Twin scaling - yatta!

[mark smyth]

As Hiro from Heros would say "yatta!!"

Some of you will remember my failure to twinscale bulbs during June and July 2006. The few that got to bulbil size were potted and put in the greenhouse. I forgot about them until this afternoon when I was looking for pots of Colchicums to repot. Many failed to grow on but four pots of bulbils with scales attached have produced little bulbs. The best sucess is the January February flowering Narcissus 'Navarre' with 13 bulbs. Yatta!

[Maggi Young]

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together ? (As the Boss man in "the A-Team" was wont to say, as I recall!)

[Carlo]

Makes you feel just a tiny bit like God, doesn't it?

[annew]

  YAY Mark!

[mark smyth]

I think I really should send them away next summer for wee holiday instead of doing it myself- yes Janet, who watches from the side, I failed to do so this year and will probably fail next year too!

[annew]

Also on this subject, a fellow grower told me earlier this year not to throw away the apex of the bulb after it is cut off prior to chipping, but to put in in to incubation as well. This I did, and although most did not produce bulblets, 2 or 3 did, so I shall do it again next time, especially since the ones that succeeded were 'yellow' snowdrops.

[Lesley Cox]

That's very useful information Anne. I would automatically have thrown out anything that didn't have at least a tiny piece of basal plate. I haven't tried twin scaling yet but intend to, this coming summer. There's a workshop on the subject at the NZAGS Study Weekend.

[mark smyth]

guess what, guess what ...

[maggiepie]

I'll bite!!
You have a bud???

[mark smyth]

I would never have thought that it was 2006 that I tried twinscaling for the first time. Today I see Narcissus 'Navarre', Narcissus 'Fairy Gold' and Galanthus 'Wendy's Gold' have flower buds.

[Brian Ellis]

Also on this subject, a fellow grower told me earlier this year not to throw away the apex of the bulb after it is cut off prior to chipping, but to put in in to incubation as well. This I did, and although most did not produce bulblets, 2 or 3 did

I think it is more successful Anne if the top is encouraged to separate a bit which obviously gives room for something to develop.

[gote]

Lilium scales develop bulbils without any basal plate attached so why not Amaryllidaceae (As I insist in calling them. With the backing of at least one professor of botany)
I thought that the twinscaling method was because Galanthus bulbs are so small.
Göte