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Re: Thanks and more thanks for the Lousiana pages


James,
 
Glad you liked the Louisiana species pages.  It is a puzzle why the seeds won't germinate in your area.  Your plan to put the pots in a coaster of water might be okay, but I do offer one caution from my experience.  First, I never did anything like that over the years.  I just planted the seeds in pots of soil about 3/4 an inch below the surface and then tried to keep them watered.  That was a nuisance and sometimes for one reason or another they got drier than they should have.  I had pretty good germination, but always thought it could be better, and thought that more consistent moisture was the answer.  So about 4-5 years ago, I placed all the pots of seeds in kiddie pools where there was constant water.  I probably allowed the water level to be too high (perhaps five inches), but the seed pots stayed saturated and many of the seeds rotted.  A few germinated on schedule, and more the following year, but overall it was a real failure compared to the old method.  Altogether, it was not an experiment I would repeat.  If I were to do it again, however, I would not allow more than an inch of water to remain in the containers.
 
A few years back, Steve Shepard wrote and article for the SLI newsletter about his experiment with floating seeds in water.  No soil, just floating the seeds in water.  He got germination that way, but if I recall correctly a lot of it was late or second year germination.  In my experiment, the seeds were under saturated soil.  In Steve's, they were exposed to the air, at least on one side, as they floated around.  The lesson I take from this is that the seeds need to stay moist, but cannot be allowed to be totally saturated all the time. 
 
Patrick
 
----- Original Message -----
From: J*@BELLSOUTH.NET
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 10:07 PM
Subject: [iris-species] Thanks and more thanks for the Lousiana pages

Friends, 
 
The overview of Lousiania Iris by PO'C was beautiful and informative., and the review of Flordia Iris even more so.  I grow Lousiania iris very successfully in my zone-7b, 2100' altitude in Asheville, NC and do not know any iris which surpasses their beauty.  I have never, no never, been able to germinate the seed.  This year I am trying an extended period of soaking, with changes of water, and when I put them in dirt, I am going to make sure they are in a coaster full of water. What else would the cork shell of the seed be for if not water survival.  I have my established plants in the wettest part of my garden, but our loose sand/clay soil drains quickly so they are never really wet.  Though I live in the city, I am lucky to have my own well, and I give them lots of water all spring, summer and fall.
 
James Harrison

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