Twinscaling Nerine
Matt Mattus (Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:03:35 PDT)

I tried twin scaling my N. sarniensis a few years ago, and had some success.
I had read that one should do it in late June, or just after the bulbs go
dormant ( I really didn't twin scale, more like triple or sliced the bulbs
into 8 pieces, each with a piece of the basal plate.

I then treated them with a fungicide, and placed them into a small ziplock
poly bag with vermiculite. I kept the bag in a dark closet for two months,
and by August, I had some small bulblets. I planted them out in a fishbox
with sand, for their first season of growth. The flat eventually became lost
in the greenhouse until three years later, when I found two flower buds
twisting up.

SO I think I had some luck, but I have little patience, and find that they
offset so quickly that I get blooming size bulbs faster from the smaller
offsets than the chipped bulbs. Stil, it's probably the best way to
propagate a perfect clone.

Matt Mattus
Zone 5
Worcester, MA USA

On 9/4/10 1:09 AM, "Tom Mitchell" <tom@evolution-plants.com> wrote:

Does anyone here have experience twinscaling Nerine? Like many others
I've used the technique successfully on Galanthus and Narcissus but
am unsure whether to use the same protocol with Nerine. In
particular, I'd love advice on the best time of year to chop up the
bulbs and the best incubation method to use. I'm most interested in
working with N.bowdenii, which obviously has large bulbs compared
with most Nerine species, perhaps making cross-cutting of the basal
plate a better plan? Advice appreciated!

Tom
Wiltshire, England, Zone 8, autumn on it's way.
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