Re: HYB: seedling leftovers?

Linda, when I look at the regional and national weather maps, it appears that you are on the south east edge of the systems that park over us.? My area has gotten a lot more rain than yours, or so it appears.? How is your current rainfall in comparision to the "average?"? For the year?? 

It is currently raining and has been for over 24 hours.? The soil is super saturated.? My bridge?was out by noon?yesterday.? My makeshift rain gauge says 4 inches and still raining.? We were approximately 2 inches ABOVE average when this started.?Lots of "water rescue" in the area this morning.??

The first spring I lived here, I saw the soil? like this.?(2004) There is a small river that runs across the bottom of my driveway and through the adjoining lots.? I'm sure it once went to the creek, but for now it ends in a pond which was the neighbor's large garden.? (four neighbors down)? He'd just tilled and planted early crops when this started!??? 

I've seen some damage from flooding in old seedling beds that are on the lower edge of the garden proper.? Even though the garden has a gentle slope, two beds are a bit flat. Just happened that way.? Guess I wasn't paying enough attention when I built them.? 

My experience with Miracle Grow beds is limited.? Back on the small lot, I bought way too many irises and ran out of space.? I built a ridge approximately a foot wide and eight inches deep on top of the ground with Miracle Gro and planted several irises on/in that ridge.? They did very well and developed huge rhizomes and roots.? The next summer I moved out here so I have no idea of long term effect.? 

My seedlings have always been held over in the same mum pots where they germinate.? Yes, I've lost some, but the strongest survive almost anything.?? It's amazing how strong the strongest can be.? Some have gone on to put up stalks and bloom in those germination pots.? 1708-03 has been my best "pot" experience.? I discovered the seedlings after I'd filled every available inch prepared,?and?they?were at the end of my priority list!? (I wasn't enthused about pinks back then.)?Three surviving seedlings were planted in 13 inch pots, one each.? (Sweet Musette x Memphis Miss)?Photo in archives May 2006.? Seedling by Renown to bloom this spring.? I hope.? 1708 only produced four seedlings and two had exception height and branching.? They revivied my interest in pinks.? 

With noted exceptions, I plant the strongest looking 12 seedlings from each cross.?? If I'm looking for something special, like the blue bearded white ones, I'll plant more.? Still, I only planted 40 of them and many more wait in the pots.? If available space (and ability) wasn't a problem, I'd have planted all.??The rest go back in pots or stay in the pot depending on whether I "lift" the strongest in a large group, or break up the entire clump.? If I have space and like what I've seen, I'll plant the rest.? With multiple pots, I plant from one pot and allow the others to grow undisturbed.? 

The 2006 crosses were very important to me.? I planted approximately 450 in the garden but this left hundreds in the seedling pots.? Some weren't planted at all.? Clearly, we have selection at work again!? Around labor day, I?transplanted the strongest of several of those into the 13 inch pots.? Most have several increases now and look good.? As to bloom, we'll have to wait and see.? 

An observation about germination pot survivors!? When I get a stalk in one of these pots, it is usually a late variety.? My theory on this is simple.? The early and middle bloomers are large enough to get planted in that first wave of good growers.? The later varieties don't show their strength early enough to get planted with this system.? Just a theory I mention for Linda.? 


More rain, flooding in the forecast, but I don't think we are out of drought conditions yet?



-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Mann <lmann@lock-net.com>
To: iris@hort.net
Sent: Thu, 3 Apr 2008 7:02 pm
Subject: [iris] HYB: seedling leftovers?


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.?
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But what to do with the rest of them??
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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).?
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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.?
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"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.?
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Then more big pots for the rest??
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More instant beds on top of the ground in the yard by dumping out bags of Miracle Gro Potting Mix??
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Betty, you've mentioned seeing bloom in pots now and then, and I've had a few mature seedlings in pots that have bloomed.?
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Do you think pots are a viable way to 'store' seedlings??
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If you had a choice, would you put them in Miracle Gro beds or big pots??
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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.?
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Ideas from the rest of you who have to hold seedlings over??
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Thanks.?
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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.?
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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>?
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