it seems to root rather easily.. see link ...

unless you knew that .. and your question is ubber specific to TC issues..

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

AFAIK, all plants can be TC'd, but some are easier than others and they are not all TC'd with the same cultural conditions.

Thank you :) Cuttings is of course an option, but I was looking into ways where using less plant material and getting "more" could be employed. I've never tissue cultured before, so perhaps I chose the wrong plant to start with, if it proves to be more difficult with micro propagation techniques.

if a plant roots freely ... then there is little reason to TC it.. on a wholesale level..

hence the potential dearth of info..

i am not sure i am saying what i mean to say ...

coleus.. every single 2 inch piece will root ... why would a mass producer spend thousands of dollars in TC'ing it ... same with mums.. etc ...

if you have a plant .. and root two pieces.. by spring you have 3.. to take 2 off each [6 now] .. and then in fall.. 2 more off each of the 6 ... etc .. its called building stock ...

how many do you need???

is it really worth spending $500 on a TC lab??? .. for this plant anyway ...

unless this is all about the lab.. more than this plant.. lol ... and if so.. go for it ...

ken

Well Ken I am no stranger to horticulture. Been gardening for 24 years now (I'm 29). I wrote on my blog about what you are describing, where 2 becomes 4, becomes 8, etc. I called it the Leap Frog Effect.

Indeed yes, I would like to delve into the realm of tissue culture. Many tissue culture companies will also contract to tissue culture plants for you. I can root cuttings and build stock no problem.

The fact that the Deppea splendens is extinct in the wild and since I've not seen it offered much was where my two schools of thought came together, I suppose. I also didn't imagine that every plant out there could be tissue cultured.

I'm sure there are ways to go about it without spending indecent sums of money. The Deppea is becoming more common now - a year ago they were selling for over $100 a piece on eBay when Annies Annuals was out of stock. Perhaps a year ago shelling out $500 would have meant getting your money back, perhaps not.

I suppose the rarity of a plant does not necessarily always mean that it's "difficult" :)

well.. it looks like you are on the right track ...

i am really into hosta ...

back in the day.. a few friends went the whole lab building route ... back then.. much of the process was live and learn ...

it can be done on the cheap ... the real key is what i call OPERATING ROOM CLEAN.... as in absolutely everything needs to be sterile ... and that was the highest hurdle ...

if you have the bug to build the lab ... i would suggest an easy plant.. like hosta ... for you to perfect the other variables ... before trying the exotic ... i THINK I RECALL ... that the key with the meristem tissue on hosta was the size ... in that you can actually SEE what you are doing ... and the sterilizing of that piece.. was the hard part.. w/o killing it ...

good luck.. and have fun

ken

Thank you Ken for the reply - I'd love to do Hosta and had no idea how lucrative they were until I looked just today, but they don't grow well down here. Perhaps there are some other popular plants out there that would fare well here and it'd be worth the investment.

The Jasmines and Gardenias don't seem to have enough garden "oomf" for me and as you said cuttings would suffice - Unfortunately in my location, we're too cold for the most exotic of exotics, and too hot for the sexy temperate plants we all know and love. :)

I'd love to do Hosta and had no idea how lucrative they were until I looked just today, but they don't grow well down here

==>> are you missing my point???

find out what is EASY TO DO ... and use such for your TC learning curve ...

and then figure out how to make money .. once you know how to TC ...

if you need an electron microscope to do the job [exaggerating wildly for impact] .. on some specific plant.. then maybe it will be easier/cheaper to learn on plants with bigger parts ..

and then.. when you have it all perfected.. then you move on the the harder plants ...

BTW.. most TC labs that focus on hosta.. would argue that they are NOT lucrative ... and many have gone out of business .. you cant just focus on retail price ...

ken

You should be able to find a wealth of information on doing plant tissue culture on a limited budget with Google and Youtube searches. A pressure cooker can be used for sterilizing your media and instruments. You can wipe an area with bleach and 70% alcohol to create your clean room. I started doing plant tissue culture in 1981 and my first job out of college was working for a micropropagation company growing tissued cultured grapes, African violets, kalmia, French tarragon, and blueberries.

Thank you chervil2 I actually found some interesting videos on YouTube of all places - I never would have thought to YouTube it! Looks like there's a gentleman doing it on the cheap and using baby food jars? He's got an entire series from start to finish and I look forward to learning more. I like the idea of cheap. Cheap is good. :)