Re: OT-BIO: John Krudwig

From: HIPSource@aol.com

In a message dated 5/19/99 2:18:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
jkrudwig@martinharper.com writes:

<< One of my biggest questions I have is if I grow two different cultivars in 
nearby beds, will they cross pollinate and will I loose my original cultivars 
in time? >>

Hello, there, John. Welcome to the list.

The answer to your questions is maybe, and it is not likely if you care for 
them right. 

If you are growing irises which are sexually compatible and fertile in close 
proximity to each other you may get pods of seeds fertilized by the bees 
which could conceivably fall on the ground and could conveivably sprout and 
grow with such vigor that they would in the fullness of time crowd out the 
mother plant. But this is not inevitable. 

First, not all kinds of irises cross. Second, not all individual irises are 
fertile. Third, not all fertile irises get pollenated by the bees. Fourth, 
not all seeds ripen, or when ripened germinate, and not all seedlings turn 
out to be vigorous. Also, the mother plant is not just standing still all 
this time, she is increasing, if she is happy, and you will be giving her 
care, which means weeding around her and divinding her every few years and 
making her soil nice before you put her back. 

What you must do to avoid all possibility of any of this happening is to 
deadhead your spent stalks after bloom, which means removing the flower stalk 
and not letting it drop seeds all over. This is a major part of iris care, 
unless for some reason you want the seeds, which will almost certainly not 
bloom true to either parent.

The mother plant will continue to grow, and she will not be changed herself 
by anything growing around her. Named iris hybrid plants are clones, which 
means they are all pieces cut from the original plant of that name. Keep them 
healthy and happy, and deadhead them, and you will have nothing to worry 
about.

Anner Whitehead
HIPSource@aol.com 

  

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