[pbs] Tulips
Adam Fikso
adam14113 at ameritech.net
Fri Apr 17 17:56:30 EDT 2009
Iain. I see that you've got a 'flypaper" mind... much like mine. All kinds
of stuff sticks to it. Not always pretty or desirable. I quite agree with
you about researching the original provenances of plants. But in any case:
Do not kill middle Asian steppe plants with "kindness", as in too much
nitrogenous fertilizer and putting them in a nice "bed" where they will
surely suffocate from the nice conditions equivalent to a goosedown
comforter and a diet of "sugar and spice and everything nice" Cheers, Adam
in Glenview, where the daffodils are just opening now and a Corydalis pumila
(?) has been open for about 10 days.
.
----- Original Message -----
From: <info at auchgourishbotanicgarden.org>
To: <pbs at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 3:29 PM
Subject: [pbs] Tulips
> Linda Kumin, Mark and Adam have both given you excellent tips and advice.
>
> I would add that it seems pretty self evident now that one of the biggest
> mistakes growers of all geophyte bulbs, indeed virtually all plants, make
> or have made (moi included) is to fail to research their native
> habitats---soils, rainfall patterns and ambient temps both max & minimum.
>
> However here's a wee tip from a hairy Highlander in Scotland, so far touch
> wood, we do not suffer from attacks by virus, botrytis, nematodes, etc.
> unless found on bulbs whose first stop over is at the small quarantine
> unit. Wherever possible there is simply no alternative to disease control
> from virus initially than to grow from seed, an opportunity of course not
> available to all of us all of the time, virus is not known to be
> transmittable from/through seed. I do not ever use the now limited range
> of chemical controls, except from weed clearance from the garden's path
> system where Roundup is now the only practical legal option following the
> removal of others here in Europe.
>
> You could try to use the 'Hot Water Treatment' system on newly arrived
> bulbs before you plant them, this is very effective at destroying over
> wintering nematodes, fusarium and other nasties. One other method is to
> use a highly dilute domestic bleach in warm water for around a few minutes
> and then rinsing them in clean warm water again for a few minutes, very
> rarely can fungal, virus or parasites such as nematodes manage to survive
> that treatment which for lilies is really good but for jacketed bulbs like
> tulipa more care needs to be taken to ensure total control.
>
> One of the best controls and protections from disease and other 'problems'
> is to plant on appropriate sites with appropriate soils, Lilium which I do
> most work with should almost always be planted on free draining ground,
> preferably on a slope too if possible, certainly not on or in clay as
> that's a fast track for losses. All our bulbous plants, whether Lilium,
> Iris, Tulipa, etc, etc grow on and in pure sands and gravels derived from
> acid granite rock, everybody has different approaches but so far so good.
>
> Some of the Tulipa species which you mention are infected by a disease
> called Tulip Breaking Virus which gives them the pretty patterns and
> colours however this virus is catastrophic for most Lilium and easily
> transferred between these genera by sap sucking Aphids such as green fly
> which are most troublesome when there is high humidity and poor air
> circulation. One control in a sense of limiting infestations, and length
> of, are cold winters however I would imagine in areas of e.g. coastal
> California it must be very frustrating on account of sea fogs and warm air
> during the summers because very often once the plants have ended flowering
> folk tend not to look out for Aphid colonisation however they will keep on
> transferring virus right on into Autumn as long as there is green foliage
> of any sort to suck.
>
> Miss Kumin you say you are new to gardening, so is everyone, there are no
> experts in gardening, perhaps a few deluded fools who think or fancy that
> they are, but we all make mistakes, usually often and always year in year
> out, welcome to the club, happy gardening but try not to mix Lilium with
> non species Tulipa. The 'greigii' type tulips are most often than not
> hybrids of one sort or the other based to varying degrees on the true
> species Tulipa greigii, the others using that name are a bit like Heinz 57
> varieties. The other lilies you mention by name, except Tulipa tarda per
> se which is a true botanical species, if sold true to name, sometimes a
> big 'IF' all the others mentioned are either clones or hybrids grown under
> intensive systems majored on by the Dutch growers and they are now so
> reliant on chemicals due to over intensive agriculture even their ground
> water is contaminated with soluble nitrates from various forms of farming
> including intensive pig rearing. Best of lu
> ck with your organic systems which are infinitely superior if you can make
> it work, admittedly it isn't easy and makes very often for extra work but
> far more satisfying if not exactly financially rewarding in commerical
> terms under the present regimes governments around the world permit.
>
> Incidentally did you know that your name Kumin, as more often spelt in the
> old countries as 'Cummin' or here in Scotland Cumming, and variations
> thereof, is derived from the Cumin plant, a herb often used in cookery,
> but was used as a so called Plant Badge by that family to distinguish
> themselves during battle. More titbits of useless information.
>
> Iain
>
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