Bulb Chipping, scaling, and twin-scaling

Lee--
I already know a thing or two about them ;)

I've had oxblood lillies since 1986, got about 30 species of Zephs, Cooperi's, and Habranthus. And about 10 different Lycoris species.

I never have time to read the paper, but thanks for the heads up. I will see if they now let you see stuff at their website without a subscription. They didn't used to.

Plantnutga--
I might even loan you my 18 yr old daughter as a personal house servent to get my hands on some more of those Zephyranthes atamasco's. She's probably on par with your "LH" as you refer to him--lol--maybe together they might get the kitchen clean once every two weeks. I may just have to come out that way in March or April........Needless to say; I'd gladly and willingly cut loose of some Rhodophiala bifada for them. You may have to find them next spring when they are blooming.

Debbie

just don't let your 18 year old daughter meet my 25 year old son, that would be a pollination situation I don't need to deal with!!! LOL

We actually have someone clean every other week but I have had to learn that clean is a relative term.

I would love to see you out here April or May! I need a good getaway car driver who knows how to handle ditches.....

Debbie :~) Oh,...I wasn't thinking in terms of you learning anything from that article...I was kinda thinkin' that they missed the boat by not consulting with you :)

There was an announcement about the Harris County Master Gardener Sale - which I'm sure you're aware of.

Also a listing of 6 different suppliers of bulbs in the area

Lee- got your seeds today..thanks. Or at least I finally got down the end of the street to the mailbox this morning. Look for some seeds from me on Tues or Wed--I'm sending you those 2 plants plus I'll throw a few "surprises" in there. I guess the Chronicle's changed their policy--I could read the article. I'm glad they were pushing them...just wish they would have added a few more of the underutilized bulbs.

I'm actually about a two miles from the Farm and Ranch Club which is the Bear Creek Agricultural Extension Service. Their sale is Sat Sept 30th 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. They are fundraisers for the master gardener's. I usually go just to see if by chance they have something unusual--which is not often, but you never know.

I finally got some seed production going on Thad Howard's Zephyranthes reginae plants...I wonder how many years they will take to grow out to blooming size? You know I'm sorely tempted to yank one of each of his Zeph's I have and try chipping them. That's got to be slightly faster than from seed. An why does every bulb I really love take SO LONG to reach blooming size from seed? You would think a lot of these bulb species would have become extinct before they reached reproduction age!

Finally cooled off all the way down here Taylor--haven't seen a morning this cool since probably April. The only reason I'm in now is for something to eat--lol.
Debbie

I'm excited about trying the chipping of some of my Lycoris and Rhodophialia....I'd be apprehensive about doing so with a scarce or rare bulb since I'm just beginning to attempt such a propagation method.

I can't help but believe that chipping would produce a bloomer significantly sooner than planted seed!

Thank you,..for sending me some surprises!!! Can't wait! Lee

UPDATE!

Houston!...we have bulb-,ETS! see all those little white bulbs?...and, see the scale to right? I pulled that out to show how they are rooting...

...sorry for the crummy blurry picture...I cannot figure out how to change the f-stop on my canon rebel, and if I take with a flash, it over-exposes. ;0(

Let me be the first to congratulate you, great job!

Dawn

ps-
So sorry to not have answered any questions!

Apparently, I had somehow unchecked the "watch this thread" link, and have been unaware that there were so many posts on here!, lol...

oops!

Lee-
I'll try to find my thread on the rose forum. It has the info about coir.

(slipping in here to edit in the thread link...)
here is the thread:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/556678/
-T

This message was edited Oct 5, 2006 5:40 PM

Thanks, Dawn!

I was so excited when I peeked in on them, yesterday!
:0)

Thanks T - Congrats on your success.....and a big thank you for the hyperlink to your article on Rose Cuttings....very well done and very informative! I enjoyed it!

I'm gearing up to do some bulb chipping....will start with some Oxblood - I was fortunate enough to acquire a group of extra Oxbloods & Lycoris recently,...so I have some extra stock to work with!

By the way,...I noticed that of the nearly 100 Oxbloods I recently gathered....there are 3-4 with seed pods developing....was wondering if these will possibly contain viable seeds? Debbie,...what do ya think?

Thanks again, T !

Thanks!

On the lycoris...

I have not been able to gather the time, or the nerve to chop mine, yet. I know that I had great beginners luck on the lily scales(yay!), but got to looking at my lycoris sprengeri and there just isn't much of a plate on them. I'm thinking quartered wouldn't leave much plate for each piece...(at least on the ones that I have...)

...still trying to gather up the nerve...

Good going--sorry to take so long--was temporarily in the hospital. Did those plastic bowls work as good as the plastic bags? Sure seems easier and less likely to get "upset and overturned" around my house! If that wasn't lycoris what is it Taylor?

Deb-Hospital?!
Anything serious?...nothing bad I hope

Um...the plastic bags I didn't like. They were too flexible, and every time I'd peek, they get shifted around in there. I moved them to the clear container with a clear lid, and liked it a lot better. I set the entire thing in the equivalent of a brown paper lunch bag to exclude light.

It sat in the corner of a room at room temperature...

It was a very pretty yellowy/orange flowered easter lily bulb, my neighbor shared with me. I complimented the unusual color, and she dug one up for me! ;0)
-T

yeah I like the plastic bowl idea too Taylor...no, just me ignoring the obvious--or in other words not wanting to take the time to notice something....I really do need to take off those rose colored glasses occasionally--lol

They say ignorance is bliss, but hubby reminds me all the time to step out of La la land occasionally and take a look at the real world, lol...

I tell him "I like living there!"

Hope the view in the real world wasn't too harsh for you. Ü

I'm with you Taylor! =)

I'm also beginning to believe denial really is just a river in Egypt too---and worrying is the devil's favorite passtime!

