Re: HYB: good pod parents?

LMann76543@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Sharon McAllister sent me some pollen which I daubed around on several
> different plants yesterday.  No great expectations of success for two
> reasons, one maybe some of you can help me with.  (The first reason is lack
> of experience in recognizing good weather, time of day, look of stigma when
> it's ready, etc.)  The other is in knowing which cultivars are likely to be
> fertile pod parents.  Given how difficult my frost pocket garden is, I
> selected pod parents more on the basis of performance than on flower color or
> genetic makeup.  Lloyd Zurbrigg posted some information on pollen sterility
> but I don't think we've had any discussion of pod sterility.
> 
> It might help me improve the odds of getting a successful cross if I could at
> least avoid trying to make crosses with 'known' pod sterile kinds.  Does
> anybody know about these?
> 

Linda,

In my experience I have found bearded iris in general to be more pollen
sterile than pod.  I grow over 900 talls and most of the ones i've
hybridized with over the years were all pod fertile.  It is a rare case
when one is pod sterile.  In some years they are more fertile than
others.  Case in point...I have been trying for two years to get pods on
a particular seedling.  This year for some reason I have four.

Best time to pollinate is usually mid-morning on a dry day.  If there
was a rain recently your success rate will diminish.  Rain is very
damaging to the stigmas as well as to the pollen.  Use a flower that
opened the same morning, although other times will work also.  You can
see the stigma glisten if it is ready, and if you can't use magnifiers.
Don't be vain, they really help.  Use fresh powdery pollen, if it is wet
don't even bother.  

Hope this helps.

Rick Tasco
Superstition Iris Gardens
Central California
Zone 8
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