This is sort of an open-ended question...Please let me know if this info has already been posted elsewhere on DG...
Can some of you who have successfully done it give some pointers for those of us interested in jumping into growing lilies from seed?
Do's and Don't...
Tools you like to use during the hybridizing process..
Recommended sources for seeds, other than our own gardens...
Suggestions as to the easier crosses...Suggestions as to the more "interesting" crosses...
When is the best time to cross-pollinate...
Etc...
Thanks so much!
Tips Re: Starting Lilies From Seed
Several months ago I was on this search and went to the DG site suggested and sent a mail. I can't recall his web page at the moment, but his email is merlyn14@rogers.com
Here is what he wrote:
Thank you for reading my web page. Asiatic lilies use a germination method called immediate Epigeal and Orientals use delayed Hypogeal. The method I use for both types starts out the same but the orientals must go through a cold period before they start shooting a green cotelydon. I dampen some fine vermiculite and place some in a ziplock bag. Then I [lace the seeds in and label the bag with a Sharpee marker. I place the bags under lights. I just use a 4 tube florescent system with two cool and two warm white tubes per fixture. They work just as well as the full spectum or grow lights and are easier to find.When I say damp vermiculite its just that damp and not wet. You don't want to rot the seeds. Tou can always soak the seeds in a 10 percent bleach solution to kill any fungal spores but so far I have not had any problem with fungi. Depending on the cross some will germnate almost the next day and some will take a few weeks. Once thay have a good root system I plant them out into trays that are used for starting seeds. I place the cover on and then gradually remove it for longer periods of time so they get used to the lower humidity. This works for Immediate Epigeal Asiatics. With the orientals I keep an eye on them and see if they have germonated and produced a small white bulblet. If they have I place them in the fridge or cold cellar as long as they do no freeze. I will leave them there for up to 12 weeks but constantly monitor them for and green growth. Once they shoot up I pot them up the same as for the Asiatics.
The ziplock bag worked well for me but the potting up too alot of time depending on the amount of crosses you did. An alternate method is to use the starter trays with the clear lifs to act as a mini-greenhouse. Place them in a soiless mix that is light. Then place them under your lights. THe problem with this method will be for the Orientals as you will have to find alot of room to cool thgem off. This was why I did the ziplock method as it saved alot of space since I do not have a cold cellar.
As to the lily beetle I do not spray anything on them and do a daily bug hunt from early spring onward. Usually when I find them I crush them. I have not seen anything like what you mentioned up hear in Canada. And I refuse to spray with chemicals. Whem the larvae come in I usually just use the hose and spray them off the plants onto the ground. THis does two things. 1) It gets them off the plants and I do belive they are very strong walkers to find the plants again. 2) It washes off the feces that covers the larvae and hopefully the predatory beetles and ants will find them a bit more appealing to feed on.
I find that when I am cutting my garden back in the fall I will find large numbers of adults on my Daylilies and deep down in my Rudbeckia. Our autumn is usually cool so when the sun is out the adults come up higher on the cut off stems and one can pick them off fairly easily. I must have eliminted a couple hundred last fall. I am sure I misses some but for everyone found there will be less problems in the spring. I will repeat the process in the spring when the adults start to emerge from the soil.
I hope this helps and feel free to write again if you have oother questions
Take care
Michael
By the way, I had recently had surgery when this mail came, and even though I had lots of seeds, the whole process overwhelmed me at the time. So I still have the seeds....
Hi Choc!
For a fabulous source for seeds of all kinds, please consider joining the North American Lily Society. Please forgive me if you already know about their seed offerings.
http://www.lilies.org/
It is very cheap to join and the wonderful members collect, clean and package their seeds. Most of them are $1.00 a pack! I tend to stick with immediate germinating seeds (formosanum/longiflorum) because they bloom in fall from a January sowing, but they have extraordinary stuff. I have six pots of different F/M's , and I am also growing the late Ed McRae's lillium candidum Cascade Strain (disease resistant). Some of the seeds don't have NAMES yet because people have created them.
If you would like to grow some truly amazing lilies from all divisions, please go to their web site and have a look. They are hard to beat for a combo of sophistication (far beyond me), friendliness (some of the nicest people in the world), and price.
