeolum
species: T. polyphyllum, T. sessilifolium, T. tricolorum and T.
brachyceras. From what I understand, they all develop large tubers
after about a year and was told that once the seeds are planted, they
should not be disturbed until the tuber has formed.
Now here's my problem: I live in San Francisco, where winter
temperatures are mild, and apparently this is fine for T. tricolorum
and T. brachyceras. I put them in two-gallon pots and set them
outside. It's the T. polyphyllum and T. sessilifolium I'm concerned
about. They need to be stratified, so I carefully planted them in
six-packs enclosed in plastic bags and put them in the refrigerator.
However, the person who sold them to me was concerned that I would
greatly damage them once I take them out of the refrigerator, because
they need a lot of space for the tubers to form--and should not be
moved once they start growing.
So what do I do? Call me old-fashioned, but I don't have enough room
for 2-gallon pots in my refrigerator...
Does anyone have experience in successfully stratifying these two
species in mild climates? Can they be transplanted? Can these plants
be saved? Or even started? (she cried despondantly, beating her
breast in dismay...)
Thanks for your help.
Jean Moshofsky Butler
San Francisco, CA
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