Twin-scaling

The dormant bulb which is to be twin-scaled has its surface sterilized by removing its dry tunic and carefully trimming off its roots and any dead tissue, while leaving a layer of sound basal plate intact, then dipping the clean bulb in dilute bleach (or another suitable disinfectant). The bulb is then sliced cleanly from top to bottom several times, creating 8 or 16 segments, depending on the size of the bulb. At this stage, the segments are called "chips" (many growers are content with simply chipping a bulb into 4 or 8 and do not divide the bulb further).

True twin-scaling involves further subdivision of the chips to create pairs of scales, joined by a small part of the basal plate. The twin-scales are then treated with fungicide before being mixed with moist, sterile Vermiculite, sealed in plastic bags and left in a fairly warm, dark location until new bulblets form. Some species may require alternate periods of warm and cool storage to initiate bulblet growth.

The tiny bulbs are planted into pots or trays of compost and allowed to grow on for a year or more, until they are large enough to survive in individual pots or the open ground. They usually take several years to reach flowering size, although some bulblets of Galanthus have been known to flower in their first year.

• A step by step illustration of the twin-scaling technique

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