Dear Pacific Bulb Society members,

My last post
(http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbslist/old.php/…)
regarding why we should care about viruses inform. Who can promise the
next generations
of horticulturists and botanists that the species we know and grow today
will be around for them tomorrow? What can be done?

As with most strategies for the safe-keeping of valuable assets,
diversification is probably the best answer. Perhaps we gardeners can
evolve to think of ourselves not just as artists but also as lay curators.
Adopt a species or a genus! Take good records, acquire multiple clones so
that new generations can be produced by seed. When sharing or trading
plants with other enthusiasts, try to give away plants produced from seeds
instead of those from pups, corms or bulblets (mere copies). This will
ensure a measure of genetic diversity and hope for resistance against new
generations of pests and pathogens.

Growing bulbs from seed may seem intimidating at first but it is so
rewarding and not as hard as it may seem!

Jacob U. Knecht

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- http://www.flickr.com/photos/morabeza79/
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