Re: HYB: getting started

Judging the potential of parents remains a huge challenge for me as far
as plant traits go, and I have yet to find a good way to learn much.
There are quite a few posts here about surprises concerning parents &
offspring, expecting better than we get or vice versa.

Important to think about "potential" of parents for what goal?

Most available info on the subject is about flower pattern and color.
Looks like you have "potential" for every color of the rainbow in many
different patterns.

In this forum, there has been quite a bit about rebloom potential &
growth rate when the plant is happy, occasional tidbits about heredity
of flower form, substance, branching, height, bud count, very little on
height, bloom size, 'strength', uniformity of seedlings, ease of
germination etc etc..

One thing that I've gotten better at over time is learning how to really
'see' the plants I'm considering using as parents.  This group has been
a big help there.  I don't have one, but the judges' handbook might be a
helpful tool.

Some things to think about - many of the plants you have now are award
winners, so I guess they have <potential> to produce quality branching,
bud count, show stalks, increase well etc, and presumably do reasonably
well in your growing conditions.

Without knowing what you want to see in your seedlings, it's hard to say
which crosses to try, so here's my suggestion - watch them grow this
fall, see how they do over the winter, pick the 'best' performers in
your growing conditions, or the ones you like the most, or the colors
you like most, and try as many crosses as you have time & energy.  Think
about flower traits, learn how to 'see' what the plant has to offer.
Compare stalks, bud placement, substance, flower form, anything and
everything and see if there is something 'missing' or less than
perfection to you in one parent that you can improve by crossing it with
another.

That's a bunch of vague generalities that probably isn't much use to
you.  I've never used any of those cultivars here, so don't know
anything about what traits they pass along that are good. WAR SAILS,
ACOMA, EASTER TIME and HONKY TONK rotted for me.  Took three tries, but
now SWEET MUSETTE is doing ok, haven't tried PLANNED TREASURE or
THRILLER.

<  I don't have a specific goal right now other than learning the
process and how to judge the
                        potential of parents. >
--
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/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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