CULT: Seed Storage
- To: i*@onelist.com
- Subject: CULT: Seed Storage
- From: "* O* <s*@hotmail.com>
- Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 10:12:14 PDT
- Content-Length: 1839
From: "Sterling Okase" <sterling_o@hotmail.com>
In response to Judy Eckhoff:
I do something pretty similar with my seeds after I harvest them. I put
them in marked envelopes but do not store them in the fridge. I keep
them at room temperature until it gets cold enough outside to plant.
Does anyone know if a longer cooling period (via the fridge) promotes a
higher percentage of germination? I've heard that it does. When it's
cold enough outside, I plant them in potting soil in a loose pile in 4"
pots and cover them with 1/4" of soil. I have heard or read that
germination is better when seeds are close together. Is this another
Iris Wife's Tale? I place all the pots in a flat, place another
overturned flat over it and weight it with rocks so the grubby
squirrels don't be diggin' in the pots and scattering seeds everywhere.
YOU GO SQUIRREL! I set the flats out somewhere in the garden and let it
freeze and thaw throughout the winter. I notice during warmer winters
(like the one we just had) that germination is poor compared to years
with colder winters.
Also, has anyone noticed that fertility (pod or pollen or both) changes
from year to year on certain cultivars? Last year Bedford Lilac put out
abundant pollen and this year none. Conjuration puts out pollen
sporatically from flower to flower and for the past two years has been
pod sterile. This year nearly every cross on Conjuration formed a pod.
Does anyone know why this is? Or am I dreaming?
Iris Maniac,
Sterling (not Innerst)
Seattle, WA. Zone 8
sterling_o@hotmail.com
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