What is this on the flower stalk?

[SDB777]

Plant is a normal daylily(the really dark colored in my ablum). But I was 'thinning' out the dead stalks and noticed this:



What is growing on the stalk? Is this where the seed will be?




Scott (never seen this before) B

[zuzu's petals]

Hi Scott
What you have there is called a proliferation.

It is a new little plantlet, much like what occurs more frequently on the common household Spider Plant.
These are not too unusual on Hemerocallis (Daylily) plants.

The link above gives good instructions for propagation of proliferations.

[SDB777]

If I read all of that correctly, I have a little daylily exactly like the mother plant growing on the stalk! This is way cool! Free daylily's!!

I just need to see some 'roots' before I cut this off the stalk, and then replant in a cup of 'fertilized' water to encourage more roots. Then into a 4"(or so) pot to get it stronger prior to planting back in flower bed?


Is the above correct? Don't want to just kill the thing without it having a chance!




Scott (just shove me in the right direction) B

[jdkline]

Wish I had known this earlier. Had lots of those on my daylilies. Dang it. Gonna go out there and see if maybe theres one or two I didnt cut back. LOL
Deb

[zuzu's petals]

If I read all of that correctly, I have a little daylily exactly like the mother plant growing on the stalk! This is way cool! Free daylily's!!

I just need to see some 'roots' before I cut this off the stalk, and then replant in a to encourage more roots. Then into a 4"(or so) pot to get it stronger prior to planting back in flower bed?


Is the above correct? Don't want to just kill the thing without it having a chance!


Scott (just shove me in the right direction) B

Yes, the plantlet should be a clone/duplicate of the parent plant, better than seed, IMHO,
plants grown from seed could turn out to be quite variable.

I, personally, skip the "cup of 'fertilized' water" part,
opting to go directly into the 4" pot of good growing medium when some nice starter roots appear.

I usually just watch the mother plant carefully and remove the proliferation when the scape (old bloom spike)
begins to turn brown ... until that time, the baby can still draw nutrients and water from mama,
... ... think of the scape as an umbilical cord.

Once the prolif is in a pot, keep the medium reliably moist (not sopping) and shelter it from harsh conditions
until the root system is showing good development.

[angmf2233]

I have never seen that before either, I know what baby spider plants are, and you can root them in water or put in soil. Way to cool! Does tis happen with all bulb plants? Babies? I will see new shoots from the ground but not this?

[zuzu's petals]

Does tis happen with all bulb plants? Babies? I will see new shoots from the ground but not this?

Nah ... this is something that does occur with various kinds of plants,
but not even with all daylilies ... or at least, some varieties are more prone to this than others.
Oh, and Hemerocallis, despite the common name (Daylily),
are not actually true Lilies at all, and do not have bulbs, just big, fat, juicy roots.

True Lilies do just as you describe and send up new babies from underground (bulb divisions).
Daylilies will also make lots of new plants from the base (root divisions).

[SDB777]

I've been checking this everyday, was wondering what kind of 'time line' should I start seeing the roots emerge from the the plant?

Anyone know?





Scott (fun to wait, but I'm impatient) B

[ok_nurse]

Zuzu-you are just so smart Girlfriend! I didn't know that either I wondered but never actually did the google and tried to find out more about it. To think of all the children that never made it out of my garden. Doh!!! ("Lets go up to Lowes and get some daylilies just as soon as I clean up the scraps from the old ones I just cleaned!")

[SDB777]

Well, the stalk finally started to turn brown, and still no roots protruding? I cut it and put it in a well watered 4" pot. I can only hope that it does well, if not.....I dunno? The parent plants are still very green and already starting to send up new plants to each side...that's a good sign!

Was hoping the root hormone would get here before the stalk turned and I could do a little 'experiment'. Oh well.....



Scott (maybe I can put the root stuff on my foot) B

[zuzu's petals]

Well, the stalk finally started to turn brown, and still no roots protruding? I cut it and put it in a well watered 4" pot.

It should do fine, it will be more "motivated" to develop a root system
now that it no longer has it's mama to fulfill all of it's needs.
Don't let it get too dry for too long,
but also do not over-water, keep the soil just damp to the touch.
This is a delicate stage of growth.