Hyacinthus orientalis 'White Pearl'

22/05/19 - Hyacinths this time, which you can propagate via Bulb Scoring and Bulb Scooping. Hyacinths can be difficult to propagate via natural offsets and this is sometimes a better and quicker way to increase your numbers. Bulb Scooping (bottom right) relies on scooping out the basal plate with a sharp spoon, and the damage causes the bulb to regenerate by producing bulblets. Bulb Scoring (top left) is similar but you simply cut into the basal plate a few times (eg quarters or eighths)

These are then placed upside on a bed of sterile damp sand and were left on shelf in a bright room for a few weeks uncovered. Bulb Scooping clearly has been more productive, producing at least 20 or so new bulblets, whereas Bulb Scoring only gave me 2-3 new bulblets, some still hidden within the bulb itself. Now they have reached this size, I’ve now planted the bulb (still upside down) into a small pot of compost and gravel.

The bulblets will grow on, and the original bulb will just slowly rot away. Hopefully will reach flowering size in about 3 years, but considering how much hyacinth bulbs are these days I’ll have quite a few to play with 😄 #bulb #bulb-propagation #bulb-scooping #bulb-scoring #hyacinth #hyacinthus

Just loving all these experiments 👍

Thanks Jeff - I love doing them too. Although some not as successful, think the aftercare has been the problem in my part, haven’t quite perfected soft-tip or semi ripe cuttings as I didn’t get the water technique right, too wet and they all rotted. Trying again 🙄 @jeatacake

I've usually had the same problem with softwood cuttings, but will try more this year 👍

Starting to see some results from my experiment on bulb scooping on this Hyacinth. If your not familiar with this, it’s basically a form of bulb propagation to increase your stock. Hyacinth bulbs do not divide very easily naturally and this technique forces it to create new bulblets to grow on. I scooped out the basal plate on the underside of the bulb a few weeks ago (scroll left), and sat it upside-down in sand in warm dark corner of a room indoors, and now you can see the bulblets forming....

along the edge of the scales 😁 - I will wait a bit longer before moving to the next step, which is to then bury the bulb in soil (right way up this time) and let the mother bulb rot down and the bulblets grow away on their own roots that they form. They are prob slightly too small at the moment to do this so maybe in another couple of months they will be the right size to move to next stage.

Haven’t seen yet the same results on the alternative technique that I’m comparing with, which is bulb-scoring (you just score the basal plate with a sharp knife rather than scoop it out). I had two bulbs and did one on each method. Scooping seems to have produced the quicker results so far, but still hoping the scoring will come good soon. It’s still alive! 👍🏼 #bulb #bulb-propagation #bulb-scooping #bulb-scoring #hyacinth #hyacinthus

One thing to note - I found I needed to apply a fungicide, otherwise they quickly get Grey mould/Botrytis forming. Also made the scoop a little deeper than originally shown on previous post to ensure the edges of the bulb scales were visible

Very interesting! 👏👏

Wow! Good to know 😉

Thanks @Soja412 😊

Thanks Theresa 😊 - never would have tried this before but my curiosity is taking me new places! @treefrog44

Wow that’s impressive 👌

My pleasure Laura 😊 - it’s been a bit tricky to keep it fungus free but it seems to be coming through. Def a great way to increase the number of bulbs you have as long as one is prepared to wait for the results 😉 @columbiariver

Thanks Sue 😊 Hope to get some more forming too in the next couple of months - might get 20 new bulbs out of this from just one 😁 @suerichards

I love seeing where your curiosity takes you and the way you give us so much information about your experiments, you are a star Rich and a great mentor 👍⭐️

#bulb #bulb-propagation #bulb-scooping #bulb-scoring #hyacinth #hyacinthus

The upside down part is very foreign to me!! 🙃

Lol, looks odd doesn’t it? But it’s working 😄 @KariSamuel

So awesome! I've been told to always, always plant your bulbs with the roots down! This is cool, Richard! Ingenious really! Keep us updated! 😊