Re: HYB: seed planting

<<I am in zone 5 >>

My understanding is that consistent cold temperatures would mean less over all time is needed.? Germination is depended on total number of hours at certain temperatures.? Someone said below 40 degrees??? (This is how they calculate the setting of peach fruit, etc.)? 

Again, some crosses probably need more time.? Just speculating here but this might explain crosses that germinate better in the second year.? Double the hours of cold temperatures.? Linda's varying times needed?in the frig would support this.? This would assume that drying out in the summer doesn't turn off the hours accumulated in the first winter.? I don't always water unplanted seedling pots during the summer months.? 

Years that my seedling pots were in deep shade I had great germination.? This would mean less chance for the pots to dry out and less warming during the days.? (more hours of cold temps) 

I'm not having any trouble keeping the seed wet this year! 


-----Original Message-----
From: John Bruce <jbruce1@cinci.rr.com>
To: iris@hort.net
Sent: Sun, 16 Dec 2007 9:35 pm
Subject: Re: [iris] HYB: seed planting



I plant my seeds in late December, usually after Christmas up to mid-January and have had?
no germination problems to speak of. Germination usually starts in late April. I pot the seeds and set them outside with a wire mesh covering them to keep the bushy tailed rats (some folks call them squirrels) out of them. I am in zone 5 between Cincinnati and Dayton, we usually have wet and cold up through the end of March.?
?
John Bruce?
?
>I got a question offlist - what's the latest month of planting outdoors >that folks in zones 5 - 9 have gotten successful germination of TBs the >following spring??
>?
> I figure the answer depends entirely on which parents are being used - at > least that's my experience with the refrigeration technique and outdoor > germination.?
>?
> But we all know my experience is limited to iris hell - so this question > is for people in more "normal" iris growing areas in a "typical" winter.?
>?
> Whatever <that> means anymore! ;-)?
?
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