Chipping as a form of propagation/increase

DaveKarn@aol.com DaveKarn@aol.com
Tue, 03 Feb 2004 07:56:35 PST
In a message dated 03-Feb-04 7:00:59 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
jshields104@insightbb.com writes:

> When the remaining bulb doubles again, plant one outdoors in the ground and 
> chip the other.  

Jim ~

Chipping (or the allied method, twin scaling) is a pretty standard way of 
increasing stocks of daffodils, as well as galanthus and, perhaps, other tunicate 
bulbs.  Some years ago, I was told by a Dutch grower who routinely chipped 
(rather than twin scaled because the bulbs are so small) some of the narcissus 
species, that he had gotten better (i.e., faster results) when he chipped an 
unbloomed chipped bulb.  In other words, chip a chipped bulb before it gets 
large enough to bloom.  It does seem to make sense in that a bulb preparing to 
bloom undergoes certain physiological changes that a bulb not large enough to 
bloom does not.  Thus, the energy stores remain concentrated on vegetative 
growth, I guess.

Probably shouldn't tell you still very much snow-bound folks back east that 
out here on the Left Coast, daffodils are starting to bloom, cymbidium and 
cyclamen are and the camellias (before many of them were knocked off by very heavy 
rains in the last 24 hours) are covered with bloom.  Despite that, spring 
really doesn't begin for another several weeks . . . really, the very best reason 
for having a cold greenhouse in any climate!

Dave Karnstedt


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