Re: raising seedlings faster

 

Yes, I perform similar technique on bearded iris and get first blooms the following Spring. Further evaluation needs to be done through until the next Spring.  So that is 2 years.  I could take a bit longer depending on what you are evaluating, how well they grew and how harsh you are in your culling parameters.

I have always germinated my seeds basically as Linda has been just this last year with good success.  The only exception being that I don't wait for all of the seeds to germinate from a cross.  I start stratifying and soaking the seeds in either October or November in baggies in the fridge.  Once a particular gets to a point where the germ rate drops even after temperature cycling for a few weeks I resterilize and and use the cutting method for the germination of the late ones.  This way I can keep a cross growing together as a group.  T! his means I have been planting germinated seedlings indoors under lights starting about February and ending about mid-March.

I plant them out around mid-May after having acclimated them in their bedding flats for about a month.  I usually have about 25% bloom the next Spring.  Some flowers I can yank on the spot based on the cross and what my expectations were.  I can usually cull the poor performers from each cross by Fall based on general foliage characteristics.  Occasionally I might only keep the best one or two of a whole cross if there was no reason for it to have done poorly.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: "Dennis Kramb dkramb@badbear.com [iris-species]"
Sent: Jan 7, 2015 6:29 PM
To: iris-species@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [iris-species] raising seedlings faster

 

My technique for raising Iris seedlings is pretty basic.  I sow my seeds in pots in winter & set them outside on my back porch to stratify.  They receive whatever precipitation & temperatures that Zone 6 gives them.  In most cases germination occurs the first season, roughly 4 months after sowing.  But sometimes I have to over-winter the pots a second time.

To cut to the chase, my technique results in seedlings that bloom 2.5 or 3.5 years after sowing.  Usually it's 3.5 years.  Sometimes I have to wait 4.5 or 5.5 years if weather has been uncooperative or if I've done something stupid to stunt their growth.  My results are similar for everything: bearded, Louisianas, tectorum, versicolor, arilbreds, etc.

About 5 years ago I got interested in cold-hardy carnivorous Sarracenia pitcher plants.  Anyone who grows Iris will be immediately comfortable with Sarraceni! a as they're so similar in every possible way.  They grow from rhizomes with clusters of tall leafs.  They benefit from regular division every few years.  They require cold dormancy to maintain vigor & encourage bloom.  They grow in conditions favorable to native irises like Iris tridentata or Louisianas.  I grow my Sarracenia together with Iris fulva and Iris tridentata.

So imagine my surprise to read about Sarracenia hybridizers cheating nature by raising seedlings faster indoors under lights for the first 2 years.  Bypassing the first winter dormancy and accelerating the seedlings growth rate has no negative impact on the plants, and it results in plants that bloom 1 to 2 years sooner than outdoor seedlings.  I soooooooo very badly want to try this with Irises.

Does anyone already follow this technique with Iris seedlings?  I suspect it would work great for Louisianas, so that's what I'm going to try fi! rst.

I'll post some links to Sarracenia site! s in a follow-up message.

Happy New Year!
Dennis in sub-zero Cincinnati



 


















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