Ask the Vets SELECTED FROM THE MEDIANITE SPRING 2006
This Question & Answer information was originally
printed in The Medianite and pertains to all types of
irises. It is as valid today as when first published.
QUESTION:
“I made my first cross this spring and now
have pods. What is the best way to get them
to germinate and become healthy seedlings
that bloom soon.”
From Keith Keppel, Salem, OR
The best way to handle seeds will vary
somewhat with your climate. For the past sixty
years, what has worked best for me in California
and Oregon is as follows: Plant individual crosses in
pots, using a porous loam/sand mix, in the fall. Leave
pots outside, watering if the winter rains and snow
don’t come regularly. (The latter is not a problem in
Oregon!) Line out the seedlings as early in spring
as possible, preferably before Tall Bearded bloom
season. Keep plants weeded and watered, do not
let them go dry and semi-dormant in the summer.
The majority should bloom the following spring, the
second year after you made the cross One caveat:
if no germination has occurred, hard freezing of the
pots does not seem to matter, but if germination
has begun, pots should be given some protection if
temperatures get much below 25 degrees.
From Paul Black, Brooks, OR
There are as many ways to germinate seed
as there are hybridizers. A lot depends on where
the person and seed is located geographically.
What works in the north doesn’t necessarily work
in the south. I would say that if the seed hasn’t
been planted as of January, there is little hope of
germination this year. In most areas, they need to
be planted by Thanksgiving. Forced germination is
another topic all to itself. For me forced germination
is a lot of wasted effort. Once the first crop of seed
has been germinated and bloomed, if one keeps the
process going, there can be new seedlings to look at
every year without going to extraordinary measures.
I’m very much for letting nature work her magic.
Once there are seedlings and they are lined
out, bloom is dependent mostly on the care one is
willing to give them. Again, this dependent on the
climate. First year bloom is going to be difficult no
matter what in areas with extreme winters. In more
moderate areas, bloom is going to be dependent on
keeping the plants growing by watering and feeding
so they are large enough to bloom the following
season. One gets out of it what one puts into it,
limited, of course, by the whims of nature.
d
Lauer’s Flowers
44 AIS Bulletin Spring 2018