tuberrose

[richardtaylor]

hi all
i have had a few tuberrose for about 5 years and as of yet none of them have flowered do's anyone here know how to get them to flower..

thanks
richard

[martinpribble]

We had nothing from our tuberose last season (Melbourne, Australia, so spring is in Sept-Nov). Apparently according to a local florist, last spring/summer was terrible for tuberose because it was so dry, and the prices at florists rose accordingly.

No help here though, sorry.

[richardtaylor]

perhaps i should of mentioned that i am in south west england if that makes any difference..

[Debby]

I planted out three tuberoses some years ago expecting to see blooms right away, as with tulips and daffodils. Nothing happened, apart from leaf growth. Potted up the plants to winter over (the top growth died back) and left them in the pot the following summer (moved it outside). Nothing happened, apart from more leaf growth. This year I left the pot in the greenhouse, which is simply vented (we unplug the noisy fan), and have been rewarded with one tall flowering stem. I visit it regularly to appreciate the lovely fragrance (My husband doesn't think it's so wonderful). I did keep the soil moist and fertilized with 20-20-20. I will try keeping the pot warm and moist again next summer and hope for more blooms. It has been a long wait!

[sarahw]

I've been looking for information about tuberose and found this posting (composite from one site) that may be helpful to you:

Your problem is a common one when not enough warm summer weather is available. You could have dug it carefully and potted it and brought into the house and kept in an east window at household temperatures. I have had them bloom in January doing this and continuing to water and fertilize weekly [with a liquid fertilizer with a Phosphorus number of 52]. I remove the offsets before replanting. You can grow the offsets but they will take a couple of years to reach blooming size. Don't give up on them, you will just need to find what works for you.

I started fertilizing mine heavily with a bloom forumula beginning in June. They started blooming in August and are still blooming in October - and we've had a cool summer with only a handful of days in the 90's [in California].

[Debby]

Thanks for the information, Sarah. When the weather warms, I'm going to take apart my pot of tuberoses to separate the larger from the small and carry on...

[Ron B]

Have tried them once here, slugs wouldn't leave them alone from soon after emergence - never got anywhere.