For those with a heated greenhouse who wish to propagate from their own stock February is the time to get started if you haven't already. We maintain a minimum temperature of 15C in our propagation tunnel. Take from the winter store the tubers you will be using to to raise your 2014 stock. I am asked many times how many cuttings will come off one tuber. This is a very difficult question to answer as cultivars vary so much. Something like Lavender Perfection, which has in my experience always been difficult to propagate, will generally yield 6-8 cuttings. Another such as Taratahi Lilac may yield as many as 20 plus cuttings.
Trim off the fibrous roots and stems and place carefully in shallow trays on a layer of sifted compost. Cover lightly, but not the stems or crown, and water sparingly until the shoots begin to appear and then water normally. Too much water in the very early stage before growth begins can cause tuber rot which is, obviously, not good, and rotting tubers smell horrible!
For many. or even most, cultivars shoots will begin to emerge in 2-3 weeks.
In the March blog I will describe how to take the cuttings that have grown and strike them.
For those with no heated greenhouse: carry out routine inspections as for January.
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