OK - I am glad you started this thread - your story is my story except for the repotting part. I have read it is best not to disturb them at all. But with a small army of bulbs showing no signs of waking up, I am getting worried. Should I be worried? Is it too early? Should I water a tiny bit? I have assured everyone who has doubted my sanity having so many bulbs, that of course they will rebloom! Gulp! I hope so!

Hi Anna,

Up to recently I have watched to see if a scape or a leaf is starting to appear before I bring the pot upstairs. This last batch however I have brought a bunch up that I brought down in late Sept. and aren't showing signs of growth. I figure they have been down there long enough.

So I brought them up, gave them a watering without repotting, and put them in a windowsill. If they still don't do anything, I'll put a heating pad under them like Jodi suggested in another thread.

I wish I could help, but I don't force dormancy on any of my bulbs. I let them all grow and rest naturally.

For me, re-potting is usually done in spring. However, I have re-potted at all different times of the year, depending on the reasons for re-potting.

I think as long as the bulbs have had at least 12 weeks of rest, they should slowly begin to wake up once brought back into a warm, bright environment and given a drink.

Be patient... some bulbs are slow starters. Don't worry so much... give them time.

While I do not normally force normally on my collection I had only a few old favorites and some selected seedling at the end of September and re-potted most, so, in effect, most were forced into dormancy. I let the bulbs decide when they have had a long enough rest. So far only 2 or 3 have awaken by poking a bloom stem up from their bulbs.Since I added so many new ones I am in no big hurry to get everyone awake and growing! They can take their time and some may be as late as March or April before they wake up!

I do not use warm water on the basement plants, but I also try not to water when it is really frigid out as that is like using ice water and none of the plants like that! I have go to have a mixer put on the plumbing, especially if these winters are going to continue to be colder, "global warming" not withstanding!

Anna, if you are able to, do use tepid water on your bulbs, they will appreciate it. Hanging a light will help supplement the natural light - keep them on for 16 hours though, especially when it is overcast. (Less on sunny days). Bottom heat can sometimes help. Patience is the key!

Ana...If it has been at least 8 weeks since you put your Hippies to their cool rest, bring up one of your most mature/biggest single flowering bulb, water once and wait. It will prove that you are "sane" in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, you'll have flowers for Valentine's Day!!! :-)

Take note: Single flowering and not double flowering as they bloom/put out scapes faster.

Congratulations Barb on your multitudes of scapes! You said your scapes are "not as strong", is this compared to first year (from the grower) or to the scapes you attain when growing as evergreens indoors and out?

I have been "basementing" mine for about 5 years. I haven't noticed a difference in "strength". Of course if you purchase huge 4 scape bulbs, mine don't compare, mine usually put off many offsets instead and I have had a number of bulbs with 2 or 3 mother scapes and 1 to 2 scapes per offset. These are very fun and impressive.

I am assuming you put the plants outside over the summer? If not you would probably have reduced vigor in your plants. I would replace the soil prior to bringing them back to bloom. I usually wait until mine start throwing scapes before bringing them up from the basement. Some don't do this until March, while others do this quickly!
(I want them to give me and new bulbs a break).

I usually use tepid water for most things. I think you'll be fine, the longer that you do this the more comfortable you'll become. I find too that each year is different- don't stress over it- it sounds as though everything is GOOD. Keep up the hard work, you're doing fine!
Sally

Hi Sally,

Yes, I'm comparing them to the first year when I bought them from the grower. Bulbs that I have bought from the on line sites (Brent and Becky's, WFF) are usually multiple scapes and huge flowers. The next year, I don't get anywhere near the vigor from them.

And yes, I have been bringing them outside to grow in the summer. This has been a bit problematic finding just the right place for them and I may have to build some kind of structure with a top that I can switch screening and shelter for them. I live where there is NBF, and also last summer, it was very rainy.

One bulb I planted in the garden, and then dug out in the fall. It was huge! But I have too many bulbs to think of doing that with all of them.

It is sounding as if repotting when breaking dormancy is what most are doing.

Do you all have a favorite fertilizer?

Barb,

I'm here in Z5 also and use a combination of fertilizers on mine, beginning with bone meal when I pot them up and a slow release pelleted fertilizer on top. Once the bulbs are well on their way I start using a water soluble with the addition of Superthrive.

