Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Pruning Allium Roots

februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
in Plants
I've bought some bare root alliums and they have a substantial amount of thin roots. Are they OK to give a prune to? As they are, they'll require a substantially larger hole which would mean disturbing the snowdrops which are nearby and still in leaf. 
«1

Posts

  • GrannybeeGrannybee Posts: 332
    Alliums are bulbs. They should be showing flower spikes now and will flower in about 2 weeks. If you prune them they may not be able to sustain growth this year. Is there somewhere else they could go or perhaps put in a pot and plant in the ground in the autumn. I’m sure someone else will be along soon with better advice!
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Experiment.  And then tell us what worked.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd pot them up. It's very odd to have 'bare root' alliums though. Never heard of anyone selling them like that. 
    As @GardenerSuze says, they're bulbs and would have lots of growth by now, and flower spikes if they're early flowering ones. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited April 2023
    @februarysgirl If there is no sign of flowers they may not flower this year. 
    The fact that the roots have been disturbed they won't like either. You could pot them up and plant out in the Autumn may be this would bulk up the bulbs with some feeding I don't know.  I would replant them if your soil is what they like.They may not flower the following year either if the bulbs are small.
    When they are purchased as bulbs in Autumn they should be of a size to flower the following May. Left in the ground in many gardens the bulbs deminish and flowering isn't so good over time. Sadly in my soil they just rot.
    I bought some, 3 in a pot last spring as my soil is clay, an error, the roots were tangled and they just flopped. I did mention it at the Nursery and I am pleased to see they have just one per pot this year. I had to split them as they were A Schubertii with large seed heads, would have grown into each other.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    Probably should have mentioned that they are "Summer Beauty" so aren't due to flower for another couple of months. This is the current state of growth:



    @Fairygirl I bought them from Farmer Gracy.

    Not brave enough to experiment, think I'll err on the side of caution and pot them up for now.

    Thanks for the advice 🙂
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @februarysgirl I grow Allium cernuum, grows to 18 inches. They are in a shady part of the garden. I lift and split these regularly without a problem. The bulbs are small unlike the giants that flower in May they flower later in June. Yours are a little taller and I feel more confident now that they will flower for you.
    Personally I think you still have time to split if you wish but I think that would need to be your decision. Different advice to my first post but you have different Allims to the ones I had assumed. Message to self ask for a plant name before posting.  
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    @GardenerSuze Interesting that you say yours are in shade. I'm struggling a little with the new planting this year and it would definitely give me more options if I didn't have to stick with full sun for the alliums.

    No need to split the one pictured as I have six of them. Not sure if that's too many but I can always give them away if it is. Message to self, specify the plant name to make things easier for others!
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited April 2023
    @februarysgirl I had grown A cernuum for many years before I realised they could be grown in shade. I grow them in full sun where they make smaller plants but flower well and dappled shade where plants are bigger and flowering just as good.. 

    In the south of the country with warmer conditions they can cope with full shade and flower just as well. Great on the edge of a path where they 'nod'. Avoid the white form very disappointing. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited April 2023
    Technically, they aren't really bare root - they're just bulbs that have started to grow, and should have been planted in autumn.  :)
    Is that how they were described - ie bare root? Rather odd. Maybe it's just how these get sent out at this time of year rather than potted?
    I think they'll be fine potted up. As long as they're viable [seem to be] they should grow well, although they may not flower as well as you expect - or even at all. You'd just need to wait and see. 

    I just looked at the site - and it seems they're not technically bulbs, but a perennial. Every day's a school day! I can see now looking at  your pic that they look different from most bulbs. More like a rhizome. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    I don’t think you will have any problem trimming back the longer trailing roots. There is not a lot of top growth yet and they will soon recover. Trimming roots can encourage more root development, like breaking roots up at the bottom of a potted perennial does. That’s my theory and what I would do anyway!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Sign In or Register to comment.