Re: HYB: germination!

Linda,
Thanks for this update.  I'm just getting around to "planting" my MTB seeds 
and was wondering how to do it.  I shall try it both ways with a large batch 
of the same cross.
An experiment that I tried over the summer has been positive for me.  I use 
yogurt cups for small batches of seeds (12 or less).  I picked 15 cups that 
gave no germination after the normal winter treatment, made sure that they 
were very wet, and placed them in our frig.  Five came out after 2 months 
with no germination, but the others were forgotten and came out after 3 
months.  Good thing because some had started to germinate in the frig. 
Since then, two cups have nearly 100% germination and six cups have 10-60% 
germination which is far better than the 3-5% I get letting Mother Nature 
take care of things!
Now if the burrito and/or second chance method works for 50+ seed batches, 
I'll be overrun with seedlings.  I can always hope.
Chuck Bunnell
Lafayette, IN
Region 6
Zone 5a-5b
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Linda Mann" <lmann@volfirst.net>
To: "iris- talk" <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 4:42 PM
Subject: [iris] HYB: germination!


| Following suggestions from Donald Eaves and Sharon McAllister, this
| year, I didn't pre-soak seeds in the toilet tank, just wrapped them in
| paper towel burritos, dipped the burrito in cold water, squeezed out
| most of the excess, leaving them wet, but not too soggy, and put the
| burrito in a foldover plastic sandwich baggie, then stacked them in an
| open tray in the bottom of the fridge for about 3 months.
|
| About two weeks ago, I planted seeds in various sizes of pots, depending
| on how many seeds.  4 inch pots for around 20 or fewer seeds, a couple
| of pots for up to 50 seeds, 8 or 12 inch pots for multiple pods with
| lots of seeds.
|
| Following Betty's suggestion per Paul Black for keeping seeds from
| getting splashed out of pots and keeping them from drying out, I
| shredded up leaves (mostly American Elm) to cover the pots a few inches
| deep, put window screen on top of the leaves, and have been watering
| every day it hasn't rained.
|
| Like the watched pot, nothing germinated until I forgot to check them
| yesterday - today, I see sprouts in about a half dozen pots.
|
| I will leave them outdoors until it threatens to get really cold (lower
| than mid-20s), then will bring them in to the unheated sunporch to
| "push" seedlings thru the winter to get them outdoors as early as
| possible next spring.
|
| --
| Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
| East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
| American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
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