Re: Tiny tubers (was: seedlings that refuse to develop)
- Subject: Re: Tiny tubers (was: seedlings that refuse to develop)
- From: T* a* M* R*
- Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 17:00:02 +1200
Loren Russell wrote:
> > Loren Russell wrote:
> > ...a few of our native delphiniums, notably the rare D. pavonaceum and D.
> > menziesii [the latter widespread and common] do stop at the cotyledon stage
> > and put their all into building a resting root structure [tuber].
Loren thanks for this and all the other highly practical informaition
you have sent on plants that produce an initial tuber.
The only group doing this I was previously familiar with was the true
lilies, several members of which have this habit, though with the
modification that the cotyledon never comes above ground, but a tiny
bulb nevertheless grows and only than produces its first true leaf. I
have once or twice grown seed of this type of lily (a group including
the speciosum and auratum lilies, also L martagon and L canadense)). The
easy way is to sow the seeds in vermiculite in a ziplock bag and then
keep them at around 70 degrees F for about twelve weeks for the bulbs to
form. It is not difficult to spot the tiny colourless bulbs in the
vermiculite towards the end of the process.
They then need 6 weeks of refrigeration at 40 degrees F before potting
up, to stimulate leaf production..
In nature most of these are species which ripen their seeds early enough
for the initial bulb to form before winter. They then are nicely ready
to produce that first leaf in spring.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata - at the Southern tip of North Island, NZ,
Lat 41°15'S, Long 174°58'E (Antipodes of Spain/Southern France)
