Multiplying Roscoea

[mark smyth]

I'm wondering how easy it is to artificially multiply Roscoeas. They grow a new set of tubers every year so I was wondering can these be removed the same way that the tuber can be removed from Dactylorhizas?

[Paddy Tobin]

Mark,

There was a good article in the AGS journal - not the recent one, but the one previous. It was by, what's his name in Northern Ireland. It would be worth looking back at it for information. One thing he recommended which struck me as unusual, but apparently he has had great success with it, was to lift roscoeas at the end of the season just after the flowers have died down and while the foliage is still fresh.

Paddy

[Hagen Engelmann]

Mark and Paddy, if you are friends of Roscoea I have a fine source. You could swap with galanthus. Please tell your wishes. Real

[Maggi Young]

The article Paddy refers to was by Gary Dunlop !

[mark smyth]

I found my copy among all the other unread magazines that I have. No mention of removing tubers to force the plants to grow a new one

[Maggi Young]

This lovely potful of Roscoea purpurea 'Brown Peacock' was donated by Big John Amand to the Discussion Weekend auction.......
 

 I coveted the plant and, since I was the auctioneer, I asked the Bulb Despot to buy it on my behalf...... he let it go 
Hope it enjoys life with Fred Bundy 

[Lesley Cox]

Mark, try it and see. Nothing ventured.....

[Paul T]

Mark,

Didn't one of Ian's bulblogs talk about propagating Roscoea by this method?  I know I've seen it described somewhere with pictures, so that usually means Ian's wonderful logs are involved somehow!    I don't have time to check right now or I'd try to find it for you.

[Maggi Young]

Can't find a reference to splitting them in the Bulb Logs...... perhaps because they never clump up that much in our garden,  .... you can read about that in log 27 of 2008 ( 2nd July)
What we do have in the way of Roscoea increase is lots of seedlings!

[Paul T]

Hmmmm.. where did I see it then?  I know wherever it was showed pics of the severed tubers and the remaining growing plants which would then produce a new tuber.  The only place I can think of would be Ian's log?  And as to seedling increase.... lucky you!! 

[Paul T]

And as I posted that last one I realised it wasn't Roscoea but rather was Dactylorhiza that were being divided that way, taking off the new tuber to force it to produce another one.  Sorry that I had the wrong genus.

[Paddy Tobin]

Hagen,

That sounds interesting. Let me know more. Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

And as I posted that last one I realised it wasn't Roscoea but rather was Dactylorhiza that were being divided that way, taking off the new tuber to force it to produce another one.  Sorry that I had the wrong genus.

Well, since this thread was started by Mark wondering whether Roscoea could be propagated the same way as Dactylorhiza, he'd better try it and find out. He can then go down in Forum annals, - if successful - as the discoverer of a new propagation technique for Roscoea.

[mark smyth]

Although they are going over in the garden I will leave it until next year. I do have one in a pot that is very green so maybe I'll experiment with it tomorrow

[KentGardener]

Hi All

I grow quite a few Roscoea that I've been given or purchased over the past dozen years as flowering plants.  I've split the clumps every few years when they finish flowering and have had a rather good rate of increase creating some nice 'drifts' (small scale in this little garden!) and have also managed to give lots away too.   

At the AGS Kent show last month I saw some Roscoea seeds for 50 pence per packet so purchased a few that I soaked in warm water for 24 hours and then sowed.  I can now see 100 single leaf seedlings looking healthy and happy.  I am just wondering if anyone can tell me how long it takes, on average, from seed to flower?