CULT: Cheap Tags that last & HYB questions

For those of you looking for cheap tags, here's my solution.  Any home supply store that cuts mini-blinds to fit will be glad to let you have  trim pieces (an endless supply).  I punch holes in them, number them with a marker, lay them out in the driveway and spray  them lightly twice with a clear acrylic sealer.  I use twist-ties from bread bags (a virtually endless supply from my silverware drawer) to attach just below the bloom pollinated.  Most of mine come off again in a few weeks, when I can see there's no pod, and go into storage until next season.   

I have to confess that I list the pollen parent first in my notebook, since I tend to wander around the place, while I have the pollen on a Q-tip, deciding what to try it on.  If I ever get anything worthy enough to register, (dreaming), I'll invert them on the papers. Since the few crosses that took all seem to have happened on only 3 days of  the 18 that I tried crosses, I will definitely record weather and time of day, not just date, in future.  It would sure help to know which cultivars are not fertile.  Is this info accessible in a list?

Now the questions.  How much strain does setting seed put on an iris?  In other words, if the plant isn't well established, will it just not set seed, or maybe half-kill itself trying to procreate? Also, do seed pods mature any faster in late summer... will they continue to mature after light frosts?  Do you sacrifice some later bloom or increase by allowing pods to develop?

Mary Lou, near Indianapolis, Z5.  A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com


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