Re: HYB: beginners luck
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: HYB: beginners luck
- From: "* G* C* <j*@erols.com>
- Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 20:48:45 -0600 (MDT)
Dennis Kramb wrote:
>
> I attempted pollinating nearly every iris that
> bloomed for me this year (which was not very many, mind you) and so far
> each one has been unsuccessful....the bloomstalks have withered away. . .
> . . . I expected nearly every cross to be successful. I don't know where the blame lies.....with myself for not doing it properly....or with the cultivars for being infertile.
>
>
Dennis -- Sometimes it's just rotten weather. Bloomstalks don't
normally wither away so fast, or wither away at all if there are seed
pods on them. That aside, some persons in your part of the country like
to make crosses before 10 a.m., so the pollen is on the flower as the
heat of the day rises. That worked for me when I lived in Indianapolis.
Try to keep records of the crosses you try. Over time, that will
indicate which varieties are fertile or infertile as pod or pollen
parents. Also, if you try pollinating all the iris in your garden, are
you prepared for the eventuality of success? I.e., do you have the
acreage to accomodate the seedlings that could result from 50% of your
crosses taking?
Griff Crump, along the tidal Potomac near Mount Vernon, VA
jgcrump@erols.com
