Wow Steve! I was just wondering where you got off too the other day.
. Glad to see you back! Now for your questions:
<span style='color
urple'>1. How many will each individual plant produce?</span>
A whole bunch. Seriously! I have one plant that I have harvested 50+ gemmae from and it's got more on it that I need to harvest.
<span style='color
urple'>2. How do I know when to harvest?</span>
I use a tooth pick to wiggle the gemmae. If it wiggles like a loose tooth, it's more than ready. If it takes a bit of pressure to wiggle it then it's ready. If it won't wiggle with firm pressure, I leave it be for a couple days to a week. You'll get the feel for it after a couple plants.
<span style='color
urple'>3. Will the parent plants survive after they complete the gemmae cycle or are they going to die when its finished?</span>
After harvesting the gemmae you will wish they died so you didn't have to do it again
! I had plants that produce gemmae again in I think it was March. That's after producing them Nov. thru Dec. the previous year. So yes, the plants will keep on growing after they produce gemmae. They are supposed to live for several years. I scatter some gemmae into the pot as I harvest them, just to be sure I have a few new plants coming up just in case.
I would also suggest you harvest the gemmae as far from your other CPs as possible. They have an amazing ability to zero in on nearby pots. I have several scorpioides volunteers in pots that I swear were no where near the original pots of scorpioides at any time.