HYB:"strength"

In a message dated 3/23/2006 6:51:43 A.M. Central Standard Time,  
lmann@volfirst.net writes:

<<Betty, at what size do you evaluate seedling  "strength"?>>
From the day I plant the seedlings.  Beginning to end.   Almost.   
 
It's a constant evaluation.  Now that I have plenty of space, I've  been 
planting everything.  The day I plant, I sort according to size and  development.  
The first stack will be larger seedlings and they are  subdivided into 
development of root systems.  So, the biggest seedlings  with the best developed 
root system are planted first, with the smallest  with puny root system would be 
planted last.  (I've thought of alternating  strong and puny.)  
 
The puny don't always stay puny.  And the strongest don't always  perform the 
best!  Sometime I'm surprised.  One set of seedlings . . .  a favored white 
seeding x DOUBLE DRIBBLE had a number of holes in the pattern by  bloom time.  
A large portion of the cross died, and several bloomed the  first year on just 
one fan.  So far, I've not been impressed and will  probably not save 
anything from this cross.  Only one seedling has  impressed.  Good plant, lots of 
stalks, good height and branching.  No  rebloom and poor form.  
 
But my system breaks down there because I don't always carry my evaluation  
further.  I've not taken notes, based on that alignment, as the seedlings  
grow.  
 
My attention goes more to the good seedlings "within" that cross.  I  can say 
that the strongest seedlings usually stay strong.  Some of the weak  ones 
die.  I don't try to save the weak ones.  I just let them die  peacefully!  I 
don't see the point when sibling are growing well.  
 
I can also state for a fact that some of the weakest, in terms of plant  
growth and increase, can also be beautiful rebloomers! 
 
 
 
 

________________________________________________________
If you  don't cross them, you can't  plant them! 
Betty W. in South-central  KY Zone 6 ---
Bridge In Time Iris Garden@website:
_www.thegardensite.com/irises/bridgeintime/_ 
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