Re: HYB:REB:Report

I am also am planning for future generations, not expecting much from the initial cross. I try to do mostly "planned" crosses, but my planning is mostly making sure I have pedigrees & rebloom reports handy for everything I grow that might make good pollen.

"Planning" last year was to cross everything with good width, substance, and awards onto IMMORTALITY, HARVEST OF MEMORIES, rebloom seedlings, and a few cousins, half sibs, & sibs descended from IMM & HoM. I succeeded waay too well. It's a long list - if anybody wants to see it, I will post.

Ultimate goal is rebloom, first goal is performance & health in erratic climate (I think I have reached that goal in several lines now - last three winters have been so mild, I may have some unpleasant surprises in store next spring) in more colors & patterns, second goal is width and substance without losing health & performance. I'm also working on/experimenting for cleaner hafts around beards.

So far, only two of the refrigerated crosses have germinated this fall - 1 healthy looking seedling from IMM X FOGBOUND, 6 from IMM X TREASURED (only 2 look healthy). Moved to the sunporch yesterday to grow them a bit before transplanting and moving seed pots outdoors for more chilling.

What the heck crosses have been the most fun for me - they are usually crosses where I either don't know or don't understand the pedigrees. Or crosses between the only things blooming that are fertile. And I always learn a lot from them.

When I "plan" crosses I often run into troubles, no pollen, no suitable blooms etc.
I often let the blooms talk to me and I carry a tub of my favourite pollens around with me, so when I see a partic characteristic in a plant I think about what I have that might complement that. eg a plant may have fantastic growth and branching, but small blooms, so I think about a good big bloom that might go well with it.
I occasionally do way-out crosses for the heck of it. Got one flowering now. Owyhee Desert x Overjoyed, just because they were growing next to each other and I use them both for breeding. Got a plant that has shortish stems with huge purple bitone blooms with white veining in the falls. Only seedling from the cross and not what I expected.

"what the heck" crosses can be fun and they can also prove to be a waste of time and space, but you don't know if you don't try.

Colleen Modra
Adelaide Hills
South Australia



I think most people want or plan to get something in the initial cross between two parents.  I actually plan not to and plan to do sib crosses from the start.  If I actually get something of the proper characteristics all the better.  But the nature of the crosses I do have very limited chances for first generation success.



--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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