May depend on what you want to reproduce. For example, hosta growers use TC all the time and there is a very active hosta forum here. You may want to ask there. tj

I am not a fan of tissue culture for the pathetic reason that when I tried it, it was a dismal failure. I simply could not keep a sterile work area despite following all the rules. Previously I have grown tomatoes from cuttings though, and they were quite easy (with bottom heat, misting and rooting hormone).

Hello, I'm rooting some tissue cultured fittonias in my sponge material here (about 4cm X 4cm face area). Will this amount of fittonias be too much for this small area, especially when they grow up? Thanks for your advice! =)

You can tell whether the plant is tissue cultured or natural division by looking at the roots. Here are some pictorial examples of "naturally divided Itohs" Below is a picture of Callie's Memory Itoh root. Whether it's 3 eyes or many eyes, it will take a few years before I can get a flower out of this small size root. A good size Garden Treasure Itoh root with eyes on both ends of the root planted last September. I got 2 flowers out of it already. I probably could have cut the root in in the middle and created 2 plants. A large Hillary Itoh peony root left, and a "pencil" size Yellow Crown Itoh right. It is not only the number of eyes that matters, but also the root size! Figureon 2-3 years before I see the first flower on Yellow Crown. I've received both of these roots from the same supplier this spring. A decent size Border Charm Itoh planted this spring. So, these are the shapes of "natural" Itoh peonies. Let's look at the root geometry of tissued cultured Itoh peony roots. I've received 5 small size Itoh peonies from Lesjardinsosiris, Quebec in2014. The roots are "rounded", with a stem. This stem will be developed into a trunk where the eyes will appear. I have never seen an eye growing out of a tuber in a tissued cultured Itoh root. A developing tissued cultured Itoh with eyes, and a trunk forming, and "round" shape roots/tubers. Here is a failed attempt of splitting a tissue cultured Sequested Sunshine Itoh peony, The picture shows the trunk and peony tree roots. Refer to http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2081041/itoh-peony-trade?n=14 thread for more details. I put the plant back, but it will be several years before this plant is fully recovered and producing a mass of flowers again. Here is a picture showing how this plant looks today. It has one flower and one bud on it. If I have a choice between a tissue cultured Itoh and a naturally divided one, and the price is the same, I'll pick the one that is naturally divided because it is easier to divide down the road.