Propagation: Scale propagation of Bowiea volubilis., 0 by raydio

raydio wrote:
Hi Gourd & Pod~

Glad you bumped this one out of the past. I had meant to update my results but it alsways occured when I wasn't online and when I was online, I'd have forgotten it.

I did indeed have success with getting a scale to strike!

Most of my pieces rotted too. Looking at the time of year, March may have been the wrong time or my treatment may not have worked, but I had two pieces that seemed to be starting to take. I had tried different positionings of the pieces, standing up with one edge (oriented ad it was on the bulb) in the medium, or with the whole thing cut edge down against the medium.

I tried so many things and I didn't keep any records. I don't think I ever tried dry medium under a greenhouse type covering (Saran Wrap covering), so I'm just not sure what made it work. I'm thinking that the warmth of approaching summer helped. I don't know that having the medium moist did anything bu promote rot. I may have misted plump pieces somewhere in there, when I noticed some of the pieces drying out. I may have had them in too much light. I plan to do this again in summer and keep the pieces out of direct light, dry and maybe have the pot covered with Saran. I'll try strictly dry with no plastic covering too, with the pieces lightly covered in dry sand. That might be best as would be close to their natural habitat.

Anyway, last summer, one large piece began to develop three "thickenings" close together on one edge and another piece already had a good sized "bump" on the edge. The one with the three swellings eventually succumbed but the small single piece that was further along eventually made this:

This message was edited Oct 2, 2007 4:19 PM