Got an additional "as I go along' question--Taylor, you ended up not needing/using any fungicide (sulfur) at all, right?
Debbie

Debbie-
Not on this go-round, but I think it would be helpful. I have noticed a little "fuzz" starting to grow on one of the scales. I may end up having to dust it, afterall...
-T

Thanks, Taylor. I think I'm going to pick some up just to have on hand.

Just wanted to visit my old thread, and post an updated picture.

many of the bulbils have little sprouts. One is especially obvious, lol...

I finally had to water it, and think I'll be transplanting these today, since the sprout is taller than the lid on the container, now...good thing I checked on it today
-T

Great job Taylor--and that's Lycoris radiata?

This is a lily my neighbor gave me.

I wanted to experiment with that, first, then try my "good stuff" if it worked. Still don't have the heart to chop some of my lycoris. Some I paid a few pretty pennies for...

The radiata is one I DO have plenty of. I could spare a few of those, lol...just not my other lycoris(s)

Radiata gets chopped next!

How about you? Did you try any, yet?

:0)
-T

No but funny you should ask--I keep trying to wrap around the "mold" problem since the humidity down here is so bad, even in the house. In winter it is lowest so I think I'll give it a try now. Got a couple of questions to pick your brain about.

1. Do you think I could just try it on a Zeph grandiflora or some other expendable small bulb?
2. Do you think it will work if I just try to remove 100% of the soil? Now these bulbs are actively growing now--mightn't that actually speed the process you think?
3. Did you use one of those old fashioned razor blades--one side not sharp kind--I don't know if any of the kitchen knives would make that precise a cut.
4. As an alternative fungicide, do you think this recipe by starlight on this thread might work as well as sulfur?
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/674450/

=)
edited to add the link--it was easier this way


This message was edited Dec 2, 2006 4:03 PM

1. yes, I'm glad I experimented with a less important bulb first. Although, it supposedly does work on lycoris and crinum, but best divided no more than quartered.

2. in the first link at the top of this thread she said: "...should not be attempted until the bulb has gone completely dormant, that is, all the leaves have withered away, naturally."
That said, it might be best to wait on active bulbs?...my lily was dormant...

3. I didn't have to use a razor on the lily. You just peel off the scales like you would an artichoke. I guess when I do cut a larger bulb, I'll just use one of my large, and sharp kitchen knives...

4. On the very first attempt, I'd be afraid to try anything except what was generally recommended by folks explaining bulb chipping and scaling. That would be entirely up to you, but I'd be sceptical.

I recently tried a "recipe" for using tetracycline to kill daylily rot. It didn't work. I've also used an h202 recipe to spray bugs on plants, and all that did was hurt my plants, lol...
-T

Thanks Taylor--I guess I'll try an expendable crinum americanum when they are completely dormant (which shouldn't be long now--I've already had 2 hard freezes here and predicting another for tonight and Monday night). That will give us some data on larger bulbs.

It was the Listerine part that intriqued me--it is an antibacterial sorta thing.

I think I'm going to "borrow" a dissection blade from school.

Listerine is an antiseptic, for sure, but it just has such a high alcohol content that I would be concerned about what effect it might have on the inner, and cut parts of the bulb...

The sulfur I bought was cheaper than listerine, anyway, lol...The systemic fungicide wasn't too bad either, and always good to have that around, anyway.
-T

Taylor, thanks for posting. I've been anxiously awaiting a progress report.

We are all lurking waiting for pictures and the results. I want to try this myself on purpose and not by accident with the shovel. I have done plenty propagating that way. It's is amazing how resilient these bulbs can be.

Just "scaled" some misc. lilies sunday after thanksgiving -- some larger bits, some smaller. The larger ones are already sprouting! They had already been through several mild freezes and two snows while in the ground.

OK, so if I keep them under lights in the propagator, and they continue to grow, will they bloom indoors over winter? If I get them beck into the cooler temps in a coldframe, will they bloom early next spring?

Greenjay-
Glad to hear you tried it!!

I kept mine in the dark, since bulbs are usually underground. I only moved it into a lighted place, once they started sprouting green sprouts.

I've not found any information yet on how long until they can bloom. I'll bet it depends on several factors, including the size and health of the scales and what time of year the scaling was done.

For some reason "one year" sticks out. I may have read that, or just plain imagined it, lol...but good going!

I'd love to see some pics
- T

Greenjay, your lilies won't bloom for a year or more. I suggest you place them in the fridge for a good 12 weeks and then bring them back out in the Spring and plant in a shaded nursery bed. Depending on what they are, you might be able to place them out in the garden next fall.

I'm guessing you won't see blooms until 2008 and maybe only one or two per stem. As the bulb matures, the stems will put out more blooms and reach their mature height.

And yes, the appropriate method for scaling bulbs it to keep them in the dark, put the new bulblets though a cold period and then pot them up in the spring. I put my scales in a baggy with a handful of dirt, spritz with water two or three times and store in a covered box at room temperature. It's really important that you don't get the propagating soil too damp or the scales will rot. The soil should be barely damp, almost dry.

I divided the scales into two sets -- one set is in between layers of magazines, in almost dry germinating mix. The remainder I put in the propagator, partly to see what would happen. After this terribly cold weather is past, I will follow your advice and put them out in the coldframe over winter. No room in the fridge -- all full of columbine and hardy geranium seeds!

hey greenjay would you explain what your propagator is or how it is made?

Have you seen the 8x8x14 plastic things that bulk spinach and french greens come in? I have found that these are the perfect depth and width, and very sturdy for use as a propagator. I *wouldn't* use them on something that need a LOT of moisture, because obviously the drainage is wrong. But for something that only needs a spritz every other week, they do beautifully. I put them under lights usually.