When I get mine outside for summer I start in a shady spot for a week or so and then move them out into the Daylily Spider Breeder bed and set the pots in between the daylilies. I also add more sloe release fertilizer then and water when nature doesn't supply enough. Around July you can start feeding a blossom booster formula to help initiate buds for the following season - remember it takes 18 months for flowers to develop and make their war from the heart of the bulb.

When growing I have found hippies to be heavy feeders and consumers of moisture - just so they don't stay soggy wet. Since I also use a foliar feed on my daylilies, the hippies in with them get it as well and love it!

Hope this helps.

BTW, I have way too many to plant mine "in the ground" as well! But I have thought about doing a raised bed and just sinking the pots and topping everything off with a nice mulch. This would definitely help with the moisture requirements! That might work for you (and others) The only draw back is slugs and grasshoppers chewing the foliage.But that can be regulated!

Alas, taking mine out of the basement is not an option: no room upstairs,and I mean really NO ROOM. The basement is dark with no natural light at all. But, as Maria suggested, I'll bring up one or two of the biggest ones and try waking them. Just to see what happens. However, I have the upstairs army of NEW bulbs that are enthusiastically sending up scapes, so I may hold off on that until perhaps Feb. or so. I am hoping that the bulbs will waken on their own. Beware newbies! This is what happens when you get addicted, and you haven't the adequate space. It doesn't stop!

From what I hear, Foliage Pro is the way to go for the best container plant fertilizer... but at the moment, I'm using Miracle Gro All Purpose liquid. I use it at a rather diluted strength... less than half, more like a 1/3 or 1/4... and I water with it every time, or almost every time. I also add micro-nutrients at less than 1/2 strength.

My bulb collection is "all over the place", with regards to pot sizes, medium types, etc... what I really need to do is re-pot ALL of them this coming spring, using ample size pots and the free-draining medium I mix myself. I need to risk summering them outside, too... or I'm never going to get the amount of re-blooms I want!

Barb- I have been using a hibiscus fertilizer 18-10-28 (plus Epsom salts) at a low concentration each time I water inside, outside this is more intermittent depending on rain and my motivation. I don't use bloom boosters ever. There are interesting recommendations in Veronica Read's book (I don't have this) on this site from Hans Werner and also general info from tapla on the container gardening forum (search for fertilizer).

I am so sorry you have NBF! What a pain! Maria, I'm curious if you have NBF and if so how you handle it?

Ana, it sounds like you have a ton of bulbs!!!
Personally, the longer mine sleep, the better- I don't have the room either so my bulbs suffer from Jan- April, until I can put them out. I don't have enough room/light.
but it's FUN!!!
Sally

They don't need any light at all if they are leafless. Unless you have ones that did not have a chance to leaf out good before the weather outside got too cold and you had to bring them in.

Hippies with leaves continously grown in the garage. They have been in this condition since November. The leafless ones are on the other end with no lights.
{{gwi:376814}}

I watch the temperature in that unheated garage right here in front of my pc. The "outdoor" temp. is the garage temp. where the sensor is. Helps a lot in giving you "peace of mind". So far, I have just run the heater there once or twice this season when the temps showed it was dipping in the 30s(F). Avoid exposing your stored bulbs to freezing temps as this can cause problems with the flower scapes/embryo within the bulb.
{{gwi:376815}}

Some things you guys might want to try. It works great for me and makes winter Hippie care a little bit easier...and fun! The girls LOVE that LED light and wants one for their bedroom. LOL!!

I will be BUMPING UP 2 old threads about dormancy, storing and repotting that I think is very important before they get lost in cyberspace.

Well, I feel a bit better then. I was afraid that by keeping them "in the dark" for so long may in some way hinder or even deteriorate their progress.

Dormant plants need no light... I thought about that when I first began to winter our containerized outdoor trees, shrubs, and perennials in the unheated garage... I thought, "gosh, there's not a lot of light coming in the small garage windows"... and then it dawned on me... they won't need light until they break dormancy!

As soon as I see them budding up in early spring, I begin to open the garage doors during the warmth and light of day... and close them again as the sun sets. Once the danger of frost passes, out they all go!

The same basic thing would apply to our bulbs if they're kept dormant in a dark basement or frost-free garage... they won't require any light until they show signs of growth. At that point, we'd bring them back inside and place them in a warm, sunny room.

Maria, I have an electronic temperature/humidity gauge that gives me temperature readings for indoor and outdoor! I love it! It's not as fancy as yours, but it does come in handy! Indoor temps seem to hover at around 70 degrees F.

