Bulbs > Galanthus

Chipping/Twin-scaling type question

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Paul T:
Howdy All,

I am intending to try a bit of twin-scaling type action with a Galanthus or two this year.  I'm a bit nervous as I am concerned that they'll just rot, but I will look up the process properly at the end of the season before I try it during dormancy.  I do have a question on a related experiment though........ if I were to dig down while the plant was in growth and carefully pass a small knife through the growing bulb and cut down to the basal plate (i.e cut the bulb in half, but only from the base to a third of the way from the top) and then perhaps across that as well (i.e into quarters, but only from the base to a third of the way from the top), carefully leaving the bulb in situ, roots intact, and the top third of the bulb undamaged and leaves intact.... would this function similarly to a chipping?  I realise of course that it would not flower next year as the central area would be cut into parts, but I am wondering whether this "damage" would result in the "quarters" of the bulb still being able to feed from the leaves above which were kept undamage with the top third of the bulb, and the roots below, perhaps producing better bulbils during the growing season, which would then mature further during dormancy (when I would then properly sever the bulb into 4 parts).  It is just an idea I had which I wanted to ask about.

Has anyone out there tried slicing or damaging the bulb while in growth to promote offset/bulbil production?  If so, how did you go?  It might be a crazy idea, and I am quite prepared to be told so if that is the case, but I wanted to raise it to see what people thought.  If it worked as I envisioned then there should be a better result than just splitting it up once dormant shouldn't there?

I have seen Ian's bulblogs where he talks about the scales from Fritillarias successfully producing lots of bulbs, but the one time I tried this I got lots of bulbils on the imperialis bulb, but once put into growing media the whole thing just rotted.  I am assuming I should have given them longer, or should have doused with fungicide or something like that.  I was trying to think of whether these things could work in situ instead of while dormant, which is where I came up with my little Galanthus scheme above.

Comments please?  Good or bad, I am open to suggestions.  Please at least be civil though.  ;D ;)

Martin Baxendale:
Paul, I've never tried what you suggest but a couple of thoughts occur to me:

When chipping dormant bulbs, you chop off the top bit of the bulb to induce the lower part to make new bulbils, in the same way as you take the tip out of a shrub shoot to make the lower side-buds break. Cutting the base of the bulb with the growing leaves still intact would not achieve that and I expect the bulbs might well fail to produce bulbils at the base as the existing leaves would maintain dominance.

Cutting bulbs in the soil will risk rot getting into them. A major advantage of chipping dormant bulbs is that they can be cleaned of dirt, old tunics, roots etc, chopped and kept in moist vermiculite to form bulbils in what are virtually sterile conditions, greatly reducing the risks of rotting.

I'd recommend waiting for the dormant season and trying the traditional method. The most important thing, I've found, for success is to ensure the vermiculite in the plastic bags is not too damp - better a bit drier than wetter.

All of this is not to say that you shouldn't experiment if you want to with your idea. But pick an unimportant bulb to try it on. It might help if you cut off the tops of the leaves to encourage bud formation lower down in the form of new bulbils. Watering with fungicide, or puffing with some flowers of sulphur, after cutting the bulb might also help, as might pouring some sharp sound around the cut bulb.

Paul T:
Martin,

Thank you for the reply.  My thoughts with leaving the leaves intact was that they'd be feeding food down to the "bulb" which now is in 4 quarters and can't do it's traditional growing.  You're right though that the fungal problem would be much greater.  I'll try the traditional way straight after dormancy.  Must get myself some vermiculite as it isn't something I use elsewhere.  Well worth it if it works though.  Hopefully better than my efforts with Frit imperialis a few years back, which produced bulbils and then everything promptly rotted when planted into normal media.  Probably not left to mature enough first I would reckon.  ::)

I have to ask... "sharp sound"?  I'm assuming it was a typo and you meant "sharp sand" but I thought I had better check in case it was a commercial name of a fungicide or something that you get over there in the UK?

Thanks again for the response.  Nice to know someone has actually been chipping and scaling.  ;D

Otto Fauser:
Paul,
 Marcus Harvey does a lot of chipping/twin-scaling, and I'm sure he will share his experience with you,
   Otto.

Joakim B:
Paul when I first read it I thought Martin meant that a good threat to make them do what You wanted (as a joke) then realised it was sand. I am not sure threats work with plants even though I have read many who testify to the contrary.

(Martin I hope You do not take offence. Your reply was only serious and did not have the silly sugestion that I had, but I did not think it was impossible to come from You since You also like to joke. Generally in a separate comment though. So hope it was oK to Joke about it. Read about Your breeding and hope it will turn out nicely)

Kind regards
Joakim

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