Ok... first, good job! :-)

Second... the majority of those bulbs look fine... just make sure you dust them with an anti-fungal powder before potting them. Captan is what many of us use. Sometimes, those reddish marks are just bruising from shipment or from handling. Not every red mark is caused by mites or fungi. A preventative anti-fungal powder will help guard against any fungal issues that may be hiding, so I always use some, just in case.

Third... that mushy one... using a sharp, clean knife, carefully cut away any rotting areas. As long as the basal plate is ok, the bulb should recover. It may take a while, and you may not see blooms from it this season, but it stands a good chance of recovering.

After you've cut away any remaining rot, dust the clean wounds with anti-fungal powder, and set the bulb on a paper plate to dry. Set it in an area where it will get no direct sun, and some decent air circulation... on a shelf somewhere would be good. Let it dry for a few days, turning it over after a day or so, so all surfaces dry... and then pot it up, keeping the wounded areas above soil level. As long as there is decent basal plate to soil contact, roots will form and grow, and later on you can re-plant the bulb at a better depth... after it heals.

Very careful watering will be in order. In fact, if you moisten the soil before potting up the cut bulb, you won't have to water for a little while, and that will help give that bulb even more time to heal. Moist, though, not soggy.

I hope this helps... perhaps other here can add to or change the information to help you more. Good luck!

Alana- I would first email S&H and let them know. Sale or not, you should not receive a mushy bulb like that. I'm sure they weren't aware it was damaged when sending it to you.

Jodi always has the right advice! Captan has been a real lifesaver for me. It was more expensive than the bulb I was attempting to help, but if you're going to grow a collection, it is a must have! The only thing I would add to the process would be to wipe the areas freshly cut with a cotton ball using a mixture of 50% tepid water and 50% hydrogen peroxide before dusting (or pasting) with the captan.

Please keep us informed on how they do! Now I want to see photos of the scores you picked up at the store. I haven't been yet...If I don't go today, I'm sure they will all be snapped up over the weekend...

-Frank

Jodi, thanks for all the expert advice! With your tutelage I'll get this all figured out. I've got that mushy one all sliced and will go find some Captan. There's only about a quarter of the bulb left after the surgery, but we'll see how it goes. I agree, the rest of the bulbs look pretty nice. And I'm glad to hear those orange spots aren't a concern (and glad to hear your clutch is all fixed too).

Frank, I did call S&H and they were really nice. They're sending a replacement set since they only come pre-packaged in 3s. It's all yours if you want it! (its Benefica) As for the other bulbs I bought in the store, I'll take some pictures, put them on Picasa and post a link to them. And the pots too. Where'd you get the Captan from? Homewood didn't have it. Thanks.

Captan is made by Bonide, and comes in a white container with a blue/purple cap. I got mine at either Lowe's or Rural King, but any large home improvement store or garden center should carry it. Rooting hormone powder is another must have if you intend to collect and grow bulbs.

I don't know how much of an expert I am, but I'm always glad to try helping. I know what it's like to open a box only to find that one or more of the bulbs have problems. Maria helped me to save my first rotting bulb, and I'm only too glad to pass on the knowledge I've gained!

If you have need of further help, I'm happy to try! Good luck!

Thanks for the tip. I have had trouble to locate Captan. Will run to Lowe's tomorrow.

I'm trying to think of who else might carry Captan... if it can't be found locally, you can always Google it and purchase a container from an online source. That's what I would have done had I not been able to buy it here.

I'm sure there must be other brands of anti-fungal powders for ornamentals, but I don't know any names offhand. I recommend a powder simply because fungi and moisture go hand in hand, and any liquid would be... well, moist! Powder is dry, and I think it adheres to the raw wounds on bulbs very well.

These are only my observations, so don't take them as bible verse! :-) I just know what works for me!

I cannot find Captan locally, so I order from yardiac.com.

Hope that helps....

Ann

Awesome Alana! I would love to have a Benfica! Aren't you nice! I'll trade it for some of those daffodil bulbs. How does that sound?

I picked up my Captan at Logan's for around $18. I couldn't locate it at Lowe's but I didn't check Home Depot since I rarely shop with them. Lowe's is a North Carolina company, so I want to support them all I can!

Jodi, you have become expertly versed in Hippeastrum care!

-Frank

Doesn't most rooting hormone also contain an anti-fungal?

I'm not sure, Ryan... it might, but the level wouldn't be enough to use it as such on large wounds. Plus, it would contain other ingredients to promote root growth, and on large raw wounds, I think it's best to use an appropriate product.

Cinnamon is also a decent anti-fungal, but it can inhibit root development, so I never use it near or on the basal plate. It will work as an emergency anti-fungal if you haven't got anything else to use... but I would still try to obtain a product made specifically as an anti-fungal for ornamental plants.

I still call myself a novice... I think you need time invested, experience, and knowledge before you can call yourself well-versed... and I think you need a degree or certificate of higher learning to use the term "expert"... so, for now, I'll stick to "well-versed novice"!

