Chipping as a form of propagation/increase
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:

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