We had an interesting talk last night at Ballinger Gardening society
from Brian Davies (who incidentally , reckons he runs the most
informative and useful gardening website on the Internet!)
Anyway. He claimed that bulbs, when touched, even gently or when they
grow and touch a stone or some hard object, all exude an acid.
This is what animals such as rodents and deer etc can smell.
When asked to explain he went on about the 'life clock' of a bulb, which
wasn't at all what I wanted to know.
He then asked if he had answered my question and when I said no, he
explained about sap rising in a tree!
I didn't have the heart to say that still didn't explain why bulbs would
exude something that attracts animals to eat them and the audience was
getting a bit restive as it was just before tea time

Can anyone tell em what he was talking about?
Does this mean we should handle bulbs as little as possible.

Of course he also said that vine weevil have host plants such as
bergenias, rhododendrons and auriculas, and I wasn't too keen to agree
with him on that, nor come to think of it, with the fact that he puts
fleece inside the bottom of his pots so vine weevil can't get in?

I thought they landed on the soil and buried the eggs that way?

He runs a gardening school in Thatcham by the way ................



Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote
snip bulbs

Sorry, no idea about the mysterious exudations.

Of course he also said that vine weevil have host plants such as
bergenias, rhododendrons and auriculas, and I wasn't too keen to agree
with him on that, nor come to think of it, with the fact that he puts
fleece inside the bottom of his pots so vine weevil can't get in?

I thought they landed on the soil and buried the eggs that way?

He runs a gardening school in Thatcham by the way ................



I think vine weevils are flightless but they can certainly climb smooth,
vertical surfaces, as I once spotted one determinedly making its way
straight up the glass of my kitchen window. Pots would therefore be a
doddle!

--
Sue

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message:
snip
He claimed that bulbs, when touched, even gently or when they grow
and touch a stone or some hard object, all exude an acid.
This is what animals such as rodents and deer etc can smell.
I didn't have the heart to say that still didn't explain why bulbs would
exude something that attracts animals to eat them and the audience was
getting a bit restive as it was just before tea time
----
In my last garden, I had a large woodland area smothered with bluebells and
daffodils. I also had grey squirrels, eight of them on one occasion. The
squirrels didn't appear to dig up any of those bulbs, yet I am sure they
feasted on my prized crocus bulbs nearer the house. Perhaps the crocus bulbs
exuded more acid allowing the squirrels to locate them. Very interesting!

MikeCT

"MikeCT" wrote in message
...

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message:
snip
He claimed that bulbs, when touched, even gently or when they grow
and touch a stone or some hard object, all exude an acid.
This is what animals such as rodents and deer etc can smell.
I didn't have the heart to say that still didn't explain why bulbs would
exude something that attracts animals to eat them and the audience was
getting a bit restive as it was just before tea time
----
In my last garden, I had a large woodland area smothered with bluebells
and
daffodils. I also had grey squirrels, eight of them on one occasion. The
squirrels didn't appear to dig up any of those bulbs, yet I am sure they
feasted on my prized crocus bulbs nearer the house. Perhaps the crocus
bulbs
exuded more acid allowing the squirrels to locate them. Very interesting!

MikeCT

Squirrels can find crocus bulbs without difficulty: crocuses must smell
strongly of something tasty to sqirrels,

Andy.

Hi Janet
Do you have a contact for Brian as my husband trained with him and would liike to get back in contact with him - if not do you know the name of his gardening school.
Many Thanks