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Dombeya, Geissorhiza, Geum, Moraea, Romulea
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Posted by hawaii50 z10 HI (My Page) on Fri, Dec 22, 06 at 14:32
| I just received Dombeya, Geissorhiza, Geum, Moraea, and Romulea seeds from Silverhill. I plan to plant them in pots of Kellogg’s GroMulch (retains moisture, but drains well), with the seeds covered slightly with the medium, and the pots placed outdoors in a location with partial sun (subtropical climate). I’ll water the seeds daily so the growing medium stays at least moist. I don’t have any experience with these plants, so if any knowledgeable person can give me any advice, I’d be most appreciative. |
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RE: Dombeya, Geissorhiza, Geum, Moraea, Romulea
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- Posted by bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on
Mon, Dec 25, 06 at 16:22
| It would help to know which species of each you purchased, as some of the bulbs are primarily mediterranean climate, winter rainfall/summer drought species and may not acclimate well to a subtropical location, especially if they can't be kept dry in summer, and your winters aren't cool enough to suit them. I would say that if you live at higher altitudes that more closely approximate California as to night time lows, you may have success with them. Most of the South African Dombeya's are subtropical to tropical, so should not present any problems to grow. Most Dombeya species will be winter blooming, and flowers can be frost sensitive if you are borderline subtropical. The one Dombeya that I can grow well here in San Francisco is D. burguessiae, which tends to bloom almost all year round, but doesn't have as showy full clusters as some of the larger growing Dombeya species. |
RE: Dombeya, Geissorhiza, Geum, Moraea, Romulea
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| Bahia, thank you for your response. I bought the following seeds: Dombeya cacuminum
Geum capense
Geissorhiza inflexa
Geissorhiza radians
Geissorhiza splendidissima
Moraea polystachya
Moraea ramossisima
Romulea amoena
Romulea diversiformis
Romulea komsbergensis
Romulea rosea I live near sea level, and it’s warmer than California. It’s rainy during the winter, and the lowest temperature during the coldest night is 56 degrees F. It’s dry during the summer, and the highest temperature during the hottest day is 92 degrees F. The relative humidity is always around 80 percent. Any help on whether they would grow here would be much appreciated. I should have asked about the seeds on this forum before I bought them. |
RE: Dombeya, Geissorhiza, Geum, Moraea, Romulea
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- Posted by bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on
Thu, Dec 28, 06 at 21:59
| I think you are abit too warm in winter for most of the bulbs, which would probably do much better if planted at 3000 foot or higher elevation. The Moraea polystachya may grow for you, as this is pretty much an evergreen here in Berkeley, so may not need as much winter cold. Of the others, the Dombeya should be just fine, the other bulbs, try it and see, but unless the provenance of these species is from the more tropical KwazuluNatal area, (and I would assume that most of these bulbs are more likely Western Cape species), you probably aren't going to have the greatest success with them. Silverhill Seeds does usually list where the plants are native, so look for seed of things that are from the more tropical parts of South Africa next time. |
RE: Dombeya, Geissorhiza, Geum, Moraea, Romulea
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| Thanks a lot for your evaluation of the plants, Bahia. I’ll lower my expectations, except for a couple of them. Next time I’ll do more research before buying. |
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