Crinum help; how to care for; just dug from their home

i was able to dig up some crinums....they have been in the ground for some 60 yrs...;(so the owner sez)...what do i do? some have flowers and some have those bulbs on the end of them....should i trim them back? where do i plant? etc etc...thank you;)

Mine get morning sun till sbout 2:00. My neighbors gets the hot afternoon sun. They both are going good. What color do you have?

What do you mean some have flowers and some have bulbs?

these bulb things on them....what are they? do i need to cut off?

Those are seed pods.

what do i do with them? i am very very very new....

Those are seed pods and I would not cut them off until they show signs of being ripe.
Mine never set a seed pod. I was at a DG round up last april and we went to a nursery and their criniums had seed pods. Another DGer Silverflutter said hers did not make seeds either. I am not sure how to tell when they are ripe.but in these pictures at this link shows a couple pictures of the seeds being rooted. Hope this helps. I figure they will turn yellow and maybe split.

I would trade for a few seeds just to see them grow and how long it takes for them to bloom. What color are they?

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/13203/

Some species and hybrids set seeds and others make offsets; but their pollen can be used to set seeds on other plants.
Debbie

On the ones with flowers, I'd trim most of them back before replanting so they can work on getting a good root system established. You could save a few to enjoy the flowers now. But if they don't perk back up after planting, go ahead and trim them back too. Most likely they'd bloom again for you after getting settled in.
I'd plant the ones with the seed pods without trimming then wait for those seed pods to turn dry and brown before harvesting the seeds. If harvested too soon you may not get viable seeds.

Good luck with them. :-)

Joy

This message was edited Apr 8, 2007 7:47 AM

ilovejesus

these are the milk and honey .....i think that is the only set with seed pods...; otherwise i would trade...; my dig was being monitored ....otherwise i would have brought the whole yard with me as it will all be bulldozed...:(

Crinums are some of the easiest plants you will ever grow, I wouldn't doubt it at all if they were 60 years old, they are indestructable! I live in the deep south and we can plant them any where that gets sun, I have never seen lilies that reward you more for so little care. I just dug up a clump from my cousins Fla. rental house, she did not know what color they are. I can't wait till they bloom, I hope they are the light pink ones, but any color will do. Let us know what color yours are.

hubby was moving some stuff last night and these pods busted...lots of little seeds came out....what do i do with them now? do i dry them...do i just plant them?

plant them. I would only cover with very little dirt. see this picture. http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/13203/ I would keep moist must not to wet. also see
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/57473/. I am sure all criniums are alike. Relly great picture. Keep them comming as they progress.

I have milk and wine which I think is the same as yours. Is it white with a pink stripe They are beautiful. Maybe we can trade when they are bigger. I also have Ellen Bosanquet
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/77480/ and a white one It needs to multiply more.
I also hve one that its white inside but has pink stripes on the outside. It was suppose to be pale pink when I bought them. I will trade them when they multiply.

Good Luck I am looking forward to the pictures.

Blessings,
Sandy ^8^

sandy...is there a way i can save the seed?...do i dry them or what?

i found this and they say not to dry and they are not storable as they germinate when they want. http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/pbs/2006-September/026108.html

I hope this helps.

sandy...it helps...sort of , i wanted to store ...but i guess i wont....so how the heck can i share these things with daves people?...do i wait until they grow into plants?

either wrap in damp paper towel and then in newspaper. or if you had some medicine bottles large enough to send what ever amount you need to. That way thay could be sent in bubble envelopes. That is how I try to save on postage. Or you can wait till they are plants. I don't know how small of containers you can find in the dollar stores. Sometimes they have 4 small square ones for 1 dollar in a pkg. Anything they won't get smashed in the envelope. In a container you would not need any thing damp as they would be fine I would think.

ilovejesus do you want some of these?

Sure I would love to try to grow from seed. Would you like postage or something else? LMK

Blessings,
Sandy ^8^

send nothing...i appreciate your help; just dmail me your address:)

Thank you so much. Sending you Dmail now.

Thanks again,

Sandy ^8^

I just ran across this thread, hope you are still reading:) I have several crinums, Ellen Bosanquet, Stars and Stripes, Erubescens, and Hannibal's Dwarf. All are doing well except the HD. I grows just fine, but won't bloom. It bloomed once its third year in and I thought that it would continue, but no....Any suggestions? I have plenty as it spreads nicely, and it had nice, pink blooms...once.

tggfisk.....i am not sure whom you are talking to...but i am sure some 'expert' will show with some great information for you....i am a real beginner:)

I'm no expert either. I have only 2 crinums. One blooms and one doesn't, probably because of my neglect. I never remember to fertilized or water it. I've been using Rose Glow for fertilizer, but I think I'm going to switch to Rabbit Hill Farms Buds and Blooms. And actually use it on both and see what happens.

thanks for the reply. Anybody out there an expert???
Bev

I am far from an expert but you said it spreads well and there are plenty. I can't help but think they need to be separated some as they may be to tight together to bloom. I could not find that one on the web but I bet it is beautiful. Maybe sometime we can trade. Do you have any pictures?

sticks_n_stones I hope your seeds are growing for you. I hope you haven't mailed me any as I never got them if you did.

