HYB: seedling leftovers?
- Subject: HYB: seedling leftovers?
- From: L* M* <l*@lock-net.com>
- Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:02:12 -0500
- List-archive: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris/> (Web Archive)
90 pots with 1 to 13 seedlings left over from last fall that were big enough to plant, but I was afraid to put out so late in the year; 30+ pots also with leftover seedlings that were too small to plant last fall, most not quite big enough to plant yet; plus all the new ones from last year's crosses (fortunately very few) and delayed germination on older crosses (fortunately ? a lot).
Betty, like you, I'm slightly past the limit of what I can give even the marginal care that it takes to thrive here. There are (unfortunately? fortunately?) a lot of small areas out in the old gravel rows where cultivars that had been barely hanging on finally died last year, so until I completely run out of steam, I can plant some seedlings in those sptos.
But what to do with the rest of them?Most of these (like yours, I think you said, Betty) are seedlings from crosses where the biggest 8 or 12 or 16 got lined out either fall a year ago (before the big freeze) or last spring (after the big freeze and at the beginning of the big drought).
The <plan> was to see how promising the cross was after bloom, then set priorities for planting/not planting the rest of the cross. But with the drought and heat (plus potential remaining killing freezes!), I'm not sure how many of the ones in the ground will manage to bloom this year.
"The Plan" is to dig beds and line out as many as I can, especially the new stuff, save the smaller ones in big pots till summer (when it will be pleasantly cool, with regular rainfall - hah! ;-) ), rip out the duds to make more room.
Then more big pots for the rest?More instant beds on top of the ground in the yard by dumping out bags of Miracle Gro Potting Mix?
Betty, you've mentioned seeing bloom in pots now and then, and I've had a few mature seedlings in pots that have bloomed.
Do you think pots are a viable way to 'store' seedlings? If you had a choice, would you put them in Miracle Gro beds or big pots?The Pots have the advantage of being somewhat portable (especially with the mostly perlite mix), so if we get another hot dry summer, they can move to the shade - wish they could do it without my help! ;-( Water is free (spring) but not really the capacity to irrigate constantly. & the perlite does dry out really fast.
Ideas from the rest of you who have to hold seedlings over? Thanks.More rain, flooding in the forecast, but I don't think we are out of drought conditions yet? But at least the surface is wet and lush green pastures again finally.
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8 East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis> Region 7, Kentucky-Tennessee <http://www.aisregion7.org> American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org> talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/> photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/> online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
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