Necessity has caused me to learn all sorts of things about salvaging damaged bulbs! Or maybe it's because I'm too cheap to throw away a bulb that still has some life left in it! Whatever the case, I've learned well how to try saving rotting bulbs or infested plants... a few products, a little work, and patience while they heal and regroup is all that's needed.

I admit total defeat in the Gesneriad arena, though! Not one of the many African Violet leaves I've tried rooting has survived... not one! I can't root Begonias or any plant that has fuzzy leaves. I don't know why.

This season, I'll be trying my hand at rooting rose cuttings... those, I know I can propagate through cuttings as I've tried it before, and I've been successful.

I always say that there's no such thing as a "green thumb"... it's all simply applied knowledge! The recipe for gardening success is simple... read as much as you can on the subject, dive in and get hands-on experience, and add in a little common sense. Check at least 3 sources to make certain of a plant's zone, learn proper watering techniques, and have patience! Don't be afraid to dig in and get your hands dirty! It's all fun, all healthy, and all so rewarding!

Jodi,

No, you are not cheap. You care.

I heard a horticulture enthusiast explained that when something sprouted along side an intended plant, as it happened to my Magic Green, a plant lover would first allow it to grow more to see what it was as suppose to treat everythig else as weeds.

I applaud your attitude as 2009 is the year when I opened a new chapter of my life to do the similar things.

I'm with ya, Jodi and gmwill, if I can save it with some effort it's well worth it. And makes you feel a little invested in it's survival as well. It's so much more rewarding to get something to grow that needed help, or get it to rebloom instead of just tossing out and buying new bulbs. I'm hoping my mushy guy makes it!

Frank, great - looking foward to trading for daffs. They were my first bulb addiction ;-)

Alana

Jodi, you're not cheap. Most of us gardeners start to feel like these plants are our children, so it just makes sense that we would do whatever is necessary to give them a shot at survival.

Maybe I'm not cheap... but I am frugal! I have precious little money to spend on plants, so I treat everything I get as a treasure! I even pick up pennies in parking lots, thinking that only 99 cents more make a dollar, and that's another dollar I can spend on plants and bulbs! I keep a coffee can for saving change... and it's getting some weight to it... next season's bulb fund!

I guess I do get sort of attached to certain bulbs... my original Minerva, for instance... she's been with me for many years, and I originally bought her because my dog's name was Minerva. Minerva the Bulldog has passed on, but her namesake bulb is still going strong! That bulb started this whole obsession... that's leaking over into other bulbs and plants.

In fact, I've been sneaking peeks at the Brugs and Datura seeds and cuttings offered on Ebay... just to get an idea of what's available out there. It will be a foray into a whole new plant type for me!

The day began nice... t-shirt weather with sunshine... and then the clouds moved in, and rain started. I brought in all the animals that were out for the day, and came in to surf hardy roses and bulbs for later purchases. I've been lost in own root roses for the past hour or so!

Before it gets dark, I must go grain the horses and goats, and get my own dogs fed... before I go, I just want to say, it's nice to belong to a group that has the same passion for plants and gardening... people who understand the pull of the natural world. I'm glad I can come here and share my love for bulbs and flowers, and share a little bit of my life. :-)

hehe, I'm guilty of picking up pennies too! Which actually reminds me, if anyone is on the east coast and comes across one of the new Lincoln pennies from the Philly mint.. LEMME KNOW! I got plenty of Denver for my coin collecting books, but its hard to get Philly pennies on the west coast. I started collecting wheat pennies for the nephews, figured I might as well continue on with the books.

Anyway, Jodi, there was a co-op on Dave's Garden for brugs. It was easier for me to just tell them one of each, even though I already have the 'Ecuador Pink'. So I'm going to send that one to you when I receive it along with the NOID I've already got set aside. You're gonna love EP :-)

What would I look for on a penny from the Philly mint? Will it have a particular date or will it say "Philadelphia Mint" on it? If I have any, I'd be happy to send you whatever I have, Ryan... I'm not a collector of coins, unless it's to spend on plants!

Thanks so much for the pending cuttings! I'm really excited about growing them! I have to admit that the flowers are spectacular! And they sounds fairly easy to grow and to take new cuttings for each spring!

The mint is releasing four new pennies this year, each with different backs depicting stages in Lincoln's life. The philly mint is easy to determine. Look under the 2009 date on the front, there will either be a "D" for the Denver mint, or it will be blank, which means its from the Philly mint.

My grandfather got me into the coin collecting with the wheat pennies, so now I'm filling in books to give my nephews when they get a bit older. Saving pennies is not exactly a get rich quick scheme. My oldest penny is I think from 1918, and its worth a whopping 35 cents! LOL

Jodi- I'm glad to be able to come here and share the love and/or obsession with plants and growing things will all of ya'll also!

Ryan- That is a neat. My Grandmother started my interest in coin collecting way back in the day. I don't do it anymore, but still have what I collected back then. My sister manages a bank here, so I'm willing to bet she can anything you want. I'll check with her to see about you some of those pennies. 35 cents! That's quite an increase from 1 cent!!! hehe!

