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| Sunday, 30 March 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Cultivation of bulbs and tubers by Gwen Herat To describe bulbs and tubers is easy. They are especially modified for resting and remain dormant which enables them to be alive until they are required for planting. They contain a storage of concentrated food and dormant buds, some of which possess embryo flowers already formed inside and awaiting to burst out when induced to do so. When suitable growing conditions recur, the leaves and flowers are produced in no time. They are a living, sharing medium of growth awaiting their call. Bulbs contain their food reserve in special swollen scale-like leaves that are loosely packed in the new bulb like in lilies. Bulbs are also packed in protected scale-like leaf base. All parts appear from a very flattened stem area known as 'plate' from the underside root growth. Tubers are different. The swollen area may arise from a stem or from both roots and shoot. However, a stem tuber will produce roots when it starts to grow and it is rarely a tuber which has lost its shoot (bud) will produce another. Tubers may have scale leaves but many usually lack them. Tubers are not a method of propagation as small ones are not formed as in bulbs but it is an alternative. If in the garden centre you come across bulbs marked 'prepared', it means they have been heat treated (or sun-exposed) for them to flower before their season. These are not admirable as they will not produce true-to-form flowers. But stubborn flowering habit of Hemerocallis (Day Lily) will not yield to these conditions. Amaracalis have their season in Sri Lanka and what a pretty picture they make in their normal pink and startling red. Unaided, they grow in home gardens, roadside, vacant plots and in the woods nearby. The flower lasts only twenty four hours. Incidentally, Hemerocallis is the National Flower of America. All bulbs have their seasons of planting and vary enormously depending not only on the season of flowering or growth but also in the amount of sun provided. Dirty stock can carry soil-borne diseases. Single-nosed bulbs are best for using with a bulb planter for less damage. They will also fall into the holes and will not stick on either side of the holes but reach the bottom more easily. The troubles likely to affect bulbs and tubers are not readily seen even if they appear healthy. Virus diseases may cause striped or yellowing or broken colour in flowers at early bloom. General Cultivation If you wish to have flowers year after year, you have to feed them one year after flowering because bulbs and tubers carry food sufficient only for a year. Supplementing the soil will see the bulbs and tubers glowing from season to season. Soil testing is recommended, especially for the presence of lime. Such conditions can harm the tubers and the bulbs even before they start sprouting out. Just because bulbs and tubers go into holes, do not stop preparing the bed. It is essential to have a prepared bed before the holes are dug. When the ground has been prepared, dig out the holes one by one with an ordinary trowel, planting and covering as you go. Informal planting, mark out the distance along a trench. If the bulbs are to be placed on turf, cut out with a special bulb planter after scattering bulbs in drifts. If the bulbs are small and the turf close in, lift the turf with a flat spade or such object and place the bulbs in the soil underneath. You can place some bonemeal or peat before replacing the turf. Do not beat down the turf hard but with watering it will settle down. Planting depth: Basically there is no hard and fast rule for placement of bulbs or tubers in their holes. You are the best judge to make the decision. However, some bulbs make droppers (short stem) to make the new bulb to the optimum depth while others make contractile roots which pull the new bulb down. Feeding: Food must be supplied throughout the time the plant is growing. In pots, fertilizer will last only for about six weeks. While introducing food from time to time, liquid fertilizer too should be applied once a fortnight. Food requirement will be less during rainfall and after but should be supplied the moment rain ceases. It is generally accepted that bulbs and tubers when in growth need a high rate of potash to assist ripening the bulbs. This is very applicable in Sri Lanka because of the hot weather. Never feed a plant in dry soil. Thoroughly wet before application. Watering: If sufficient water is not supplied during growth, many bulbs and tubers will fail but plants which are already growing strongly will need less water. Evaporation appears quick in indoor plants and twice a day a spray of water will keep the plants happy and in good shape. Watering must be sparsely done otherwise a sharp drop in temperature will lead to fungi infection. Ripening: The complex chemical process which occur inside the plants both before and after leaves die down is known as Ripening. At this stage, gradual withdraw of watering must commence and potash being introduced in slow doses. Plants in need of these are the ones which experience drought during the resting period. Plants needing sun ripening should not get smothered by other plants as well as with grass because during their resting period, they can be adversely affected by incorrect storage temperature. Neither should they be exposed to burning sun heat. Lilies and Lotus: The garden centres will have lilies packed in peat to help retain their moist but this flower is unfortunately not listed as a favourite among Sri Lankan growers. The reasons may be that the flower has only a lifespan of twenty four hours and is not a suitable cut flower but lilies of many varieties are used for bridal bouquet as well as decorations for church festivals. The local Hamorcallis is seasonal and can be found in almost all gardens, and vacant spots in their brilliance of red and pink. Very majestic looking upon straight stalks with wonderful sheath like long leaves, they are magnificent and spectacular but very misunderstood by all of us. Any lily can be moved successfully and immediately after flowering if care is taken to keep the soil on the roots. Among the water lilies, the Lotus, Nelum and Manel are brilliant in colours of red, white and purple. Once the flowers die, the bulbs multiply to facilitate more flowers to emerge from the water. |
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