I just recieved some "Pearl" tuberose bulbs that I purchased and am in need of some advice. I haven't grown these before let alone any other bulbs. I'm not sure if most of my bulbs are in bad shape or already dead. There are a few in one of the pictures that are green(which is good, I guess?) but most of them are small, brown, dry and somewhat shriveled. Can someone please tell me if these are still viable and what would be the next best course of action!?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Picture of the more brown and dried ones.
Just saw you plea on the "chat" forum. Sorry I didn't respond sooner but I'm not familar with this plant. General rule of thumb: If the bulbs are still firm go ahead and plant them. Hopefully someone familar with this plant will jump in later.
Thanks so much. I really appreciate your advice.
Will do and have a great weekend!
Hi. I have bought these for the past 2 years at a flower show and mine come much drier than yours so yours should do just fine. Plant them with the point pointing up. Mine also come much larger than yours since I did did get them at the flower show, so I'm not sure if yours are at the flowering size yet. But, I don't know about this, so maybe someone else will. I also planted mine about 2 to 3 inches deep. They're definately not dead, and when they do bloom, they smell wonderful...... like a gardenia... very strong fragrance! Have fun!
Oh, I just saw your zone. they are only hardy to zone 7 so I wouldn't plant them until after you warm up there a bit :-) They also flower around august. But zone 7 would be putting them in the ground around now or atleast by april I would think. Chime in if I'm wrong! You could pot them up and get them started inside so that they flower at the right time for you and not to late when you start getting frosts again. just a suggestion....:-)
Thanks so much! I do think I will start them in pots, inside!
I really appreciate your responses! Take care!
dbrockbn, You got some good advice from mygypsyrose. The second photo was sort of hard to tell (blurry), but I think the bulbs are OK. They don't need to show green to be OK.
You'll love the tuberose. They really do have a great scent and the flower lasts forever... it may not look pretty and perfect, but we had one in the house for 2 weeks and every time we came home from work my hubby would say "I can still smell that thing!" (that's how he refers to flowers or plants... thangs...)
There isn't a whole lot of info out on these, they bloom in the garden late in the year, like August and Sept- but that's cool to have something nice when everything else is dying back.
You may or may not get flowers from your bulbs- I had little bulbs like that give me flowers, but I've also heard they flower every other year. Anyhow, after a season of growing, the single bulb will turn into a little clump of several bulbs, which you can plant the next year or separate.
You can also look up Polianthes, which is the botanical name.
There are 2 tuberose, Mexican Single and The Pearl. I think the Pearl is the double flower and has some tinges of pink.
Great flower! Good luck!
Susan
Thanks for taking the time to answer some of my questions, Susan. I appreciate the help.
I look forward to these beautiful and fragrant flowers I've been hearing about. Take care!
You may find they bloom earlier and longer by starting them indoors.
I purchased The Pearl bulbs last year in February. Planted them in 16oz. styro cups in March in a heated garage. Repotted them late May, Had blooms from June through August outdoors on my deck. The scent in incredible. You don't even have to be near to smell this tuberose, but you'll keep sticking your nose right in it anyway because it smells SOOOooo good.
Thanks again for the great advice. I'm excited!
Just happened onto this site. I have had Pearl planted in full sun for three years, zone 8a. This summer they just bloomed their little hearts out. In my ignorance I planted them directly in the ground (as I do with almost everything) and they have suffered no ill effects.
Christi
oh? were you not supposed to plant directly inground? that's what I did, but mine didn't bloom as profusely as I'm reading here.
Took mine the whole three years to bloom. Now I need to move them and I'm afraid they will start all over.
Christi
Do the tuberoses require full sun? I'd love to grow some for the fragrance, but I have a mostly shaded yard. Sarah
I don't what they should be in but mine are in full sun. I try not to let them dry out though.
Christi
Thanks, Christi. I'll have to do some research.
I grow these. I started out with a little bulb piece like what up in the first pic in this thread. They like the full sun, if you put them in a shady spot the bloom which is on a logn stalk wil strech itself out very thin to find th esun and you won't get many flowers to bloom.
In the spring I start mine out on a reguar miracle grow diet to get the foliage going, then once the foliage is all up good They like to be feed a mix of like 9-14-9 about 7 or 8 small everytime you go to water to put out the blooms. they a heavy feeder for blooming time.
I think you can leave them in the ground from zone 7 or 8 and up. Up here where the ground freezes pretty good, you have to dig them up. Because they bloom toward the end of the season, I've been told that I can start them in pots early so that they bloom and a cold snap doesn't get them before then.
Wanted to bring this thread back up--I just received my tuberose bulbs and since I live in Zone 5b I'd like to keep them in a pot. Any suggestions? I don't want to overcrowd them. I was thinking I'd like to do three in a 14" wide pot--is that too small or should I just do two?
Thanks! :)
I think it depends on if you got a whole huge bulb with alot of bulbets around it or the smaller bulbs like the picture at the top. Mine came different. I got them at a flower show and they where a group of bulbs together... maybe 3" wide. I put 3 of those in a 14" pot last year and they did fine. I also put in some trailing petunias so I had something in the pot that had some flowers because they dont bloom until the end of the season. They do need to be feed a fert. with a high phos #. The middle #. If you have the bulbs like the ones in the picture above. I think you could get away with putting more than 3 or mix them with some other bulbs or plants. Thats just my opinion. Hope others chime in as well. :-)
Andrea
Thanks Andrea--I actually received 5 "Single" tuberose bulbs and 5 "Pearl" tuberose bulbs. All of them are single bulbs, with no babies.
I think I will take your advice and do four large pots--one large pot with three bulbs and one large pot with two bulbs for each type. Then after they start to take off I'll add some petunias or million belles. Sounds like a great suggestion. Thanks! :D
