ok rixblonde
i'm from south africa and they grow wild on the farm here so maybe i can help you....which area in the states are you from...california? what's you rainfall and soil like? they love sandy poor soils and regular watering....not a lot, just regular...they don't like rich compost rich or clay soils or anything else than lots of sand....but be careful not to overwater....just hose them 2-4minutes every day, (depending on where you live) and if the soil is sandy enough the water will easily drain away and will be dry enough tomorrow for you to briefly hose them again.
i hope it helps! lemme know how that works...but maybe only fixable next year when you replant?

Hey bobbejaantjie,Thank you for your response,I live in San Antonio ,Tx and my freesia's are just planted in a simple terrocatta pot W/some miracle grow potting soil outside on the porch.I water them maybe once a week and gets very good drainage.they also receive sun most of the day right now the temps are in the 40's to upper 50's(it varies this is texas the most inconsistant state when it comes to weather)I don't understand they get to the point where they are just about to bloom and then don't.

mmm...i really don't know. it all sounds good. if they are in a pot watering once a week is perfect. there might be a problem with your planting material. try them again next year and also try some in the garden itself. you still should have plenty more bulbs if they grow so luxuriantly...they multiply fast! they seem to flourish when you don't make a fuss...i can't see any problems with your conditions...sorry i guess i have to see them myself but i can't find any reason, they should be great? let me go look if i can find anything and i'll get back to you if i find anything.

I don't know why yours are doing that. Any chance it got too cold? I believe freesias like to bloom in temps from the 50s to the 70s.
cynthia

i am no expert but the wild ones here on the farm can take frost as it gets to minus temperatures here during winter when they bloom and i haven't seen any neg to that esp in the 40deg F range it should still be OK. maybe if frost does occur or you see on the weather that it is going to be a very cold night you should just shelter them because maybe the hybridised ones that are more fussy?
I gave it some thought though and i reckon that it must be the watering or the soil...haven't you been having generous rains of late in texas, or not where you stay? the soil might be infected with bacteria that the freesia bulbs are not used to....just thoughts...i'm guessing here

hey rixblonde...i got the reason...pls see main bulb forum for answer as i thought you may have stopped looking here for your answer

I bought 5 bulbs 3 years ago. Now I have about 30 good-size plants, they propagate, but don't bloom. I planted them in the sun, in the shade, in 1/2 soil/sand, in peat moss + sand. The result is the same. Don't they like America?

i live in central florida -- i'm not certain about this, but fairly sure that freesias bloom due to diurnal conditions, not warmth -- i.e., they bloom when daylength is long enough, nothing to do with temps. mine bloom in march.

we've had a warm winter, yet none of mine look anywhere close to blooming, and some are repeats from last year while others were planted way back in november... be patient. they'll probably bloom -- keep giving them lots of sun, a bit of fertilizer, and plenty of water.

Here is a link that might be useful: some of my blog posts on freesia

sorry guys i strongly disagree....if it rains midwinter instead of spring, they bloom within 2 weeks! and south africa is further south than florida is north. they don't like nitrogen...read my posting on the main board as "rixblonde eureka i've got it!" maybe the day time hours do have an influence but this is not exclusively!

hi,

I am new to the the whole bulb planting thing.I bought some freesia corms yesterday and put them in ground today.
1)How much time does it usually take from this point onwards ..for it to form a plant and flower.Reading all your post i guess its preety late to start...hope they survive.
2)Also how long do they remain in bloom.
3) Ok ..if nothing happens or they dont bloom this season..should i leave them in ground till the next season or should i remove and put them them inside.

Thanks for your help in advance,
Norma

yes norma it's pretty late...it seems ur in florida, correct? put them in the correct soil and let them come up, wait until spring and then severe the leaves and remove from the soil otherwise they'll rot in ur humid summers...you may have enough time to see them flower if you experience a late winter, so discard advice above if they come up nicely and make buds. they dislike nitrogen rich soil and love sandy, chalky soils with a little bit of unenriched compost for beautiful flowers.
remove as soon as humidity picks up(ie the combination of high temperatures and moist soil and air)store in well air container(i use an onion sack, don't know if u get them in the states) and hang in cool dry place like a garage.
so don't wait for them to flower, you might only see that next year, but they might still flower. the main concern for now is only to see them through to next winter!
good luck

Sounds like you all are having different problems than I. At least you have buds!

