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waynewinkle

Tuberose problem

WayneWinkle
9 years ago

Hi everyone. This is my first post here. I've learnt a lot from everyone's posts over the past few years. I've run into a problem and I was wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.

I've been trying to grow some tuberoses for the past 2 years. They got plenty of sun, plenty (but not too much) water, a small amount of fertilizer here and there. They start to send up the bloom stalk in August or September and grow normally, plenty of buds, stalks about 70-80cm high. But just as they seem to be about to bloom each and every one of them has displayed the same problem. A few inches below the buds, the stem begins to look bruised. Pretty quickly it starts to bend and drop down and then the buds dry out and die.

I have actually got bulbs from two different sources and they both display the same problem. They are both the single Mexican type tuberose. I've been bringing them inside in October once the weather gets cold and I had wondered if it was fluctuating temperatures causing this problem. This particular one in the photos however was brought inside in September, and left in the same position (a sunny south facing windowsill) since then. It has looked healthy until two days ago (I realise there are very few lower leaves on this one - but I don't think that's relevant because all the others had plenty of leaves).

I live in Ireland and outdoor temps right now are 9 or 10 degrees celcius, indoor temps about 16 during the day and getting higher in the evening when the heat comes on. Could it just be too cold for the plants?

Other than that, maybe it's some kind of disease? Has anyone seen something similar?

This post was edited by WayneWinkle on Thu, Nov 20, 14 at 8:53

Comments (7)

  • WayneWinkle
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Close up of bruised looking stem

  • Robert (zone 7a, Oklahoma)
    9 years ago

    Hi Wayne,

    Sorry to hear you're having issues getting them to bloom.
    How much light are they receiving inside?
    I've got some that I neglected to bring up from the basement until late in the season so they spent the latter part of the summer and fall outside in full sun but are now growing under T-5 lights in my bedroom. No signs of flower stalks though.
    I'm thinking it might be too cold in your house during the day (60 degrees Fahrenheit) but I'm hoping others who have grown them inside will chime in.
    I do know that while they are actively growing they need full sun, warmth and lots of fertilizer but that's not much help for you at this point.

    Good luck!

    -Robert

  • WayneWinkle
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Robert, thanks for taking the time to reply. This one in particular has been getting light for most of the day - it's right up against a south-facing window, although the glass is slightly frosted so the light would have been a little bit diffused.

    With the previous ones, I had been moving them around during the day to get full sun. Unfortunately they all seem to wait until October before they're ready to bloom. I guess it might just be too cold and dark by then for them. I don't have any grow lights but that might be worth trying in the future.

    Other than that, I'm wondering whether it might be some kind of disease that's causing these bruised, blotchy looking areas on the stem.

    I'll have to try some new bulbs next year and get them started a bit earlier.

  • ocelaris
    9 years ago

    I had tuberoses for the first time this year and was able to bloom most of them outdoors near in New York City. They were blooming up until frost when I cut off the flowers and dug the bulbs. But I think the key is getting enough "oomph" (leaves) behind them when they can grow freely.

    I'm not sure you can do much about when you bring them inside, but while they're outside I'd strive to provide as hot, moist and fertile environment. It only looks like you have a couple leaves, which might not be enough to support flowering. I'm thinking that you can't avoid when you bring them inside, and they might have gotten a disease, but that's really not here nor there, they like hot and your goal should be to get them to bloom outside, and maybe carry them indoors at the latest possible moment. But if they're not well on their way, it might not be enough to flower?

    My double tuberose which was late to start was in about 1/2 litre of soil and really poor conditions (I had given it up for dead when it sprouted), but it was near a south facing window under some radiators, and it completed it's bloom cycle. So maybe some heat under the roots?

    I would use a light water soluble fertilizer every feeding outside and again when indoors, and possibly an anti-fungal etc... in the water. Spray with neem oil or similar horticultural oil to keep the bugs at bay... Other than that, I know the bigger the bulbs are the more likely they are to bloom, maybe yours were just smaller than the ones I got from tenessee tuberoses ?

  • WayneWinkle
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for your thoughts ocelaris. Good to know you got them to bloom up until frost. So I guess they can't be that cold-sensitive.

    Other tuberose plants I grew had plenty of leaves and still ended up with the same problem. Nice big bulbs too.

    I reckon it's some disease. I might try an anti-fungal or something like that next time, with new bulbs in new soil. I didn't fertilize them that much either, only every month or so.

  • ocelaris
    9 years ago

    I'm not sure what you can get in Ireland, but Tebuconazole used in Bayer Disease Control for Roses, flowers & shrubs is by far the best systemic fungicide I've found. That's pretty much the best but may/may not be available.

  • WayneWinkle
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Good to know, thanks. Something to think about for next year.

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