Sal...Sorry I missed your question. Yes I do have NBF here. They come and go and so do the Hippies. Oh well...that's life right? I do spray both systemics and contact insecticide/miticides alternately. But I have learned this through the years...Mother Nature will have it's ways no matter what. So I don't worry that much anymore and invest my time on enjoying the Hippies.

Anna...The first phase of the Hippie addiction is usually the "wanting" to acquire all the possible varieties out there. Been there with Soultan in my first seasons of Hippie craziness. I miss him so much. After that, you must learn to cull and select on what to keep. Assuming that you have no plans of hybridizing, these should be the performers in your growing conditions. Remember, 20 healthy bulbs in a manageable hippie collection is far more better than a hundred inferior growing hippies that drives you nuts all year round.

You can bring in a hippie bulb and just keep it somewhere in room temp. It doesn't need light until it shows new growth (scape/leaf tip) which usually takes 4-6 weeks from a properly stored hippie bulb.

I tried "bumping" those old important threads. They won't show up. So it is possible that GW is losing them. What a shame. I will just start a post and provide links.

Barb...Sorry for getting OT on your thread.

Maria, please don't be sorry. I learn so much just from reading you all discuss the growing of the hippis. I'm disappointed those old threads are missing, I would love to read them.

Already I am going to try to find a better fertilizer.

What kind of light is that in your garage? It looks purple on my monitor.

It's purple on my monitor, too. I wondered if that was just the camera's flash, or if the actual light bulb is a different type/spectrum?

Barb, if you can obtain Foliage Pro, that's what the experts are currently using... for all containerized plants. That's what I'm getting next... after I use up my bottle of Miracle Gro All Purpose liquid.

From what I've been reading, the NPK numbers should be somewhere around, or equivalent to, 12-4-8, or thereabouts. There are some really great educational threads on container fertilizers over at the Container Gardening Forum, if you'd care to do a little reading... a wealth of information!

What Maria's talking about... that's the point I'm at about now. What I need to do is choose my best and strongest bulbs, and figure out exactly what I want out of my collecting and pollinating, and find homes for the bulbs I decide not to keep.

My collection has overflowed the available space I have, and keeping so many mediocre bulbs doesn't leave me with the time to concentrate on my more important bulbs and plants. It's time to make some choices.

That's actually more of pinkish. That's why the girls love it. It is an LED grow light that's supposed to perform like a 400 MH grow light. But it really does not in my experience. It will keep your plants going but not the best for them. Just right for winter growing when the growth is slow. Come spring time, all of them will go out and get what's best for them...direct sunlight.

This LED grow light was a gift from a very dear friend. I received it right before I needed to put the hippies to rest. He actually foresaw that some of my Hippies that did not wake up till late summer/early fall would be needing to be continously grown inside so they can recover. He's the greatest. Love ya buddy!!!

Thanks Jodi, I'll look for the Foliage Pro. Have you found it anywhere easy to get?

Rebecca, I have used a pelleted fertilizer in the past, but I could still see the granules in the mix a year later. They just didn't seem to be dissolving, so I think I should just stick with liquid fertilizers. At the present I am just using Miracle Grow for Houseplants.

Maria, interesting about the LED light. I'm assuming it is energy efficient. I am always struggling between trying to provide for my plant's needs, and keeping my electric bill affordable.

Actually, I think I'll probably end up ordering Foliage Pro from somewhere online, and having it shipped. I haven't found it anywhere locally. But from what I'm reading, it's worth it.

For lighting, I've just got two shop light fixtures, with one cool and one warm bulb each. I don't know how much they bump the power bill... I don't pay that bill here. I wouldn't imagine it's a lot, though.

I'm not crazy about using granular or CRF fertilizers, because I'm not certain about how consistent the release rate is. Some seem to melt and dissipate rather quickly, and some seem to stay in the soil for a long time. Since it's better to feed a plant a constant diluted supply of food, I think I have better control with the liquids.

Maria, I appreciate the words of wisdom on mother nature, NBF and managing the size of one's collection. All well put.

Jodi, I too just have shoplights. I was inspired to set up a system in the basement today for my 2-3yr babies. It's only 50 degrees, but they look healthy. I hope to have room to bring others upstairs and to grow seeds of OTHER things come spring. I have about 5 days of "freedom" then time to hit the books again!

