By Youngalistai
Surrey,
United Kingdom 
how do i keep the vigour of my alliums? many seem ok for the first couple of years then dont flower much on digging up its found that the bulb is making lots of bulb-lets i asked a grower he told me to cut the seed heads off but this is part of their attraction and i never see this being done in gardens that i visit ..........so hows best to keep them flowering well each year?
14 May, 2011
Answers
Best way is to deadhead leaving the stems to feed the bulbs, you could also try a dilute liquid feed while the leaves are dying back.
14 May, 2011
Waste of time cutting off the seed heads, by the time they develop on the big Alliums the flowering stem is no longer attached to the bulb, or very lightly so. And feeding after the flower has developed is equally pointless. So, the time to feed is from when the leaves first appear until they are full formed.
14 May, 2011
Now I AM confused! LOL.
14 May, 2011
You need to know the growth pattern of these types of Alliums. They come from the Steppes and are used to hard winters and short hot, dryish Summers. They begin to grow roots as soon as the soil warms up and form their leaves in Spring to take advantage of snow melt and what heat there is. The flower is produced as the leaves begin to die back. The method of seed dispersal is quite interesting. The stem is only loosely attached to the bulb and as it dries out it is blown away (like those bundles of stuff you see in old Western movies) and the seed is scattered as the seed head moves.
So, any feeding needs to be done as the leaves form and while they are growing.
Less confused now? I hope!
15 May, 2011
I love this site - something new nearly every day! thanks, Owdboggy!
15 May, 2011
very interesting explanation, Thanks.
22 May, 2011
I'm glad you asked that! I was also wondering about the same thing. Mine look good at the moment...first year for these ones...but have had that problem in the past.
14 May, 2011