Re: HYB: New Hybridizing

Dew is <very> heavy here, especially later in the bloom season, and
often doesn't dry until noon or later (big hill blocking the morning
sun).

Different cultivars seem to open their anthers at different times of day
or different timing in relation to the bloom opening.  Some anthers are
open as soon as the blooms unfold, some take their time.  Those that are
delayed have a much greater chance of pollen eating insects getting the
pollen before you do.

Overcast, somewhat breezy, cool mornings, there is no dew and I have
much better success rates.

I am not sure, but I <think> that dew soaked anthers do not have viable
pollen.  My success rate went from something like 1 out of 100 attempts
to (wild guess) 30 out of 100 when I quit trying to use pollen from
anthers that opened the previous afternoon and were subsequently dewy
the next morning.  Now, I either collect pollen the afternoon before
(either take the whole bloom inside or just the anthers), make crosses
in the evening, use pollen from anthers that have opened <after> dew has
stopped forming in the morning.

My "favorite" kind of pollen comes from a freshly opened flower in the
early morning that has fluffy pollen.  If the bloom doesn't open till
after sunrise, the anthers don't collect dew.

Most of the time <g>

Betty said:

<I'm  going to experiment with
                   brining blooms inside the night before to open
indoors,  OR, when possible,
                   harvest the pollen the night before.>

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
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online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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