Re: CULT: To Stalk or not To Stalk?
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: CULT: To Stalk or not To Stalk?
- From: B* S* <b*@tiger.hsc.edu>
- Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 09:56:56 -0600 (MDT)
Don't do either. Instead, BREAK off the bloom stalk as close to the
rhizome as possible. Grasp it firmly with thumb and forefinger and bend it
back or forward parallel to the rhizome until it snaps (easier to do in the
morning when the stalks are crisp.). The reason for breaking rather than
cutting is that the break is likely to occur between the cells of the
stalk, while a cut ruptures many cells. Intact cell walls resist disease
while ruptured ones admit bacteria and spores.
Old stalks probably neither hurt nor help the developing new rhizomes. But
they look bad and can also host diseases such as leaf spot.
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@tiger.hsc.edu>