Hope this helps tggfisk.

Blessings,
Sandy ^8^

ilj99...the problem is that the dang seeds are sprouting presoil....so i thought i would wait for the next crop...do you think it would be ok to send even tho sprouted?

eager little buggers aren't they?

they may mail ok but you take care of them I can wait. I sprayed mine with tomato blossom set. I figured it it could tomatoes well just maybe it will set crinum seeds. Can't hurt Right?

I wouldn't want you to send them and they die. They really are an eagar bunch. Post some pictures as they progress.

Thanks,
Blessings,
Sandy ^8^

what is tomato blossum set?

ilj99...look at the below pics....it is amazing...

I never thought of planting the seeds. I guess I'm too impatient.

Talk about impatient those seeds are in a rush. That is too cute. Some already have leaves.

Blossom set is a spray you can buy at lowes, HD or walmart and you spray it on tomato blooms to make sure they are pollinated to set tomatoes. Sometimes I find blooms just falling off and not setting a tomato so I just use this. Sure can't hurt the crinums even if it doesn't work.

How long will it take the plant to bloom if you start with seeds?

ilove, thanks for the response. Yep, I thought that, too so I transplanted one into another sunny spot. Same thing. Lots of lovely foliage, lots of lovely spread, but not one bloom. BTW, these are in the same bed with my other crinums:( The one year that I had blooms, they were beautiful. For pictures and description, go to http://plantdelights.com.
If you go to 'shop the catalog', then scroll down the left side to the crinum page, you can see some of the variety that he has...drool. I live about 10 minutes from there and would love to have every one of them!
Thanks again,
Bev.
Oh, and I love to share. Maybe someone else would have better luck!

well i have an update about the ones i brought home that were real plants that i dug up.....one is shooting out a flower stalk as we speak....i wasnt sure that these were going to make it in their new home....but alas...these are some really hardy plants:)

tggfisk - based on your comments it sounds as if you grow these in the ground in zone 7b! This is a surprise to me since I have been assuming my new crinum (a gift from a LA DGer at a recent RU) would need to come into the GH over winter.

And you living 10 minutes from Tony Avent's - WOW I am so jealous! Just went to his website and see he is saying hardy to zone 7b too.....so protected against a brick wall for winter warmth and lots of mulch might just do it but for this first one, I think I'll pamper it inside.

carol

I'm joining this a bit late.....but sometimes a transplanted Crinum will bloom the year it was transplanted and not the next, and sometimes they won't bloom the year they are transplanted nor the next, and some folks report that they may not bloom till the third season after a transplant. This is reported in "the literature" and may or may not happen at every transplanting and some cultivars or species may be more sensitive than others.

I think some of this depends on when and how the transplanting took place and how much of the root mass was left intact. The fleshy roots of Crinums will dry out in a "NY heartbeat". I always wet them and cover with a damp towel, burlap etc. or slip them into a garbage bag while they wait to be put in. If the roots have been severely "pruned" and you transplant at a critical time in the scape development, the plant may turn its energies to growing more roots rather than proceeding with blooming.

Last year I dug my xpowelliis very early and potted them straight-away and carted them in and out till the soil was prepared (compost enriched) and temps were evenly warm. They didn't miss blooming at all and even bloomed into October--pretty good for zone 7b. I watered frequently and fertilized once with 17-17-17. I got several scapes from each bulb throughout the season and I think the regular irrigation was the key to the long season.

My C. scabrums had repeat blooms and seemed to do so after a period of lighter watering (less frequently) and would bloom when ample watering was resumed. The scapes would appear overnight, no exaggeration!

R.

oh thats all helpfull info Ray. Thank You.
carol

Thanks, R.
I might subscribe to the drying out theory except that this was purchased as a potted plant from Plant Delights. The original plants have been in the ground for about 6 years now and never moved. They bloomed the third year in, but never since. The second patch is from a bulb moved from the outside of the original clump. It has spread nicely, but not bloomed.
I have had no problem with any of the other crinums that I have. They bloom right on time every year, and E. Bosanquet smells delicious! Those dwarfs are frustrating!!!
Bev

tggfisk~

One thing about 'Hannibal's Dwarf':

One of the parents is Crinum americanum, also known as "swamp lily", which *must* have boggy, wet conditions to flower. This need may be tempered in 'HD' by the other parent, C. moorei, so that it's moisture needs are not as strong as in a pure americanum.

But--- I would still urge you to pour on the water in summer. Maybe in the pot the humusy soil was rich enough to hold sufficient moisture to promote blooming, but in the ground, more irrigation may be needed. Couldn't hurt.

R.