-Frank

I never got into coin collecting... I was always a gardener at heart, even when I was really little! But I think it's a very cool hobby to have! You just never know what you might come across... some coins are fairly valuable!

I'll keep my eyes peeled for those Philly pennies! Everyone is always giving me their pennies and change!

I did find the most unusual and the most interesting coins when I was a hostess at a restaurant... I ran the register, so I got first crack at the money coming in. I'd just replace silver dollars with paper ones, and so on. Somewhere, buried in all my junk, I've got a solid silver quarter... and several very old silver dollars. I also collect the paper silver certificates, whenever I happen upon them. I don't go looking, though. I'm saving them for the grandkids.

Stamp collecting is pretty cool, too... I save some stamps, but it's mostly so I can laminate them and bead around them to make jewelry. They make very interesting pendants. I don't have any right now, or I'd post a photo.

e36yellowm3,

If you have not planted your mushy bulb yet, please photograph it just before planting. Hopefully, sometime in the future, you will be able to get 'after' pictures showing new life.

It is always nice to see a successful 'before' and 'after' story, especially when a bulb has major problems.

I've always wished that GardenWeb had a coin-collecting forum. Its "That Home Site" section has a small selection of non-gardening forums, but sadly "Numismatics" isn't one of them. I could have sworn that there was a stamp-collecting forum there, but I just checked and there isn't one.

To post a message that's actually on topic, I think that the bulbs in the first and third pictures look fine, but I don't know if the one in the second pic will live or not. I'd just follow Jodi's instructions and hope for the best.

Back on the subject of coin collecting, I agree that west of the Mississippi River it can be rather hard to find newer Philly-minted coins. I only occasionally find a P-mint statehood quarter, and have only found about 25 or 30 different ones. I do happily have a complete set of Denver-made state quarters, and am waiting to find one of the new "D.C. & U.S. Territories" quarters. I do wish that they would end the commemorative quarter program after this year, because frankly I'm tired of always looking for "the new quarter" in my change, but for some reason a new 56-coin set will start being minted in 2010.

One more thing: I really couldn't care less about the "Presidential Dollar" program, because in my mind they're not really coins. I think they're just tokens, like the bullion coins the mint makes, but unlike the bullion coins a small number of the Pres. Dollars are being released into circulation. They also still make half-dollars, but new ones haven't been released into circulation since around 2002.

This year's new pennies:
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Here is a link that might be useful: The most desirable American penny

Here's some pictures of my bulb post-surgery and a few other shots of some of the other recent purchases (including the S&H in-store sale bulbs Frank mentioned).

Per Jodi's instructions, I donated a sharp kitchen knife to by garden equipment and used it to cut away all the mushy parts of the bulb. I was happy to see that most of the basal plate and about 25% of the bulb itself was left after the slicing.

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From GardenWebPics

I let it dry for a few days (while I was out of town, so I wasn't tempted to mess with it further), then today I dusted it with an anti-fungal and rooting hormone on the base. (I still can't find Captan so I'm headed to Logan's this weekend.)

Here's picture of it all potted in a lovely find at Tuesday Morning. It's sitting above soil level and I'm hoping for the best.

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From GardenWebPics

Here's a few other pictures of my bulb additions, one of soon-to-be Cindee's Lady Jane fraternizing with Hercules, and Blossom Peacock's second scape...

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Your bulbs are looking good, ok, well most of them. I hope your sick bulb will survive and ultimately reward you for your patience in a few years with a glorious bloom.

Tim, thanks for posting about the coins. Sorry, to have hijacked this post, but as you stated, there's not much of a place for numismatists to gather. I, too, collect the state quarters, and have the same problem with the east vs west mints. We should find an east coast coin collector and arrange for a swap. LOL

I, too, hope that bulb survives, and goes on to thrive! Be patient with it... give it time to heal, and be very careful with watering... most bulbs are survivors, and at the very least, it should offset. Time will tell.

I love Blossom Peacock, and even though it's a double, I've put it on my wish list!

Thanks for posting your photos! Nice bloom pictures!

Thanks for the well wishes on my mushy bulb. I'm sure with all the good vibes it's getting it'll be growing soon.

Tim and Ryan, let me know if there's some 'east coast' quarters you need.

Alana

Jodi, send me an e-mail and I'll send you brug cuttings. Several survived Ike and need a haircut. When it's warm enough to mail them to you let me know. Frosty pink, double white, Ecuador pink, several noids.

I trade quarters with my sister in Delaware. All her state quarters are from the philly mint and all mine from the Denver mint. Has anyone seen a Utah quarter? We never got them at the banks here and my sister ended up ordering them on-line from the mint. Can't get them there now.
Tally HO!!

I will do that, thank you so very much! We're almost at the point where shipping can be safely done. Another week or two, I'd say.

Your Brug colors sound absolutely yummy! Thanks for the offer! I'll email you this morning... there, done! You have mail! :-)