Re: Blooming seedlings
Stuart,
Yes, I do use the first year plants as pod parents. First, I have many
so if they grow slower, I don't really care. What I do care about is getting
seeds from the streaked parents. As you know, once the plants begins to
stabilize, you will no longer get those streaked seeds; so buy waiting you
may lose the opportunity to use a particular seedling as a streaker. I have
a seedling that is a Whoopee x Elvis Lives hybrid. I crossed it the first
year with plantiginea, resulting in a nice looking streaked fragrant hybrid.
The Whoopee~Elvis hybrid is now green and I could not have been able to make
the cross had I waited. Additionally, many of the seedlings started early
indoors will bloom at a different bloom time than they would if they had
been outdoors all along. Crossing with these kind of plants can in effect
produce intermediate bloom times between different hosta types. The " new "
overlap in bloom times could possibly allow one to develop streaked
seedlings which would be otherwise impossible to achieve. I feel that for
me, I would trade off size for uniqueness. How about you? Do you need more
big plants ? Even if the seedling died, you have utilized its genes; and
that is what you wanted to do in the first place.
Ron
----- Original Message -----
From: <stuarta@attglobal.net>
To: <hosta-open@mallorn.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2000 10:40 AM
Subject: Re: Blooming seedlings
> Joe,
> Often times the scapes come up the first year and certainly by the
> second. If you start the seeds in Nov./Dec. under 24 hr. light, many of
> the plants will bloom the first year. Personally I will always cut the
> bloom off. I do believe my friend Ron L. will attempt to cross first
> year plants. How about it Ron, had any success doing this? It is my
> understanding that making crosses with first year plants is generally not
> recommended.
> Regards,
> Stuart Asch
> Clawson, Michigan
>
>
> halinar@open.org wrote:
>
> > I have a question for some of you who live in a more northern climate
> > who also hybridize hosta. Last year I grew a bunch of hostas from
> > seeds, selecting for certain interesting traits, but also selecting
> > only the most vigorous. They were kept in a greenhouse all summer,
> > although the light was somewhat diffused and less then full sunlight,
> > but still more sunlight then they would have gotten in a shaded
> > location. Anyway, I've noticed that some of them are now starting to
> > send up flower scapes on the second year plants - which is what I
> > want. My question, for those who grow their seedlings outdoors, do
> > you normally have to wait until the third year to get scapes, or do
> > you get some to bloom the second year.
> >
> > Joe Halinar
> >
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