Sorry Becky, had to make a short pharmacy run.
Tissue culture has been around since maybe the beginning of the 1900s then in the 60s the study was expanded beyond governmental labs where it had been tested on just about any living organism, mostly for health purposes, I think. But it wasn't until the 90s that it crept into the world of commercial plant possibilities. When it went beyond that and on to market, I don't know, but I do know it's quite recent.
I only vaguely remember learning about it when working on my uncle's daylily farm in central KY. He was the scientific one, but I'm pretty good at remembering history, I just don't know details. And at about that same time -- the late 90s -- the news about the possibility of propagation by tissue reached him through some sort of publication and that's when I learned about it. If he had lived he might have learned more. I really hadn't thought much about it over the years, and that's all I remember. I hope somebody who knows can answer you. The practice resulted in more plants at a much faster rate which was great for commerce.
