Dear All
When our bulbs have finished flowering we tend to move the pots out of the greenhouse or the outside covered beds. Terry returns her miniatures back into the sand plunges. These are used to keep the pots at a constant temperature and the tops are kept off the frames so sometimes the sand and pots will need watering if we have a long dry spell after flowering, but usually they get what the weather throws at them . The frames are positioned east to west and get the maximum light that is available.
Her standard Division 5-9’s are put back into the plunge frames which they have spent the winter months in. These frames have the bottom 6″ lined with peat and pearlight which was used to cover the pots over the winter the leaves are in full light as these frames also run from east to west. In the case of standard 5-9’s and my 1-4’s the pots are kept cool while the leaves are in full sun which is the same for the miniatures. The idea at all times is to try and replicate how they would grow naturally in the ground. The ones in the peat based frame are watered on a reducing period until about the end of May then all watering ceases and the tops are allowed to die down, which coincides with what is happening in the ground and by mid June nearly all the tops have died back to soil level.
I would then knock them out wash, dip, dry and clean and then put them in a dry and airy place. To keep them cool I would blow them with a big fan until they are re-planted.
Remember wet warm pots are not good for the bulbs, they can start off fungal diseases.
Terry’s miniatures had the dutch light tops put back over the bulbs this week to start the drying and baking process and they will not be removed until early September.
Regards
Roger and Terry