Embarassing question(Embarassment smilie!)

[Snadger]

Ok, confession time..............I'm a Geordie I should know about leek growing, right??? WRONG!!!

I begged a decent show leek off a grower last year from a good strain with the intention of planting it and collecting the seeds.
Duly planted in a bucket it decided to die on me! Fished around in the gunk in the bucket and retrieved the King pods. (If you are a leek showman you'll know what these are.)Anyway.............I planted the two Kingpods in another bucket and as expected they quickly threw up seed heads.
I shaved one of the seedheads to try and promote 'grass' (young leek clones) and 'pods'. This worked well and I now have one seed head and one grass head. As you all no doubt know the grass and the pods will grow direct clones of the original leek and the uncut seed inflorecence will give virus free new stock to propagate from....................are you with me up til now?

Seedhead no problem.........paper bag over it to catch the seeds and sow them in autumn or spring!
Grass and pod head is the problem...........pods I can keep until the spring but grass will need planting soon........never done it before so need to know how to progress with grass!

[NOG]

Sorry I read that twice and still don't understand a word of it....But I am not a leek shower.

[BFG]

People show leeks? You learn something new every day!

[PAULW]

This may be of some use
Medwyns Prize Vegetable Seeds - Article

[zazen999]

Not sure about leeks, but a prize onion from last year's Radar sets had 13 more onions growing from it at the root level; it was left as long as possible as I wanted the seed head but none came.....so I have potted all 13 up and will see what happens next year.

[Snadger]

This may be of some use
Medwyns Prize Vegetable Seeds - Article

Thanks Paul............interesting article. Still not much mention of the grass variant although it sounds like November is the month to start the plantlets. Mine are 3 inches tal now so by November cripes knows how big they'll be.
As I haven't entered a show next year it gives me a bit leeway to experiment and it's not the end of the world if everything goes pear shaped!

[HayleyB]

Well Snadge you had me lost at "Fished around in the gunk in the bucket" Up till then I was with you - honest...........

[Nicos]

Sorry I read that twice and still don't understand a word of it....But I am not a leek shower.

Urrmmm....snap

[Incy]

Sorry I read that twice and still don't understand a word of it....But I am not a leek shower.

I'm with you NOG. No idea what snadger's talking about here...sorry

[Nicos]

But we wish you every success with your showing!

..any piccies to explain what you're up to?- it is interesting!

[Snadger]

The way I see it:-

1) Leek eventually goes to seed to re-populate the species
2) Leek rots whilst attempting this.
3) Leeks second line of defence to make sure it has progeny, is to form two large bulbils from the basal plate as the main stem is dying.
4) If these King pods aren't harvested there is a chance these pods will grow and immediately send up a seedhead.
5) By harvesting them and growing them on in potting compost there is less chance of the rot that affected the main leek affecting them.
6)To get to them, you have to have a rummage round in thes stinking base of the original rotted leek, then wash them off before re-planting.
7) Replant the King pods expecting them to throw a seed head up very quickly (secondary chance at survival of the species)
8) Any seeds produced will be a mixed batch that are similar but not exactly the same as the original parent
9) Any pods/pips/grass(young growing plantlets) which are produced on the top of the seedhead will be exact copies of the original leek, similar to potatoe tubers being exact copies of parent plant!










Simples!

[Nicos]

so it's basically cloning itself?

so is collecting the little bulbs is a better or worse ( or just an alternative) than collecting the seeds?????
( is this how you get bigger and bigger leeks then???)

[Snadger]

so it's basically cloning itself?

so is collecting the little bulbs is a better or worse ( or just an alternative) than collecting the seeds?????
( is this how you get bigger and bigger leeks then???)

Well the way I see it Nicos is that you select a large leek, grow your vegetative reproductions (clones) from it after seeding head is formed, and keep growing clones of the largest leeks you have each year.
As with all clones though you do get regression after a while and possibly virus problems so have to resort to using seeds which are cross pollinated with some of your best leeks after a few years, which should ditch any viral problems and give you new similar stock to play with! (Same as they do when stripping virus from seed tatties methinks?)
This is all supposition as I haven't done this over a sustained period of years building up 'strains' like the showmen do, although I have grown leeks from pods/pips.(Yet to try from grass though!)
I intend growing the seeds from the one seedhead and the grass from the other seedhead as a bit of a 'belt and braces' and just see what happens!

[pigletwillie]

Grass............on a leek?

Reach for the flymo pal.

[Snadger]

Grass............on a leek?

Reach for the flymo pal.

I'll see If I can get a piccie today............just for you!