| Gardening Quick-Tip: Getting More Blooms from Bulbs |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-606 |
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If you want to get more plants from a single bulb, try a process called twin-scaling.
- Dig up dormant bulbs, and allow them to dry for two to three days.
- Trim off the tops, and peel off the outer scales like the skin of an onion.
- Cut the bulb into equal-sized segments, cut from top to bottom (figure A) -- making sure that each segment has a piece of the basal plate still attached.
- Peel apart the layers, like you would an onion, again leaving the basal portion attached.
- Soak the segments for 10 minutes in a fungicide (figure B), then allow them to dry.
- Seal the segments in a plastic bag with moist vermiculite, leaving air in the bag when you close it (figure C).
- Keep them in a warm, dark place for 3 months. Then, they're ready to be planted. It may take two growing seasons before you see blooms on your "new" bulbs.
RESOURCES :
Taylors Guide to Bulbs
Model: 0395404495
Author: Norman Taylor
1986
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-351-5000
Email: tradecustomerservice@hmco.com
Bulbs (The Time-Life Encyclopedia of Gardening)
Model: 0805003525
Author: James Underwood Crockett
Time Life Books
Website: www.timelife.com
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