Re: Pollinating in dry winds.
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: Re: Pollinating in dry winds.
  • From: B* W* <a*@aol.com>
  • Date: Sat, 28 May 2011 08:26:50 -0400 (EDT)
Hi Scarlett, I get a lot of wind in my location and have no problems until the
heat rises too.  Then everything starts drying out.  I've not found a way to
combat it.

<<Both the pollen and the stigmatic lip dries out.  I make a lot of crosses
but maybe 15% took.>

You can try letting the blooms open indoors to combat the dry pollen.  People
have talked of using spit to moisten the stygmatic lip, but it's not worked
for me.

My suggestions would be to make sure you get the pod plants as soon as they
open.  Make crosses as early in the day as possible.  I've heard of people
making crosses by flashlight at night.  I'm accident prone so I"ve not tried
this one.

Long term--plant things you want to use as pod parents along some type of
barrier--a house works well.

In my garden, rain was the problem.  It rained a lot during bloom season.
Also, there was something wrong with the first wave of blooms.  The pollen
didn't really look good.  Only one take in the first week of crosses.

Betty W.



-----Original Message-----
From: SDAyres2 <SDAyres2@aol.com>
To: iris <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Sat, May 28, 2011 6:25 am
Subject: [iris] Pollinating in dry winds.



We have a lot of dry, high winds in the spring time in southern NM.   Both
he pollen and the stigmatic lip dries out.  I make a lot of crosses  but
aybe 15% took.  Does anyone have any secrets for pollinating in such
onditions?  Earlier crosses (when the winds weren't quite so warm) were  more
uccessful.

 have also noticed an extraordinary large amount of bee crosses on my
hopefully) reblooming seedlings.  They bloomed earlier than the  rest.    I
ssume the bees came in from the surrounding  desert looking for blooming
lants.  We are in a record-breaking drought  after record breaking big freeze
his winter.  No rain for 100+  days.   You easterners are hogging it all!

he freeze severely damaged the native plants.  Four days were below
reezing all day long in Februay.  I have never seen it below  freezing for the
ntire day.  Plus it got down to -10 degrees.   Usually the teens are the
owest it will get around  here.   Irises did ok.

carlett
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