HYB: Was Expert Presence
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: HYB: Was Expert Presence
- From: G* D* S* <g*@sacam.OREN.ORTN.EDU>
- Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 05:10:38 -0700 (MST)
> Like Rick, I don't bother to cover my flowers after pollination, unless
> rain is threatening. Rain will kill pollen. Then I use a plastic bag
> lightly draped over the blossom. I have made crosses this way, even with
> the rain. However, I believe that the odds for achieving a cross are
> best if the pollination is done before 10 a.m. Earl Roberts, from whom I
> learned, believed that the heat of the day sets the iris "juices"
> flowing, i.e., speeds up the reception of the pollen by the pod
> parent-to-be. Also, the condition of the pollen makes a big difference,
> I believe. If it easily brushes off against the tip of your finger, it's
> really ripe.
I have been a teacher since long before I starrted breeding irises and
therefore hardly ever made crosses before 3:30 in the afternoon. I have
raised several 10,000s of seedlings now after 15 years. So time of day is
not as important as making sure you have a relatively fresh flower and
good pollen. I use a pill bottle as a homemade dessicator with the little
dissicants that come in pharmacy bottles. (My druggist saves them for me,
even in Massachusetts, after a few funny looks) I store the pollen in 00
gelatin capsules, I prefer 000 but they have become unavailable in the
last few years. (Anyone know a source?) I write a code: A1, A2, A3, and
link that in my little red book! A1=Lady Friend, A2=October Splendor, and
so on.... I only store 10 different crosses in one bottle, and try to put
no more than 15-18 capsules in one bottle with no more than 6 anthers at a
time in one capsule. Too much moisture ruins the capsules, and it doesn't
take much. Which means one could have two capsules of say A2 in the
bottle. It works for me, tho a bit complicated.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Gary D. Sides south central MASS USDA 5 Auburn (just outside Worcester)
[172 Frost Free Days] gdsides@160.91.128.2 Rebloom is Up and Coming!
