Re: OT: late-late bloomers and rebloom

Hi Christian,

I think I just may have a solution to your seed picking problem.

I go to the drugstore and buy those nylons that just fit over the feet, but
any nylon stocking or pantyhose will do.

I put the stocking over the seed pod and tie the open end of the stocking to
the stalk with a twist-tie.  That way, the pod can continue to develop
without any critters getting into it, and when the pod cracks open, you
don't loose any seeds.

I live in the desert, so I like to get the white nylons so they reflect the
light, but I am not sure it really matters.  I just wouldn't recommend black
since it may absorb the heat.

I wait until the seed pods crack open before harvesting the seeds. Sometimes
I allow them to sit there in the pod until the end of summer when (but we
rarely get any rain until the end of summer).  Some seeds are dried and
dark, and some are fresh and full and light colored down in the pod.  It
doesn't matter if you pull out all the seeds and store them in the stocking
that was protecting the pod (along with the tag labeling the cross) until
they are all dried and dark, or if you planted them right away.  Some people
say planting them right away while fresh is best.  It is too hot here in
Phoenix to do that, however. Some people pick and store the pod without
breaking out the seeds until they are ready to plant, but I do not recommend
this personally. Sometimes your seeds will develop mold on them. This will
not hurt them, it is just messy.  Keep them dry until you plant them.

Patrick Orr
Phoenix, AZ  Zone 9
USA
irisdude@msn.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "David Ferguson" <manzano57@msn.com>
To: <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2003 9:02 PM
Subject: Re: [iris] OT: late-late bloomers and rebloom


> I know the seeds are coloring because of an "accident".  My two year old
son
> Dylan started to "harvest" them for me.  Luckily he didn't get them all,
just
> a here and there sampling from all over the yard.  Some of these just
> shrivelled up, but most had nearly ripe seeds (that I hope will be OK).
>
> I've always wondered if the seeds might germinate when fresh if harvested
> early, but no I normally just wait for the pods to ripen and almost split.
> You can tell the pods are almost ready to split before they actually do,
as
> the surface changes color and texture (grays, starts to shrink a bit, and
> becomes less shiny), at least here in our dry climate.  I try to get them
a
> day or two before the pods split, simply because if I wait till they do
split,
> the seeds are usually gone (wind, rodents, etc.).  By this time the seeds
are
> fully ripe, but sometimes they are a bit damp and need to be dried before
> they're stored (or they'll get moldy).
>
> I think if I relied on seed color alone, I'd loose a lot of good seeds,
> because I'd get anxious and cut them open too soon
>
> Interestingly, I think Dylan started picking them because we've never
> discouraged him from picking other fruits, rather we try to encourage him
to
> learn about them (We do forbid him to eat them).  He has had two seasons
of
> picking Yucca fruits, and as soon as they get big enough, he gets excited
> about picking them.  The Iris pods look a lot like the Yucca fruits, and
the
> poor little guy was very confused when he got severely scolded for picking
the
> Iris fruits.
>
> As for Yucca pods, when I'm out in the field somewhere, I often don't have
the
> luxury of waiting till the pods split open.  I have to get what I can when
I'm
> there.  I've found that if I cut the pods open, and find black seeds, they
are
> ripe enough to pick, even if the fruits are a long time from ripening.  I
also
> get more good seeds if I cut them out early, because the larvae that eat
the
> seeds don't hatch until the seeds are nearly ripe.  If I wait till the
fruit
> are ripe, I often just get a bunch of eaten out garbage and no seeds,
where I
> would have gotten all good seeds from the same pod if it was picked early.
Of
> course I'm not sure how all this translates to Iris, since the two aren't
> really that closely related, and I've never had larvae get into my Iris
fruits
> (hopefully I never will!).
>
>
> Dave
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Showtime Farm
> Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2003 7:14 PM
> dave,
>
> please tell me how it is that you know that the seeds inside your seed
pods
> are begining to get color?    Which of course leads to the obvious
question
> of, do you harvest yours based on the color of the seeds themselves as
> opposed to the 'tradition' of waiting until the pods begin to split open.
>
> What do you know that you aren't telling?
>
> christian
> ky
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index