Lorn, I never thought of cutting the scale instead of just popping off the bulblet. Do you do this as a precautionary method, or have you seen that in practice it is curbing disease?

And what would be your recommendation if one was to give the same scale a second go at producing bulblets?

Rick---I don't pop off bulblets because I think I could cause possible damage which might allow a pathogen to attack. Let the short piece of scale be the one to be attacked. Yes, if the scale is still solid and large enough, it can be re-incubated for more bulblets successfully by cutting a new breakline across the base. I have also tried scribing a line across the scale face and made 'V' notches on the sides near the base with occasional success the second time around.

However, this second time around procedure ends up being inconvenient in most cases because it usually involves only a scale or two. The resulting bulblets end up out of sequence to the rest and you end up baby sitting only a couple baggies when you should be doing other stuff. But if I want the additional bulblets bad enough, I'll do it, no question.

So random scaling bulbs question. Is there a cultivar of lily that is easier to propogate by scaling than others? Like for a first attempt at a scaling project?

Scheherazade was pretty prolific for me. That is probably why Judith Freeman used it as a bonus lily for many years.

Thanks Connie. I actually bought 3 of those bulbs this spring and put them in the ground already. But I was thinking about buying one bulb of something, to make an attempt at scaling. Worse case scenario, I have 2 clumps of asiatic lilies that will need to be dug up and split this fall. Maybe I'll check out some local garden centers to see what/if any bulbs they have.

When you scale a bulb, obviously you want one with thicker fatter scales right? Does it matter if it has a sprout coming up? Or say they have lilies in pots selling as trios or such. And I just used one to scale.

You might want to skim through this entire thread and glean what you can. It seems to me that working with bulbs that are already into active growth may not work well because the bulb is feeding the new stem/growth. I've never tried it at that stage so can't say for sure. Potted lilies in the stores now are well into the season's growth.

Get some new bareroot bulbs in the fall since they will have gone through the season's growth already.

When you pull scales off you want to get as much basal plate along the lower edge as you can.

Some types of lilies grow lots of stem bulblets, some none. Stem bulblets are those that start on the stem, underground and above the main bulb. Those that do not produce stem bulblets tend to be the poorer candidates for scaling. You will be more likely to succeed with asiatics, and trumpets, and hybrids of them.

I scaled an entire 'Robert Swanson' OT bulb, just for fun in February and I had a bumper crop of little bulbs from each scale. I also did the same thing to Miss Feya and she was not nearly as fruitful. Same time, same treatment, neighbors in the same room. Both with books placed on top of the baggies. It was a nice little experiment. Genetically some must be more prone to higher yield.

Thanks for the info everyone. I wanted to get some chocolate canary bulbs for fall. Maybe I'll order 4 to scale one and see what happens

There's really no need to scale Chocolate Canary. It produces an abundance of stem bulblets naturally and colonizes rapidly, A package of 3 bulbs will yield about 30 stem bulblets the first year down. The primary reason for scale cloning is normally used for the purpose of making a couple safety backup bulbs of an expensive or rare bulb that cannot be replaced , just in case something terrible happens to the original.

Good points by Rick and Tracey in posts above. Although I think Rick gives a little more credit to Trumpets than they deserve when it comes to developing stem bulblets. Most of my Trumpet/Aurelian hybrids do not produce stem bulblets or do so reluctantly. When I see one that makes bulblets, I'm always suspicious that some Oriental blood has got in there from somewhere and a quick check on bulb color usually backs that up.

Chocolate Canary is a super hardy cultivar and is one of my favorites in a mixed garden with colorful annuals.

Lorn, i was just wanting to try scaling something that would be probable for success as i have not tried scaling a bulb at all yet. Not necessarily for my own gain other than the experience really. And if i am fortunate enough to have success i have plenty of people i could give the bulblets to. Gotta start somewhere right? Lol

Also, I'm almost finished with the book you recommended i read.

Well, then, Chocolate Canary is a good choice. I know you'll enjoy doing it and you'll be building your confidence, too.

Roosterlorn said: I think Rick gives a little more credit to Trumpets than they deserve when it comes to developing stem bulblets. Most of my Trumpet/Aurelian hybrids do not produce stem bulblets or do so reluctantly.

I would certainly defer to Lorn's advice here. I don't grow very many trumpets.

Rick, what I've seen over the years with Div. VI is the most typical multiplication is by basil plate offsets formed between the scales. As the outer scales grow older and are consumed, the new offset is 'free' and on its own. It usually develops its own anchor root system the season before the last or when the oldest layer of scales is consumed. Light scaling of the first one or two layers of scales often exposes these offsets and the varying degrees of development the farther in you go. The one in the picture below was hidden behind the outer layer of scales. Note also the dark purple color of the mother bulb. That color is highly characteristic of true Div. VI. It can vary from dark purple to dark chessnut reddish brown but almost always very dark. I suppose there can be exceptions like Tropical Isle and some others, but who really knows what the parentage really is with some of those anyway.

Those with substantial L. regale background have a tendency to simply divide more rapidly than most other Div. VI.

That's a pretty cool picture Lorn. So if I'm understanding you right, they naturally make bulblets between inner and outer scales as their own way of division, versus root and stem bulblets. More like they scale themselves basically?

(Very) occasionally, I see this with martagon bulbs and Caucasian lily species. And yes, they don't seem to produce stems until they are "free" of the surrounding scale. More often with martagons, there will be naked stems that originate spontaneously between the scales rather than only the tip. Not sure how (or why) that happens.

Quick question: Do different classes of lilies when scaled take longer then others to start reproducing? I scaled a bunch of lilies 8-9 weeks ago in seed starting/sand mix. I am not seeing anything happening yet but it has been a long time since I scaled any bulbs and they were most likely asiatic lilies.

Well, some do take longer but they are the exception rather than the rule. Since not a single scale of yours has formed bulblets after 8 to 10 weeks indicates something wrong somewhere. How do the scales look now, are they still nice and solid? If they are still nice and solid, cut the old end off so you have a new surface and re-incubate with barely moist straight peat moss in sealed bags and see what happens. Incubate in the dark at temperatures of 65 to 70'F preferable, and absolutely no higher than 75'F, ever!

I just put 8 scales in ro incubate. Covered in a towel and kept in the bedroom as that is the best option for keeping temps where they need to be. See what happens

I do my scales on the bottom shelf of a kitchen cupboard. Of course I have to boot some food out to do this.