Re: REB: cycle vs other

Betty's comments seem to apply here as well - a cultivar may be increasing a lot, yet not put up any stalks at all until some unknown (to me) combination of fertility, temperature scenario, pH, aeration of roots?, you name it, come together to suit.
I'm always surprised to hear QUEEN DOROTHY described as such a reliable rebloomer, summer included. It was so unhappy here, I finally got rid of the few scraps remaining. But I'm pretty sure it does well for others in this general area (places where borers thrive <g>)
Chuck, what do you make of "oncers" that produce more than one stalk on mother rhizomes during spring bloom? One in the terminal fan, usually only a few days ahead of one or more on side fans? Do you think these are genetically cycle rebloomers where the terminal didn't get a chance to bloom the preceeding fall/winter? That makes some sense to me - often the terminal stalk will have more late freeze damage than the lateral ones. Or are they basically "winter" bloomers? Or is that what late cycle bloomers are in general? Do they bloom off and on all winter in mild winter climates? 

Betty said:
<This agrees with my observations. I do believe the sporadic and "whenever" could be the same with variations in strength and/or modifiers. Sporadics freely bloom in warmer zones, occasionally, but rarely, blooming for me (and others) in zone 6. The stronger "whenevers" are much more likely to bloom here, sometimes in July and August. A problem I see with Immortality and a few others, here in my garden, is a very poor stalk to fan ratio. Rapid increase does not always equate good rebloom, here. Or even good spring bloom. Apparently, there are many variables that trigger rebloom on the "whenevers." > 

Chuck said:
<At times it takes close observation to distinguish what type of rebloomer you have. A plant that reblooms later in season may be a summer rebloomer genetically, but not have had size earlier in season to trigger bloom. So you would need to have noted that it was at size (leaf maturity) to have summer rebloom, and have it sit there and not rebloom when opportunity presents. Opportunity based on weather factors, but you can use plant markers such as Immortality and Queen dorothy as markers.
Also you can have Fall cyclic rebloomers put up a summer bloom, but on a fan that should have bloomed in spring, but was just missing all factors needed. You can tell this by checking rhizome to see if it is a mother fan blooming or an increase. If on a mother fan, then consider this to not be a summer rebloomer, until you get a summer bloom on an increase.
There is absolutly no doubt in my mind that Summer Rebloomers and Fall cyclic rebloomers are different genetically. I had made numerous crosses of Forever Blue with summer rebloomers, nary a rebloom seedling out of hundreds of seedlings. Many rebloomers out of FB X fall cyclic rebloomers. Far far past any level of significance you could apply to this.
Many instances of Fall cyclic rebloomers from cross of Fall cyclic rebloomers X oncers. George Sutton had written and article on this a couple of years back. 

Chuck Chapman>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index