My freesias have long, floppy leaves - hanging down over the edge of the pot, in fact - I have to put it on the top shelf in the east window. I don't recall them having droopy leaves like this when I bought them. The leaves look healthy, lush and green, they just don't stand up.

Is this normal?

I've had no luck raising freesias in the house. That might be due to not having south facing windows...I'm not sure. I have tried them in the sunniest windows I have...facing west and I always get the same results...lot of top growth that falls over, splays out in all directions. Basically it looks like they don't get enough sun in the house and the growth is weak and fragile. I've tried bulb supports to hold the top growth but it doesn't work. I've put freesias down as something I'll grow outside if I ever move to sunnier climes.

Good luck

Flower development is regulated primarily by temperature and light intensity.

Set the bulbs two to three inches apart in the pot. For 8" pots, plant about nine bulbs. For 10" pots, plant 12-14 bulbs.

Set the bulbs on top of the soil in the pot and then cover with peat moss or a sandy mixture so the top of the bulb is one and a half to two inches deep. This means the soil level is well down from the edge of the pot. Make sure your soil is the well-draining type. Freesias cannot be waterlogged.

Keep the bulbs slightly damp at 40F. No higher. Full sunlight.

Increase the watering as the bulbs grow and when they get seven full leaves, increase the temperature to about 50- 54F. Start feeding with half strength balanced ratio fertilizer as the flower buds start to form.

Do not allow the temperature to get over 60F or youÂll get spindly weak growth that will flop over. The ideal temperatures are between 51 and 54 F. I know that is somewhat finicky, but that is how you get the blooms! As thee temperature gets up toward 60F, and never should it be over that high; the growth will get faster and more spindly.

I had some in a pot near a sunny window this winter. I suppose that the exposure was good enough without being too hot, and that the nearness of the glass to the flowers kept the blooms cooler even though some heat was on during cold days.

The blooms were quite successful, but my disappointment was that the ones I thought I picked out were not the ones that actually bloomed! Someone must have got the corms mixed up in the bins; I wanted pink opal ones, but I got bronzy red!

I forgot to add, too, that freesias do not like flouride. If you have a lot of this in your water, you might consider using bottled water for them.

Unless you live in similar conditions to South Africa, it is hard to grow them outdoors; and they are better considered an indoor plant.

It's running about 75-80F everyday here and mine are blooming like crazy--all of them. Freesia laxa, F. leichtlinii, F. refracta, F. fucata. Sorry--I don't grow any hybrids so I can't help with them. What they do like that most people aren't aware of is slightly acidic soil and they are heavy feeders of something mild like 8-8-8. All the Cape bulbs prefer rain water if possible (as do all bulbs). They do like soil that holds moisture while in active growth but yet is free draining. They will also handle freezes down to about 29F too; most people aren't aware of that either. Mine went through about 5 this winter and are doing better than they have in a long time; we also had a very wet, El Nino winter.

It is not hard to grow them outdoors--they do like about half day shade here. Morning sun afternoon shade. And all the species except Freesia laxa like it very dry during dormancy.

Yes, I believe they take higher temps outdoors than indoors. It should definitely not get over 65F if that, indoors. They prefer it cooler and with bright light. But asstarting out they need to be kept shady and then brought out as they green; like most bulbs.

Freesias grow well in zones 9-10, though.

I HAVE A LOT OF FREESIAS PLANTED IN ADOBE SOIL IN COASTAL SO. CALIF. THEY FLOWER PROFUSELY, BUT ALWAYS FALL OVER. WHAT CAN I DO TO GET THEM TO STAND UP?

MikRobOS

Hello,
I live in central Wisconsin, as most of you know I will be keeping my freesia in pots, it is just too cold here for them to live the winter. I bought the bulbs about 2 weeks ago, and placed them in half sand, half soil with lots of perlite. Sad to say the flowers just aren't even growing. The bulbs haven't even sprouted, and they get watered every 4 to 5 days.
I planted them a bit deep, and in full sun. I managed to only recover 2 of my 24 bulbs! what can I do? and did the others just fall apart? they were all hard when I bought them, so I thought they were all alive.
Thanks for the help
Justin