If you live in a frost prone area, wait until the threat of frost has passed before planting. You can pop it in a pot to give it a head start on the season.
- Botanical Name
- Polianthes tuberosa
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Plant Type
- Bulb
- Size (HxW)
- 60-100cm x 20cm
- Depth & Spacing
- Plant in late winter to early spring 5cm deep and space 20cm apart.
- Soil
- Humus rich, moist, well drained soil is ideal. A neutral to slightly acid soil is preferred.
- Aspect
- Full Sun. Endemic to Mexico they like it warm and sunny – this is more important in cool climes where you need to choose a hot spot as they won’t do much in the cold.
- Climate
- Cool to Tropical
- Frost
- Tender
- Water
- After planting wait until you see green shoots before you begin watering, keep moist in active growth – if they are stressed from lack of moisture they are unlikely to flower well. Keep relatively dry during dormancy.
- Fertiliser
- Feed heavily each year in early spring. They will also benefit from a liquid fertiliser every few weeks during growth. Organic mulch and compost is also a much loved addition to these bulbs.
- Flowering Time
- Summer
- After Flower Care
- Cut off any spent flowers to encourage more. Picking them for vases also encourages more blooms, pick when 2-4 buds have opened. Keep moist until foliage yellows, it can then be removed as required.
- Notes
- They are terminal bulbs, so after flowering, the current bulb dies and the side bulbs take over. These side bulbs may take a year to flower, depending on conditions, as your patch establishes you will notice this less and less.
Shelter plants from strong winds. Aphids may become a pest, pick them off and squash them, use the hose, or in desperation, use insecticide.
They are ok in containers, you need to ensure they are well fed and watered and there is sufficient drainage. If you divide your Tuberose you may delay flowering by a season or two, they are quite sensitive.
