You really need to get as close to the basal plate as possible. I have been using my thumbnail to kinda "dig' the scales off close to the base. Now if your bulb is still planted it will be difficult to get at the scales and you might want to temporarily lift the bulb, then replant. I wash the scales well and soak for 15 minutes or so in a 10% bleach solution. After rinsing well and airdrying I plant them into sandwich bags with moistened "seed starting mix". I store them at room temp. for about 12 weeks (you should see roots), then into the fridge for another 10 or so weeks. I just finished up scaling all of my new purchases prior to planting the bulbs. It's what I call "insurance"!

pardalinum, do I understand correctly that when you buy a new lily bulb you remove some of the scales? How many? Do you do anything special to the "mother" bulb before planting it? How long does it take for the scales to bloom? Once they develop can they be planted outside? how deeply?

Taking out this kind of insurance with rare or cherished bulbs is often done.

How many you take depends on how big the bulb is and how many you want to end up with. One or two scales taken from a small bulb, or half a dozen from a large one shouldn't affect the mother bulb.

Dusting the mother bulb with a fungicide before planting it is probably a good idea, but otherwise you needn't take any extra precautions.

The bulblets may only take 2 or 3 years to reach flowering size.

When you plant them outside depends on your climate. Aim to put them outside after the last frost; if that's not possible harden them off for a few days (out in daytime, into shelter at night) to reduce the risk of damage to the leaves. Generally they'll need a period in the fridge to prime them to produce leaves, as pardalinum suggests above. Sow them only an inch or two deep so that the leaves aren't buried; they'll drag themselves down deeper in time.

When new bulbs come here, I always search carefully through the packing material to see if there were any scales broken off. A recent shipment had a scattering of tiny bulblets and pieces of scale. I put them all in a pot in a cool place over the winter.

Some were so eager to grow that one grew upside down out a drainage hole at the bottom of the pot through the slats of the bench they were on!

Nell