Effect of plant spacing on the growth, flowering and bulb production of four lachenalia cultivars

A 2-year field experiment was performed with lachenalia ('Namakwa', 'Ronina,' 'Rosabeth' and 'Rupert') to study the effects of planting density on leaf formation, inflorescence quality and bulb production. Bulbs 6.0 cm in circumference were planted at a spacing of 2.0 × 5.0 cm, 3.0 × 7.0 cm and 5.0 × 10.0 cm, and cultivated in the open air in Polish conditions in 2009 and 2010. The spacing affected the number of leaves only in lachenalia 'Namakwa' in 2010. In the other cases, the bulbs formed 2-3 leaves. Plant height increased with the high-density treatment, but flower yield and the total time to the beginning of flowering were independent of planting density. The cultivars proved to differ in terms of the time of blooming: 'Namakwa' and 'Ronina' flowered earlier (after 63-73 days) than 'Rosabeth' and 'Rupert' (after 82-90 days). Plant arrangement had little effect on inflorescence length and the number of florets. Irrespective of the spacing, lachenalia 'Rupert' seemed to be the most floriferous - one bulb produced even 30 flowers. Lower planting density influenced advantageously the quality of bulbs (circumference and weight), without affecting their quantity (number of bulbs from one plant).