Eucomis Leaf Cuttings

Way back in October 2011 I started some leaf cuttings of Eucomis "Sparkling Burgundy". Here they are a couple of months later..................



A photo of them after about six months.........................


Today I noticed that fat roots were poking out of the bottom of the pot and decided to split and repot before they were in full growth. This is what I found.....................


Hard to make out from the photo, but there are ten bulbs in there which all came from one leaf. The largest ones are about two thirds of what I would consider flowering sized.

Not bad for just over two years growing.

 

look great Longk

How come you left so late to take ie October or is that the best time, just waiting for "Pink Gin" to arrive I have potted up the three other varieties , sparking burgundy were huge from "Pottertons nursery" so cant wait to see how they all get on.

 

It just kind of happened that way. All that you need is a leaf in growth that is in good condition.

 

How large each cutting , how much under the soil , do you need heat ie propagator, best compost to use , do I need to cover with a plastic bag

 

@Spruce
Cut into about 40/50mm sections. No heat, just a sunny warmish w/sill. Use a very gritty mix and place the leaf cuttings on top (the bottom of the leaf section at the bottom), prop up with cocktail sticks and add a shallow layer of grit. Yes, they need to be covered.
It is very simple.

 

Up till now, probably 20yrs or more, it the first time I can remember my Eucomis to still have a few leaves from last year, in late Feb.
Its been an odd winter up till now and I'm still wondering when the cold weather will start.
Sorry slightly off topic.

 

By the way...................

Here is a photo of a bulbil that I found in the crown of a flower stem on an E.bicolor...................

 

I dried mine out in anticipation of a bitch of a winter!

Me too. To hasten it up I planted a couple of Penstemons out as they were clogging my rather full cold frame up. Bound to turn bitter now!

 

They are quite hardy Kristen, mine have never been killed by frost.
And the bulbs get massive.

 

Excellent LongK - I never knew you could take leaf cuttings of Eucomis.

I have just had a Google and see that you can get quite a few bulbils forming at the base of each piece of leaf - amazing.

 

Must say, I have never thought to take cuttings from Eucomis leaves.
Either I divide the clumps, or they grow quite easily from seed too.

 

Neither had I until Carol Klein did a piece about it on the one Gardeners World that I did watch!

Certainly true of E.autumnalis, bicolor and comosa/punctata, but for me Sparkling Burgundy and Oakhurst don't seem to.

Not for me!!!!
The other advantage is that if it's a natural selection/hybrid the resulting bulbs will come true.
I doubt that this method will produce flowering sized bulbs any quicker though.

 

Its a good incentive to buy just one expensive named cultivar - then to propagate your own.

 

Bit like twin-scaling Snowdrops etc. Except that I completely failed on the "buy just one expensive named cultivar" in that project !!

 

Just bought 2 packets of Eucomis punctata from Lidl, £2.35 or 2 for £4.00.
Never grown them before so any help would be appreciated, should I be planting them now are is it a bit early.