I love hearing about everyone's experiences overwintering and growing these bulbs. It stimulates the brain and motivates me. Thanks all!
Sally

PS, Barb- I recently needed to bring up my beloved Exotic Star, a bulb I've had for 4 yrs. The mother has 2 scapes, 1 offset has 2, and 1 has 1. This is less then last year, but I attribute this to the fact that we had an unnaturally coool summer. I only brought it up when I saw what it was up to!

Gosh, I couldn't imagine what it would look like if I had the proper basement elements, and was able to store my potted bulbs there for a dormancy! The entire floor space would be loaded with rows of clay pots, all tipped on their sides so I would remember not to water! The image looks like a clay farm in my brain!

From what Larry tells me, running the two shop light fixtures doesn't cost much, at all... hardly noticeable on the electric bill.

Very cool, Sally! I think 50 degrees will be fine... they might just grow a bit slower in the cool temperature, but they'll be fine. I would say that spring will be upon us before we know it, but as I look out the window, we're getting dumped on again! I think the forecast was for 5 inches of snow... and it looks like we'll get that, and more!

Stay warm!

Jodik - can you explain exactly what "shop light fixtures" are? Fluorescents?

That is a 90 watt LED grow light that is supposed to be effective or cover a 5ft x 5ft growing area. As you can see in my picture, I hang it higher (3 ft above plants) so it would cover a bigger area. And the hippies seem to be ok with that. I repeat, this set-up of mine is done not to MAXIMIZE my plant's growth. This is just to get my hippies, ones that I don't want to rest, going during winter.

One 48 inch shoplight/flourescent fixture uses 80 watts (40watts/flourescent)and can only cover around 1ft X 4 ft growing area. It is not the best for your hippies too but get them by during winter. I have 2 set-ups of these to which I use with the seedlings (5 seedling trays). The trays had to be switched around as the ones in the end really suffers with very little effective light reaching them. It is also not the best for the seedlings as you can see how their leaves elongate and reach for more light. But they survive in it during winter.
{{gwi:375410}}

So to sum this up, here's the math:
1 LED grow light.....90 watts....25 sq ft growing area
2 shoplights.........160 watts...8-10 sq ft growing area

For those who would like a good indoor set-up that will maximize your Hippies performance during winter, go for Sir Hans or Laurier's set-up. They are the best that I have seen or read about and have seen very good results from.

Anna, the common term for florescent two tube fixtures, usually found in older offices, factories, and other places of business... also used in homes, in garages and basements. We just call them "shop lights", I suppose because people use them in their home workshops.

I believe mine are 48" in length, and I use a cool tube and a warm tube in each fixture. The fixtures cost about $18 each at a place like Home Depot or Lowe's...

When you're putting your Hippis in the heated rooms again are you instantly watering? I planned on leaving mine alone until they showed signs of growth.

{{gwi:376816}}

The ones with the leaves already had those when I put them to rest, I didn't want to cut those not jet fully developed leaves. For their 2 month of rest in a dark basement those leaves turned white-ish but withstood it quite well, now they are darkening again. I'm now watering this community-pot (those are Supreme Garden) since the one leaf showed elongation for sure, but I'll wait a bit with the other pots, or what would you do?

Water a little bit. Just to put in some moisture in the soil and roots hydrate. This will give the bulb the signal to wake up. Just like how they are outside when the spring warmer temps and rain comes in. This is a critical stage to watch on overwatering. The Hippies cannot absorb too much moisture in the root area at this first stage as they are not actively growing yet. Once you see them wake up and start to grow new leaves, increase watering. The golden rule still applies.."water...dry...water...dry". They can have a taste of a weak fertilizer once they have grown a few leaves already.

I just brought some hippies from the garage a few days ago. They have been under that LED light for more than 8 weeks and have kept some of their leaves even at rest. The leaves are not the best looking. Kinda dried up a bit with some yellowing showing on them. Makes you wonder if they should have just been put to rest without leaves. I do have doubts if the leaves have any use for a sleeping hippie bulb in cool storage. Commercial growers has always recommended storing hippie bulbs leafless.

So you'd recommend to water all of them a little with non-fertilized water now?

Thanks so far, that's what I planned too. I'm always watering from below and watch how fast the water is drained into the pot. I gave the Supreme Garden a gulp and the water was all sucked in but not as fast as I thought it would, so I'll wait some time before watering them again.