When to sow nerines in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl

Why these dates

Plant in late summer or spring with the neck of the bulb at or just above the soil surface - planted deep it grows leaves and never flowers. Wants the hottest driest spot available, ideally against a south wall, and should be left undisturbed for years.

Hardy to about -8C at the root, and the flowers themselves take a light autumn frost. It is summer baking rather than winter protection that determines whether it flowers, so a cool damp site fails even in a mild zone.

Nerines are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl is zone 9b, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

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