Lycoris propagation

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net
Tue, 09 Aug 2005 15:55:23 PDT
Thanks, Jim, for this interesting information.

I'm always nervous about cutting up a valuable bulb. 

With that in mind, this year I want to experiment with a variation on
cutting, a variation I have not seen mentioned in the literature. 

Going on the assumption that Lycoris begin a new growth season in the
autumn, I want to see what will happen if I segment Lycoris bulbs in situ:
i.e. cut down into established bulbs already rooted into the ground. Sand or
some other inorganic matter would then be poured down between the cuts to
keep the cuts open/separated.

I'm curious to see if the presence of functioning roots will allow the
formation of larger propagules more quickly.

Two variations on this experiment come to mind: cutting all the way through
the basal plate and cutting only down to the basal plate. 

If late summer cutting does not give good results, I might try other times. 

This might be worth trying with any bulb which has a permanent root system. 

Or am I re-inventing the wheel here? Does anyone know if this has been
tried? 

Jim McKenney
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I'm either on the
cutting edge of propagation, or I'm setting myself up to be cut down.  


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