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Alstroemeria query

ROSE.2010ROSE.2010 Posts: 10
in Problem solving
Dear All, hope you can help. Planted some alstroemeria tubers in a container 3 years ago. It sends 8 inches shoots every year but no flowers todate. I pile up multipurpose compost at the top each year and put the container in unheated greenhouse during winter. I live in Milton Keynes,  Buckinghamshire. Appreciate if u guys have any suggestions for me to get these tubers to flower this summer xxx

Posts

  • yorkshireroseyorkshirerose Posts: 574
    Hello, ROSE.2010

    The attached link may be of help to you.



    https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=950
    A gardener's work is never at an end  - (John Evelyn 1620-1706)
  • ROSE.2010ROSE.2010 Posts: 10
    Thanks for the link. I have followed the instructions in the link before and after buying these tubers but just cant figure out why my plant wouldn't flower :( 
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    It may just be the luck of the draw, l found and old thread here which says something along those lines
    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1000314/alstroemeria-no-flowers
    Some more advice from Burncoose Nursery 
    https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/content.cfm?ref=Alstroemeria+-+Growing+Guide
  • ROSE.2010ROSE.2010 Posts: 10
    Thanks AnniD. Found the links very useful. You're a star 😚
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Hi, Rose. I grow these in the ground and in containers and they flower very freely, so I wonder what is going on. Can you say more about the container size, its position in terms of sunshine and shade, how you water and feed them? I'm no expert at all, so if I can do it, you can too!
  • ROSE.2010ROSE.2010 Posts: 10
    It's in a massive pot sat facing south.  In summer, I water everyday. I never fed it :(  but I change the top layer with new compost every year
  • yorkshireroseyorkshirerose Posts: 574
    Maybe your pot is too big. Better to start of in smaller container and pot on as the roots 
    appear through the bottom. Plants need to be 'stressed' to flower, this means restricting their roots when containerised. 
    Also excess compost to their needs can lead to rotting off as the roots are unable to cope if overwatered.
    As an example, Agapanthus always flower better, in most instances, when their roots are constrained in a container.
    A gardener's work is never at an end  - (John Evelyn 1620-1706)
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    It's a bit of a mystery. Generally, they grow very quickly, though they can take a year or two to get established. I suggest that you tip the pot and have a look underneath. If thick roots are struggling to escape, the pot is too small. If the plant is tiny, it may be in a pot that's too big, as yorkshirerose suggests, though I would only repot in extreme circumstances. If you do, use John Innes 2 and M P half and half.
    Mine like sun or half shade. I water about once a week in summer, really soaking them, and feed every couple of weeks. There's no need to scrape away and replace top compost but I do have to divide and repot every other year. Mine are in pots about 16 - 20 inches across and a bit deeper. Good luck!
  • ROSE.2010ROSE.2010 Posts: 10
    @ Posy - Many thanks for all your suggestions. Will definitely implement your tips and the suggestions from other garden enthusiasts too. Looking forward to seeing some blooms on my plant this summer. Will keep u guys posted  :)
  • ROSE.2010ROSE.2010 Posts: 10
    Yorkshirerose- thanks for your suggestion. Will take a look at the roots and change the pot accordingly xx
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