Preparing Seedlings for Conversion

Hello Daylily Friends,

The time is near when I will begin to treat daylilies with Colchicine. I like to take plants down to a single fan, then repot them, where the "growing tip" is just above the potting soil. I like to work with plants in one gallon buckets although this spring I will be working with a number of plants in two-gallon buckets. Some of the daylilies are in two-gallon buckets because the roots were so big.

I have placed the daylilies just above the cooling vent in the greenhouse. They will not get water where they are, and they will be left in place from six to eight weeks. I like for the daylilies to be growing, but more importantly, I like for them to be "dry" when they are treated. If a plants is not dry then it will not absorb the Colchicine. No absorption; no conversion.

When I cut the plants, probably in March, I will show how it is done using pictures.

Here is an unfortunate lesson I learned the hard way that has to do with the amount of Colchicine used for conversion work. I mistakenly received about five capsules of Colchicine, and I used this amount for about two years. So, what was the mistake? The amount of Colchicine that "should have been" in each of the capsules was one gram, but I had only 100 mg. If you do not have the correct amount of Colchicine you will probably not be successful. Certainly I was not successful and a lot of time was lost.

So, I have put my plants in proper pots, the pots were actively growing, then I put them in a place where they would not receive water. They will be without water for six to eight weeks. After the plants are dry I will cut them and then apply the Colchicine.

Bill