Re: HYB: hybridizing goals, was Naples X Renown

Thanks Robin.  Now get back out there to daub more pollen!
Your reply reminded me to respond to a couple of comments posted re: some of my seedlings.
In general, I am still not specifically breeding for color or pattern or rebloom. Yet. Except now and then when I lose control or forget ;-)
I <am> specifically breeding for plant health and survival here in iris hell (which is definitely harder on plants re: freeze damage than other locations in this same general area, due to my garden location).
I now have many many seedlings that thrive here, and got reports that most of the seedlings sent to Austin were alive during convention, tho only one was blooming, so now am more confident that at least some of my seedlings can survive saturated soil - can't test that very well here on gravel.
But blooms on most of my seedlings lack width (saw considerable progress there this year), substance (less progress), and diversity of color (some progress here and there, but not much). 

To answer specific questions/comments:
re: the really red one - about the only thing this poor little plant has going for it is the color, but it also comes from some different genetic background than most of my other seedlings. So if it survives several years, if it's fertile, if another seedling shows up that has everything going for it to combine with this one, I might use it. But definitely too sickly to consider now.
re: the yellow, somewhat muddy hafted seedling that bloomed in Austin and is a summer bloomer here. Bloom quality and reliability of this one is currently too awful to consider using for breeding. It has HARVEST OF MEMORIES, IMMORTALITY and CELEBRATION SONG, but is short, erratic blooming any time of year, narrow, small flowers, not reliably fertile. Puts too much energy into just surviving, not enough left over for reliable bloom. I can do better. I hope <g>
Re: color in general - based on what I think I understand about inheritance of colors and patterns and rebloom, I'm trying to keep as much diversity going in the pedigrees of seedlings so that interesting things will show up along the way while I work towards the improvements in other plant and flower traits that I want. 

I hope that helps.

will do a separate post on rebloom.

<Robin Shadlow zone 5 NE
(who for someone who does not want to breed for red, somehow has a large number of red seedlings..hmmm)> 
--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis>
Region 7, Kentucky-Tennessee <http://www.aisregion7.org>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
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