As regards to 'mutants', many of the newer hosta varieties are in fact mutants created in TC vats which are multiplied or sale by further TC. This is not to say that there is anything bad about them, as most of the old varieties were mutants created in nature. Mutants occur in TC fairly commonly and are generally rogued out as the plants are raised to production size. A fair number of these are generally kept and evaluated as for improvements over the base stock but most are destroyed in the long run. The reason they occur so commonly is that TC uses such small explants to form each plant that only a very small number of cells must mutate to give a totally mutant plant. If the Big Sky series has a fairly high number of non conforming plants entering the marketplace, then it is a problem of poor control in the growing out step that is at fault, not the TC itself, these should be caught as the plants are being up-sized. George

It's the process of making hundreds if not thousands of plants using a small part of another plant. Cloning is what it is, so the new plants have the exact same characteristics as the donor plant. ...Google tissue culture for an abundace of info...With a little luck, you can even do it at home. Click the link below...Z Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Tissue Culture for Home Gardeners

As with most streakers, they have to be watched and dominant non-streaked parts have to be removed. Most streakers are sold after a year or two. That helps in making sure the plant isn't going to go straight to a solid color or variegation. I will be using the streakers plus other hosta for hybridizing making my own crosses starting this year. This year it will be hit and miss due to the fact that I will have to wait for the blooms to get pollen and to pollinate. I will be collecting and storing pollen from everything I want to use so I won't have to only do crosses if the bloom times line up next year. Streakers will take some growing time measured in years before you will know if it is going to be somewhat stable or if it will change to a non-streaker the following year. I built that big table in the basement just for growing hosta from seed. One cross that I am going to go for is to introduce streaking or variegation into Clovelly. I also wouldn't mind introducing some growth speed into GE, DQ, TB or even a montana. I have a few specific goals in mind but it is going to take some serious time. The growth rates of hosta is one thing that I am really interested in. Some hosta grow like weeds and I really like that. I want to see more hosta that grow fast.

Call Jean at Sunrise Greenhoue in Grant Park IL. She's going through this process now and has a vast opinion on tissue cultures. She's off on Wed.