Re: HYB: Green Pods
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: Re: HYB: Green Pods
  • From: c* f* <f*@yahoo.com>
  • Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:29:01 -0700 (PDT)
Well, I didn't know they were Ben Hager's methods... I have "always" harvested green pods.  I usually harvest all pods around July 4... so some of those seeds have been closer to four weeks than ripe pods.  Without having the data at the moment to back it up... I feel like the green pods do germinate more quickly.  Routinely, I see pods germinating by mid September... so that's your two months give or take.  

I agree that the brown coloring indicates the development of germination inhibitors... but I suspect that "air" has something to do with the browning.  More mature pods, in my garden that means greenish white pods, have visibly more porous pith/flesh.  Most seeds that are burritoed white/pink/green will turn brown within three weeks in the fridge.

When I have mentioned this strategy in the past, I have often been scolded by more experienced breeders.  I continue to suffer significant losses between the emergence of the root and line out.  There may be diminished survivability due to insufficient food stores in the seed.  However... I had one seedling who was severed from root and seed with only three or four leaves that grew into a vigorous if ordinary plant... so there's still room for speculation.  I think my issues are water/soil related.


christian
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________________________________
From: "RAINACRE@aol.com" <RAINACRE@aol.com>
To: iris@hort.net
Sent: Wed, June 9, 2010 1:43:31 PM
Subject: Re: [iris] HYB: Green Pods

Like many others I have had good germination from broken off pods with  
white seeds when handled in the regular way. Ben Hager harvested his pods while 
they were still green and before they started to split open. He 
immediately  planted the white seeds in a seedbed of pure sand. He felt that the seeds 
that  were white had had no chance to develop germination inhibitors and 
that they  would get total germination faster. I tried a limited experiment 
with one pod  planted in regular potting soil in the greenhouse. I saw no 
germination until  after nearly two months. Unfortunately I didn't keep track of 
the percentage of  germination in this case. Has anyone else had experience 
with Hager's  method?

Fred Kerr
Rainbow Acres



Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2010 12:53:48 -0700
From: "Francelle"  <fjmjedwards@q.com>
Subject: RE: [iris] HYB:Early Pods

One year  I opened a pod full of small white seeds.  Because it was a year 
of
poor  pod production, I planted them anyway with a note on the label about
immature  seeds.  They germinated and grew as well as the pots of big,  
brown
seeds.  I hope that is true this year too.  I have two pods  of a cross I
really want.  One is still in the garden.  The other  got broken off by one
of my helpers and is sitting in a bud vase in my  kitchen window.  It is
still quite green.  

Francelle  Edwards  Glendale, AZ  Zone 9


- -----Original  Message-----
From: owner-iris@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf  Of
autmirislvr@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 4:28 AM
To:  iris@hort.net
Subject: [iris] HYB:Early Pods

Just a reminder to the  newer hybridizers that a pod doesn't have to go
through
the full 2-3  months in the garden to be viable.

TB2512 is a cross that only spent 22  days in the garden.  A bug ate through
the stalk about six inches from  the pod.  It has been hanging on my cork
board
ever since.  The  end of the pod turned black and started splitting so I
harvested it this  morning.  The 45 seed were still white, but full sized.
I've had  germination from a few seed that were white but smaller so I 
really
expect  these to germinate.

The split pod is still in the garden and the 3  exposed seeds have turned
brown.  I'm checking it daily and if the seed  start looking loose I will
harvest it.  I want to isolate these seed so  I can monitor germination.

Betty Wilkerson
Bridge In Time Iris  Garden
KY Zone  6
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