Seedlings

[McClements, Jim]

On Mar 10 Paul Christian wrote:
>>>>On seedlings:- I have half a feeling that seedlings left undisturbed in
their pots or seedtrays ("flats"?) until the end of their second year do
better than those repotted after their first dormancy period.  I don't have
any solid, quotable results from any controlled experiments, but it does
hold for Fritillaria where mortality is close on double if they are repotted
at any time in their first year's dormancy period.  I am on sure ground with
the Frits, thinner ice with the Arisaema.  What I cannot figure out is WHY.
They are totally dormant when repotted, they go into the same compost mix (I
make my own).  I try to be aware to the mositure levels and temperatures of
the "old" and "new" compost.  The new should (?) be sterile, the old would
no longer be, so whay do so many fail to re-emerge.  Having said all of this
it is easier to leave them alone but I would like some reasons or answers -
anyone out there got any speculations??<<<<<<<<


I certainly don't claim to  have the answer to Paul's quandry, but one
possible factor could be the presence of beneficial fungi in the old compost,
which in some way prevents or inhibits bulb rot, or, conversely, stimulates
growth after dormancy. Paul, are the bulbs rotted and gone when they fail to
re-emerge, or do they just remain dormant?

With arisaema corms being subjected to "artificial winters" of one to three
months, the amount of moisture seems to be critical and difficult to gauge.
Craig Stubbs' recent posting about this is very interesting, where he stores
them in grit which he keeps slightly moist.

I've also noticed that even when the corms are removed from "winter" in the
refrigerator in good shape (having been stored in a plastic bag in compost),
there is often a big difference in time between the first to the last to
emerge, and that some stay dormant, but healthy, through the whole period
that the others grow and go dormant again.

As an old TV commercial used to say, "You can't fool Mother Nature!" But it's
fun to try!

Jim McClements