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Re: twin scaling of daffodils

Jean-Claude.Darchen@univ-rennes1.fr wrote:
> 
> Has any one heard of a technique called twin scaling used for the
> propagation of daffodils? I saw it mentioned in a magazine but
> unfortunately no description was given.

Basically, you want to cut into the bulb so that there are many sections
- BUT each section must have a bit of the "basal plate" from which roots
form. It is from there that small bulblets are regenerated. The pieces
of the original bulb will wither as their starch is used to nourish the
new little bulb.

Two techniques that work with narcissus (daffodils) and hyacinths:

1) scoring - turn the bulb upside down, with the base facing you.
Imagine the bulb is a clock face, and run a knife from 12 o'clock to 6,
from 3 to 9, etc, slicing through the center so the cuts look like the
spokes of a wheel.
Don't cut all the way through the bulb - just enough to divide the base
plate (1/2 inch or 1 cm).
Now place the bulb in dry sand (you may with to air-dry it first
overnight). Place it in a dry place that does not get too hot or too
cold. I put some sand in a zip-lock plastic bag, and seal it.
When you see the tiny new bulbs, pot them up in loose, light soil.

2)scooping - with a grapefruit knife or melon baller, scoop out the
center of the basal plate. This takes a bit of experience (and guts).
You will get more bulbs, but they will be smaller than with scoring -
and of course you won't get anything if you scoop too deeply and remove
the base plate entirely. So I don't use this method.

Lily bulbs have a different structure, so the method is different: peel
the scales off the bulb, making sure to take along some of the tissue
from where the scale is attached to the bulb. This is the basal plate
for this type of bulb. Put the scales in dry sand, and you will get tiny
bulblets.

Good Luck. I didn't know that daffodil is a French word - I thought it
was narcissus in French!

Ben David
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