Rick, you were really close when you said the scales on the newly born 4n bulblets splay apart at about 60' angles and I know you looked for it too. Keep in mind these bulblets are 10 months old so they're growing out of that stage somewhat. But if you look close, you can still see the presence of what, once was, that classic 'V' form. Because of this, young 4n bulblets appear oval when viewed from above whereas 2n bulblets are quite round (and I should have taken a picture of that). Another sign of 4n is fast growing long, strapping leaves, nearly twice the size of 2n at any given time during the first year. I guess my question was kind of unfair because none of you got to see these when they were tiny white bulblets with the 'V' form, nor had a chance to watch them grow along side others everyday throughout the summer as I did. So I wasn't all that surprised. But still, I was glad to see what I suspected all along. I still need a couple more years of evaluation and comparison to the mother before I can be 100% sure these are 4n, however.
If, in fact, these turn out to be 4n, it remains a mystery of how it happened. The addition of new formula Captan to my media is not new here. I use it because I believe it hastens not only bulblet development but also the quantity of them. But what was different was the malfunction of the incubation thermostat that caused the temperature of many samples to reach temperatures as high as 145'F until I discovered it. Most samples were lost. Only those on the outside parameter could be salvaged where sample bags got very warm but not hot--probably 105'--110'F. This bag along with 4 others were the only ones I could save. So, who knows; Maybe the Captan + Heat did it.
