Scaling Bulbs
Scaling is a useful propagation technique for bulbs such as fritillaries (Fritillaria) and lilies (Lillium) that are made up of concentric rings of loose scales, joined at their bases to a basal plate. The scales are removed so that they retain a small piece of basal tissue and kept in a warm, shaded place in a mix of damp peat and grit or sharp sand.
After approximately 2 months, bulblets appear at the scale bases which may eventually be potted on individually. After scaling, the parent bulb may be replanted to continue flowering as normal.
Method
- Lift bulbs in late summer or early autumn, before root growth begins.
- Scrape the soil from around the bulb and remove any damaged scales.
- Snap off a few plump, unblemished scales from the bulb making sure that you include a little of the basal plate tissue. The parent bulb may then be replanted to flower the following season.
- Place the scales into a plastic bag filled with fungicidal powder. Shake the bag so that the scales are fully coated.
- Insert the scales into a tray containing two parts damp vermiculite or peat substitute and one part coarse sand (or grit).
- Keep the tray in a warm place, such as a greenhouse at about 21°C (70°F), for two months, making sure that the tray is kept moist and shaded.
- In the spring, move the tray to a cool place for two months to encourage good leaf growth.
- The bulblets may then be repotted individually and grown on for another year before planting out.
Always keep your hands, the knife and the cutting surface meticulously clean to prevent disease from infecting the cut scales.
Twin-Scaling
Twin-scaling may be used to build up stocks of non-scaly (tunicate) bulbs such as snowdrops (Galanthus), daffodils (Narcissus) and hyacinths. The bulb is cut vertically into pairs of scales with a small section of basal plate. They are then stored and grown on in the same way as single scales.
Method
- After lifting, remove the brown, outer scales of a bulb.
- Cut off the nose of the bulb using a sharp, clean knife and then trim the roots.
- Position the bulb on a clean surface so that it rests on its cut section.
- Cut vertically through the basal plate to divide the bulb into eight to ten sections.
- Divide each of these sections into pairs of bud scales by peeling back the layers. Cut each pair of scales away, making sure each has a small section of basal plate.
- After dusting the twin-scales with fungicide, incubate and grow on in the same way as single-scaling.