Nomocharis aperta scales

[Graham Catlow]

Hi
I purchased some Nomocharis aperta bulbs in mid November and removed some scales in the hope I could propagate them as I had with some lilies last year.
I put them in damp perlite in a warm room and to my surprise today I have scales with roots. Some have small bulbs but others don't.
What do I do now? Do I follow the same regime as I did with the lilies and put them in the fridge for several weeks?

Graham

[Maggi Young]

Tricky time of year to be doing this, Graham.
We'd keep them in the same conditions as you have so far.... hoping that bulbils will form, not just roots. 
If the bulbils do begin to form before the end of February then you could move them at that time  into a fridge to delay any leaf growth.

[Graham Catlow]

Thanks Maggi,
I will keep an eye on them.
I didn't expect anything from them so this is a bonus.

[Maggi Young]

The potential of extra plants is not only a bonus... it's fun too, isn't it?

[Graham Catlow]

Yes it is Maggi,
I was surprised when I managed to get the lily scales to produce new bulbs and then for them to get from small bulbs through the summer into dormancy.
I am rather more surprised with the Nomocharis and more pleased that I am at this stage. I have wanted to grow Nomocharis for some time but always thought they were a bit expensive. But I managed to get some at a decent price and now should have more in a few years time.
I am learning to be a little more patient than I used to be.
Propagating your own is definitely fun.

Graham

[Maggi Young]

Nomocharis tend not to be long lived in some cases so it is also a good idea to take seed from them and keep sowing it. 

[Graham Catlow]

Thanks Maggi I will try that.

[JPB]

Nomocharis tend not to be long lived in some cases so it is also a good idea to take seed from them and keep sowing it. 

But once you take scales, could it be that the plant is rejuvenated? So it will have a new start like young plants have. Is there anything known about it?

I take cuttings of the alleged biannual Coris monspeliensis and once the older plants die, I always have new ones around. So maybe it works for bulbs too??

[Maggi Young]

Nomocharis tend not to be long lived in some cases so it is also a good idea to take seed from them and keep sowing it.  

But once you take scales, could it be that the plant is rejuvenated? So it will have a new start like young plants have. Is there anything known about it?

I take cuttings of the alleged biannual Coris monspeliensis and once the older plants die, I always have new ones around. So maybe it works for bulbs too??

Now that is an interesting question, Hans.   We have not been in  the habit of propagating the Nomocharis by scales, so we will need to give it a try to see what happens to the longevity of the offspring.

I would expect that while the new bulb would live for a few years it wouldn't last too long because it is growing from already matured growth.

We have had a couple of clumps inthe garden which have managed to thricve for as long as twelve or so years, but this is not normal here.  Seed is best for fresh, healthy propagation material from these plants which are painfully prone to virus. 

[johnw]

"I would expect that while the new bulb would live for a few years it wouldn't last too long because it is growing from already matured growth. "

Maggi - Most of our seed-grown Nomocharis date back to 1993. That's a pretty long life and a few are from 1986.  We dodged many a virus bullet but I noticed one was infected last summer and unfortunately that one disappeared before it could be tossed.  So now a scramble to grow seed before the rest follow suit.


johnw

[Maggi Young]

John, that's amazing..... I'll be suggesting that the world start growing them from your seed in that case 

[johnw]

Maggi - Most were from the seedex, SRGC93-2533 to SRGC93-2541. No idea who the donors were, maybe the Youngs!

johnw

[Maggi Young]

I couldn't say, John, seems a long time ago now  .... but it's good news to know the SRGC Seedex can produce such long lived gems 

[Lesley Cox]

I would expect that while the new bulb would live for a few years it wouldn't last too long because it is growing from already matured growth.

In effect, isn't this what happened with Dolly, the first cloned sheep? Because she was the "offspring" of an already mature sheep, it seemed her life began at the age of the parent. I'm not sure what the right words are here but I'm sure you know what I mean.

The scale thing for Nomocharis is very interesting but I'll always sow as much seed as I can. They produce it quite regularly and reliably. One gets some variation in the colouring and spotting as well.

[Graham Catlow]

It's interesting how threads develop.
If the new Nomocharis bulbs developed from scales are already aged and may only last a few years is this what happens with lily bulbs developed from scales. I thought that this was a routine method for propagating lilies and was a successful way of increasing them. Why might it be different for Nomocharis?