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Posted on 5:07 PM by Wanto and filed under
By John Mauve
If there are signs of either black or brown rot these areas should he carefully cut away until clean flesh is reached, taking great care to avoid causing damage to the crown, as the young shoots are produced from this and not from the tubers. Should part of the crown be affected also, the diseased areas should be pared away very carefully indeed, because if only the smallest portion can be saved there is a possibility that this will contain an eye and that this will produce young shoots.
It is usually unwise to throw away any tuber, particularly of a valuable variety, until it has completely collapsed and is obviously incapable of producing growth. The majority of growers will have had personal experience of the truth of this statement, for there have been many instances where the smallest scraps of tuber have thrown cuttings and saved the stock.
Flowering depend on the amount of heat and to the variety; some varieties are naturally quick whilst others take so long that it is very easy to become impatient. The majority of varieties, given bottom heat of say 70 F and top heat of 5o to 5 5 F, will produce growth buds in ten to fourteen days and cuttings suitable for propagating in three and a half to four weeks after setting up.
Some varieties such as Doge will produce very thick stubby growth, often with hollow stems and in comparatively small numbers; these growths if taken as cuttings are usually very slow in rooting, in many cases proving almost impossible to root. It is advisable in such cases to remove the very stout growths close to the eye, quite early after development, in order to allow the subsidiary buds to develop.
The secondary growths are usually of normal size and more suitable for propagation. Great care must be taken when removing these primary shoots to ensure that the circle of dormant secondary eyes surrounding the primary eye are left untouched, or the tuber may become blind. A very sharp, thin bladed knife should be used, and the shoot severed by making several cuts from different sides to avoid slicing through the remaining eyes.
Still it is unlikely to cause harm and there may be some value in this pre-plunging treatment; certainly it is likely that any dormant fungus or bacterial infection present will develop under spraying and that this will be easily detected and preventive action taken, whereas it may develop unseen under cover of the soil and remain unchecked if the tubers are benched up immediately after trimming.
It is usually unwise to throw away any tuber, particularly of a valuable variety, until it has completely collapsed and is obviously incapable of producing growth. The majority of growers will have had personal experience of the truth of this statement, for there have been many instances where the smallest scraps of tuber have thrown cuttings and saved the stock.
Flowering depend on the amount of heat and to the variety; some varieties are naturally quick whilst others take so long that it is very easy to become impatient. The majority of varieties, given bottom heat of say 70 F and top heat of 5o to 5 5 F, will produce growth buds in ten to fourteen days and cuttings suitable for propagating in three and a half to four weeks after setting up.
Some varieties such as Doge will produce very thick stubby growth, often with hollow stems and in comparatively small numbers; these growths if taken as cuttings are usually very slow in rooting, in many cases proving almost impossible to root. It is advisable in such cases to remove the very stout growths close to the eye, quite early after development, in order to allow the subsidiary buds to develop.
The secondary growths are usually of normal size and more suitable for propagation. Great care must be taken when removing these primary shoots to ensure that the circle of dormant secondary eyes surrounding the primary eye are left untouched, or the tuber may become blind. A very sharp, thin bladed knife should be used, and the shoot severed by making several cuts from different sides to avoid slicing through the remaining eyes.
Still it is unlikely to cause harm and there may be some value in this pre-plunging treatment; certainly it is likely that any dormant fungus or bacterial infection present will develop under spraying and that this will be easily detected and preventive action taken, whereas it may develop unseen under cover of the soil and remain unchecked if the tubers are benched up immediately after trimming.
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