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Re: Lewisia propagation

Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 10:41:11 -0700
    From: lunn <lunn@TELEPORT.COM>


At 11:15 PM 4/30/96 -800, Doug Steele wrote:

>Does anyone have any advice on propagating Lewisias from the offsets?
> Should I be doing  this now, or later?  Any hints would be appreciated.

If you are asking about _Lewisia cotyledon_, they are fairly easy to
root in
sand.  I like to use a cutting of approximately 1/8-1/4 inch (3-6 mm) in
diameter and treat the cut end with sulfur.  Hormone is not necessary
and
definitely should not be used if there are roots already existing on the
offset.  I have taken cuttings and offsets at various times of the year
and
haven't noticed much difference in results.  Maybe I just wasn't paying
good
attention!  Whenever I have a good clone with roots that are beginning
to
rot, I cut off all of the orange colored parts of the roots and stem and
treat as above.  I will even put the whole crown is sand, if it is
something
that I especially like to keep.  It takes them a while to root, so be
patient.  _L. tweedyi_ also responds well to this treatment.  If you are
inquiring about a different species, then its a very different
situation.

I don't believe there is any better situation to grow _L. cotyledon_ in
than
a rock wall.  Sand beds are alright and probably necessary for growing
_L.
rediviva_.  One year, I was photographing _L. cotyledon_ in the Siskiyou
Mtns. in early July and the rocks in which they were growing were so hot
you
could not hold your hand to them.  So, don't worry about planting them
on a
south facing slope.  They may not look that great during mid summer, but
they will survive.  They do well in pots, but I never use as much humus
as
some have mentioned on Alpine-L.  I use mostly pumice, sand and granite
grit, with only 10-20% compose or peat.  Incidently, _L. rediviva_ will
be
blooming soon in the Columbia River Gorge, where it grows at an
elevation of
only a couple hundred feet above sea level.  They appear in rocky areas
in
our area and in the gravelly glacial deposits in north-central
Washington.

Jay Lunn
Hillsboro, OR


-- 
Duncan McAlpine, Federal Way, WA
Why buy plants when you can grow them yourself.....?
http://www.eskimo.com/~mcalpin/
http://www.eskimo.com/~mcalpin/pumkin.html
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