Re: HYB: tall bearded seed to bloom time?

Like Mike, I haven't been doing this very long, and time to first bloom
was my biggest hurdle.  First real cross took 6 yrs to first bloom!
Average would still be around 3 to 4 yrs here without early
stratification in the fridge and germination on the sun porch.

That particular seedling was a good sized clump before it bloomed, and
branching, bud count, height etc has been pretty much the same since.
But that isn't always the case.

Some seedlings from this summer's seeds are already about 3 inches tall
and most of these will probably be big enough to bloom in fall 2006 if
they are rebloomers.   Others will take a second chill cycle to
germinate (1 month on the sun porch, back outdoors for 2 months, then
back inside for more germination).  Those seedlings probably won't bloom
until a year later than the earliest bunch.

If you don't have a greenhouse or indoor location to grow seedlings over
the winter, would a cold frame give you a few months head start in the
spring?  Anything to get seedlings growing earlier in the season and
keep them growing as fast as possible.  My guess is that the ideal would
be soil temperatures between about 40 and 60 oF as much of the year as
possible.  And fertilize them as much as they will tolerate without
rotting.

It is a matter of time in the sense of how much time your seedlings
spend growing.  Here, most growth takes place from mid March through
early June, then again from mid August through November. So it is <very>
important to get them into their permanent garden spot as early as
possible, then keep them growing fast, while conditions are good.
Watered and fertilized!

The rest of the year, soil temperatures are either too high or too low.
Someone recently posted that irises stop growing when soil temperatures
drop below 40oF.  I'm just guessing at the upper temperature when they
don't grow much.  I do know that if I don't get them in the ground by
late April, it's usually too late - surface soil temperatures (where
baby roots are) are already too high by mid May.   But I suspect high
temperatures aren't limiting growth where you are! <g>

By covering plants outdoors and using bottles of water to absorb heat
during sunny days, I can extend time of growth during the winter.  Maybe
that would help extend your season a bit and keep your babies growing.
Buy a soil thermometer and experiment to see what works to keep soil
warmer.

Maiden bloom is really difficult to evaluate if you are in an area where
variable weather affects stalk height, bloom size, bud count etc.  Some
cultivars/seedlings are more sensitive to such things than others.

Hope that helps some & maybe gives you some ideas of ways to speed
things up.

Might be interesting to calculate how many days with soil temperatures
above 40o (but not too high) it takes for a seedling to reach blooming
size.  I calculate at least 8 months if it blooms in the fall, about 11
for spring bloom.  On average, that would be the minimum here.

< I am wondering if anyone has an educated guess on the average time it
takes for TB irises to grow from seed to bloom. I am guessing the time
is based on location and growing conditions as well as parent stock.
......     Are there any suggestions that may help in getting these or
future seedlings to flower sooner or is it simply a matter of time? I
understand that given room, one could grow the seedlings in a greenhouse
in the colder areas and get first year results.....   I noticed that
there is advice on first year blooms. One note was commenting about the
first year bloom not showing a plants potential. Does this statement
hold true if the iris flowers it's first time after a second or third
year of growing?
                     Thanks for any help.
                     Steve M. zone 4b northeast MN>

--
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>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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