Tuberoses – Questions And Answers

Question: I would like to have information on the storing and culture of tuberoses. Mine make a healthy growth, but only about one out of 25 blooms.

Answer: The tuberose in most respects is of the easiest culture with practically no enemies or diseases. It is a tropical from Mexico and should be dug and stored before freezing weather.

Its blooming habits are uncertain, but if mature tubers are planted in late May, they should be blooming by August Offsets will not bloom the first year. If you have been dividing or planting the offsets from the mature tubers, this would account for the scarcity of bloom. Use good tubers, plant in light, rich soil in May, dig the tubers in September and store them in a warm, dry place. Plant only good sized tubers that show evidence of growth and discard those that show no signs of life in the spring.

Question: I have lovely single tuberoses that bloom beautifully year after year. I also have a dozen double flowering ones and they do not bloom as they should. Can you tell me why? Some clumps send up no stems at all, and those that do send up a single stem do not open their flower buds. They appear distorted, turn brown at the edges of the petals and at times seem almost scabby. Is it a disease, weather conditions, or something I do wrong? RT, Missouri.

Answer: Tuberoses with small single blooms have been improved and even double flowers have been developed. This has been accomplished through cross pollination and intensive cultivation. Intensive cultivation means extra rich porous soil, the correct light exposure, even moisture content, uniform temperature and constant care. It is the double varieties that are first to suffer if any of the above conditions are not maintained. It may be that an inferior double variety is being grown. A new or different strain of double tubers may give better results.

Related Articles Of Interest:

• Peruvian Daffodils – Winter Care, Buds Not Opening And More FAQs
• Dahlia – Growing Questions and Answers
• Narcissus – Blooming, Soil, Forcing And Other FAQs
• Peonies – Plant, Divide, Transplant, Bloom Peony Questions