Chipping/Twin-scaling type question

[ChrisD]

Incidentally, has anyone had much experience of twin scaling woronowii? I ask because I haven't, and I read on John Grimshaw's blog last year (in relation to a certain yellow) that it doesn't respond well to the procedure. I have an unusual one, of which I'll post some pictures elsewhere shortly, and whilst I intend to try some common woronowii this year to see what happens, I wondered if anyone else had tried it?

On an even more general note I would be really interested to know which varieties people have had good results with and which ones havent worked. (one of the very nice aspects of this forum is that people dont seem to be at all reticent about admitting they have failed with things - very refreshing).

Chris

[John Breen]

Thanks for this most useful thread, and to Maggi for the compilation of the earlier posts.
I've not tried chipping yet but hope to try it this year.
My question is which fungicide is used? Usually the instructions (judyssnowdrops, the bible) just say "systemic fungicide". It would help to know which ones have been successful.

[RichardW]

John,

I'm using bayer systhane fungus fighter, don't have the original notes I was given but think the active ingredient - Myclobutanil is what matters, am sure someone will confirm but the bayer product works well.

http://www.bayergarden.co.uk/en/data/Products/s/Systhane-Fungus-Fighter.aspx

[Alan_b]

My question is which fungicide is used?

I have been to talks on twin-scaling where at this juncture it emerges that the speaker uses a fungicide that has been withdrawn from sale and/or is only available to agriculturalists.  So well-done Richard for nominating something you actually can get hold of.

[bulborum]

I use Captan for soaking my bulbs
sometimes mixed wit one or two other
depends on thee bulbs

Roland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captan

[Paddy Tobin]

Has anybody had the experience that bulbs produced through chipping/twin-scaling have afterwards been very slow to multiply in the garden, oftentimes remaining as a single bulb for many years?

Paddy

[RichardW]

I have been to talks on twin-scaling where at this juncture it emerges that the speaker uses a fungicide that has been withdrawn from sale and/or is only available to agriculturalists.  So well-done Richard for nominating something you actually can get hold of.

working on a farming estate I do have access to agri chemicals but I've learned over the years as soon as I find something that does exactly what I want it do it almost inevitably gets withdrawn  is very frustrating.

other than a stronger roundup for paths etc virtually everything I use now is off the shelf for that reason.

Has anybody had the experience that bulbs produced through chipping/twin-scaling have afterwards been very slow to multiply in the garden, oftentimes remaining as a single bulb for many years?

not really done enough to have encountered that, but I'm only chipping vigorous varieties, what I am concerned about is chipping the offspring of chipped bulbs & whether that might lead to weakness. I wonder if this might be why new varieties I've tried in the last couple of years that seem to have appeared quickly in some quantity either don't survive or just sulk despite being giving the best possible care/conditions.

[Alan_b]

Has anybody had the experience that bulbs produced through chipping/twin-scaling have afterwards been very slow to multiply

One bulb in my garden, flowering for the first time since 2004, springs to mind  It's still just a small single bulb but it was collected from the wild and if it resulted from chipping then this was done by nature rather than the hand of man.  I think that some bulbs just fail to thrive; presumably because they don't really like the conditions where they have been planted.

I also agree with Richard that new varieties are often bulked-up quickly by twin scaling without much test of garden-worthiness.   

[Paddy Tobin]

Alan,

I had a comparison of like-with-like when I posed the question above - a chipped bulb planted in the same conditions as the original bulbs not thriving at all while the original one have gone on to big numbers.

It is to be presumed nowadays that most bulbs of the more scarce varieties have been propagated by chipping or twin-scaling. Some will languish as single bulbs for years while others will take off.

Paddy

[John Breen]

Richard
Thank you for sharing this information on the Bayer systhane fungus fighter. I think the pictures of your on-growing potted up chips convince me that it “works”.
Alan
I have also experience the situation that you describe … the speaker recommends withdrawn products or products not generally available. So thanks Richard.

[Alan_b]

I had a comparison of like-with-like when I posed the question above - a chipped bulb planted in the same conditions as the original bulbs not thriving at all while the original one have gone on to big numbers.

In 2004 I collected three single snowdrops bulbs from the 'wild' and planted them in a row about 20 cm apart.  The first and last in the row bulked up normally but the middle one (which to the best of my knowledge was exactly the same clone as the first) remained as a single bulb for several years.  So I gave it to Richard Ayres and I'm told it has never looked back since, bulking up normally.  I can only conclude that either I'm just a bad gardener and/or conditions can vary over very short distances.   

[RichardW]

John,

Picked up some more from my local Van how much, sorry Hage  today if you have trouble finding somewhere that stocks it.

 

Richard
Thank you for sharing this information on the Bayer systhane fungus fighter. I think the pictures of your on-growing potted up chips convince me that it “works”.
Alan
I have also experience the situation that you describe … the speaker recommends withdrawn products or products not generally available. So thanks Richard.

[Uwe]

I have in last summer ( august 2012) repeatedly cut with a knife, a medium size galanthus bulb ( Trympostor). I then potted this and now i have them planted in the ground.
It has become eight small bulbs, without chemicals and hormones.
I'm happy!

[Martin Baxendale]

I have in last summer ( august 2012) repeatedly cut with a knife, a medium size galanthus bulb ( Trympostor). I then potted this and now i have them planted in the ground.
It has become eight small bulbs, without chemicals and hormones.
I'm happy!

Did you cut across and through the basal plate, like slicing a cake?

[Alan_b]

Did you have a 'control' bulb, Uwe?  'Tryposter' is supposed to bulk-up very rapidly by itself so did the cutting actually accelerate the rate of increase?