Re: AB's for Zone 7
- To: i*@egroups.com
- Subject: Re: [iris-talk] AB's for Zone 7
- From: w*@watervalley.net
- Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 19:25:05 -0500
- Priority: normal
>
> RYFigge@aol.com wrote:
>
> > anyone else that has any ideas what would be good arils
> > for me to try here in zone 7?
Rosalie, if I can grow them in Mississippi, you can grow them
in Maryland. We can get up to sixty inches of rainfall here, and I
have not had any rot problem with arilbreds. Of course, pure arils
are another story.
The problem with the half-breds here is the tendency for them
to fall over, the flowers being too heavy for the stalks. The stalks
are branched and if two flowers try to open at the same time, down
they go. I am working on this problem by breeding the half-breeds
to a tall, then crossing these seedlings back to a half or three
quarter bred to regain the arilbred patterning and form. The TB
should add some strength to the stalk and keep it from falling over.
Try some of the Peterson or Hager half-breeds. Ardy Kary in
Phoenix can get you started.
The 3/4's usually have one to two buds, and the stalks are
strong enough to support the blooms. I would highly recommend
SYRIAN PRINCESS.
The quarterbreds are no problem, but the arilbred
characteristics are not so pronounced. I have some fertile
quarterbred seedlings I am crossing with each other and on to half-
breeds.
Already this season, I have about fifteen pods formed on
various arilbreds. I have frozen a lot of pollen to be used on later
blooming talls so as to extend the bloom season. I have a cross of
GAY PARASOL x GENETIC BURST which is just now breaking
the fan with a bud. This will bloom after all other arilbreds are
gone, so I will thaw the frozen pollen and use it on these seedlings
when they bloom two or three weeks from now.
More than you wanted to know, but arilbreds are fascinating
and adaptable.
Dennis Kramb is working on arilbreds in Ohio, and he is in
Zone 5 or 6.
Walter Moores
Enid Lake, MS 7/8 USA (All sorts of stuff in bloom...SDB's,
IB's, BB's, MTB's, TB's, AB's, LA's. JI's. If the show were held
today, BLUE CHIP STOCK, an MTB would be the winner; it is one
of the few MTB's that will perform here--so aptly named. Paul
Black has a winner!)
