No I don't think it is age. They are not very demanding of fertilizer either. I would expect they may not be getting enough sunshine. Here I have several in pots and they have been in the same pots for at least 3 years, probably terribly root bound, but blooming every year. Of course in our climate they need no winter protection. Al

They're usually winter dormant, so turn off the lights and keep them on the dryish side. Let them go dormant and take a rest.

They'll be OK with freezing down to, say, -5C overnight, but not long sessions of freezing.

When spring comes, water well and let them come away in their own time.

Once they're in leaf - give them good full light for at least half the day.

Mine live out in the ground all year so they get rained on all through winter which doesn't seem to discourage them at all.

They form clumps, like a daylily (Hemerocallis) so be sure to allow a fairly wide pot when you pot on.

If you want more of them, they can form new plants from leaf cuttings as well as the bulbs.

The old leaves tend to form a water-resistant mat on the ground around them, somewhat slimy where the leaves haven't fully rotted. Best cleared away.

Hi. This is kind of an old thread, so maybe someone has some additional tips by now.

I live in Zone 5 and have had a Eucomis Oakhurst for 4years. The first year I bought it, when I brought it in for the winter it bloomed around Christmas and lasted for a month or more. Although I've gotten new bulbs from it, none of them have bloomed. The second year, I think I just left the bulbs in the dirt and kept the foliage clipped back (they get very wilty and sad looking). Last year, I took the bulbs out of the dirt and kept them wrapped up in the dark for the winter and repotted in the spring. Still no blooms this past year. So I'm trying to decide if I should do anything different with it this winter.

Any thoughts on what I might do to get it to bloom again?! Although the foliage gets a pretty purple during the spring/summer, I sure would love to get another of those awesome blooms! I have had to experiment with locations for it during the growing season because of our unpredictable Colorado climate and sun intensity, It seems to do best overall on the north side of our house in semi-shaded exposure. If I put it where it gets more direct sun during the summer, the heat is just way too much for it - the leaves wilt badly, especially with our sudden winds. It revives, but it does put the plant in a lot of stress. The spot where I've settled on for it is a bit more protected from both. But perhaps it's just not enough sun for it to bloom.

If I can't get it to bloom, I may give up on growing it here. :(

Here's the thread I had on the Rocky Mountain Garden Forum the first year it bloomed: Eucomis Oakhurst

Thanks for any advice!!

I suspect that calistoga's posting might have a clue: leave untouched for several years. Haemanthus is like this, too.

Look at your potting mix: is it too rich? Or in need of a small shot of tomato fertiliser? Or more drainage?

Do you have unwanted bugs in the soil that could be munching on the roots?

Ive heard about the 'four seasons in a day' weather for people in the Rocky Mountains area, so your move to put the plants on the sheltered north side could be useful. Would it be 'aesthetically pleasing' to put them under a set of garden hoops, wind-stop cloth over, so they get more light, less full sun and wind?

If the temperatures are seriously high - could you plunge the pot/s into the soil so the growing medium doesn't heat up so much?

Fingers crossed for you.

I have four of them in a commercial garden downtown where they get full sun and face an asphalt parking lot. They have been there four years, and bloom better each year. They are on the drip system for water getting one gallon three times a week. This year with the drought we were limited to only two times a week, they did not care. I think your problem is not being able to leave them in place where they can get properly established. I never cut back the foliage, just let it collapse onto the ground before removing it. With your climate i think I would pot into a three gallon nursery pot and sink the pot in the ground during the time it is in the garden, leave it till it goes dormant before taking it in. Good luck Al

Thanks so much for your ideas! You are absolutely right about our "four seasons in a day", vetivert8 - weather here is never boring ;^), and it is challenging for gardening, for sure.

Your idea, calistoga, about putting them in large pots and sinking them in the ground might be the way to go. I've had mine in only a 10" pot. Since your posts, I looked up more info and found where sites say to bury the bulbs 2-3 times the size of the bulb or about 6 inches deep. Mine are definitely not that far down! So I'm going to try that and see what happens next year.

I also noticed in pictures of both Oakhurst (which was the name on the label that came with my plant) and Sparkling Burgundy (which is very similar in the color the leaves get) that even the flower spike gets purple and the flowers themselves are a light purple. Mine never looked like that, but most likely because I had to move it indoors and it wasn't getting enough sun to give it the color.

So taking your advice, I'll put the bulbs in a larger pot now (I'll check the soil, but think it's ok Most sites don't seem to specify much about the type of soil, just that it should have good drainage and maybe say 'loamy' or 'fertile' soil), keep them inside in a dark spot (dryness isn't going to be a problem here - it's always dry!! Well, unless your out in the snow ;), and let the foliage that's on them now die back naturally (will the leaves turn brown, or just wilt back, before you clip them calistoga?).

Then maybe next year it will bloom during the spring/summer and look like it's suppose to!

Thanks again for your help, and I'll keep you posted.

Marj

The foliage just lays on the ground and gets slimy with the rain abundant at that time of year and needs to be removed. Al

Coming back here to update you! I ended up pulling the bulbs out of the pot, cleaning them up and covering them in newspaper and placing them in a dark spot over the winter. Early spring, I potted them up again, but this time in a much deeper pot so that the bulbs were down about twice their height. I thought they were goners as there had been no sign of life. But today, I noticed a shoot coming up out of the soil!! Will keep a close watch now and hopefully most will send up shoots, and maybe I'll even see a flower this year if I'm lucky :)

Marj

Well, still no blooms. But with being in the same pot planted deep throughout the winter, maybe they'll produce some this year. I did find a site that says they are hardy in zone 5, with added mulch protection: http://www.gardencrossings.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.detailbyname&navFriendly=Eucomis-Oakhurst. Very surprised at that! But think I will plant a couple of the bulbs in the ground and see what happens next year.

Marj

Woohoo - looks like my Pineapple Lily is going to bloom again after all this time! I had just about
given up hope, but when I checked the pot just now, I saw the beginnings
of a flower forming in one of them :)

Thanks for the helpful advice - it has paid off!!