Donna
It really made me smile when I saw this thread because it means that someone else out there may be becoming interested in trying seeds. pard inspired me a couple years ago and I haven't stopped growing seeds since I started.
My first source for seeds commercially was David Sims site. He hasn't had any listed for a couple of years now though
*Buggy Crazy is a great source for lily seeds. She has quite a variety and they are priced $2 for ten seeds.
*Cascade Bulb and Seed is another one, that I have not personally used, but I have heard others speak of them as highly reputable.
* I will second Donna in saying that NALS is one of the greatest places to get seeds. They have a huge variety as many many great lily growers and collectors donate their own seed to the sale.
I use a soiless mix in a baggie to start my seeds. If you want instant gratification, like I did at first, try trumpet or asiatic seed, and I would say most OT seed will germinate without a cold period, or at least that has been my experience. I transfer the seeds out into pots after I see a good amount of growth in the baggie and some root development. The first growth looks like a blade of grass, which is normal. The first true leaf will come along after a few months. Once they are in the pot, I am very careful not to overwater them. I end up watering about every week or 10 days.
* I grow mine indoors all winter under grow lights and here, outdoors In June or so in a part shade spot that is protected on my deck. This acclimates them to the outdoors and does not burn them. In the fall then, I will plant them out and water them in good. By spring, I see little noses poking up.
What cathy166 posted is a good start, but depending on how deep you want to delve into the matter, it is not complete. A very important tidbit that Michael did miss is that with delayed hypogeal germination (including orientals), you don't put the seed in cold storage when the tiny bulb has developed. You need to allow 3+ months for it to develop after the initial appearance before you give it a cold treatment. Doing so earlier may or may not kill the tiny bulb, but the bulb size will be significantly smaller, thus lengthening the ultimate growth time needed to mature.
Other info:
http://www.lilyregister.com/ldis/?q=node/265
http://www.lilyregister.com/ldis/?q=node/270
http://www.lilyseeds.com/growing.html
http://www.cascadebulbandseed.com/lilygermination.html
I'm such an impatient person. I usually use seeds with immediate epigeal germination. I start them in January in the accelerated propagation units Gardeners Supply makes, move them to peat pots when they get better established, and with any luck they bloom by November. Then I take them inside, withhold water, and put them out the following year, by which time the bulbs are bigger and sometimes they bring friends.
I should really expand into other types of lilies. Thank you, Tracey, for the great instructions on germination. Some of the crosses created by generous people are really amazing.
Donna
WOW! A huge thank you for the replies!
Cathy in CT...Hope you recouped well from your surgery...Are you going to eventually plant the seeds?
Donna...I can be such a duffus (sp) sometimes...I joined the NALS last winter sometime. By then, I had already overextended my lily $$$ and had already purchased several of the bulbs on the sale list, so I didn't order from the spring bulb sale...and had no clue why someone would wait years for a bloom so was not interested in seeds. I'm not geographically accessible for their tours, etc. so I wasn't planning to renew my membership, since at the time, the only benefit I saw was the website. I just checked, my membership is good till December. They have suspended seed sales as of June 1, so I'll get some seeds in the fall, along with some bulbs (just cause I NEED more...LOL). BTW, I see they've significantly undated their website. Thanks for the reminder re: NALS...Have re-thought my membership and will re-new.
Mag...Your pics leave me speechless. That's what inspired me to try seeds. Would love some of the David Sims, but doesn't look like that's an option right now. Can't lose with anything from Buggy...and Cascade looks good, too. I'm glad you added the comment about growing under lights in the winter. That was one thing I was wondering about. I've got the perfect set-up and a full size fridge just for winter bulbs/tubers, so I think this will be a new winter project for me....I just have to not over-think and overextend. You are truely an inspiration.
Lefty...Thanks for your info also. Especially the first couple links, since they are Canada, which is somewhat closer to the conditions I deal with, though we have many Minnesotans up here who say it is warmer here in the winter than in Minnesota. I tend to pay attention to anyone growing in your state, because you know COLD, too!...You are one of my Llily Guru's...When you guys speak, we listen!
Wish us newbie seed growers luck! ^_^
Choc,
So pleased to hear that you are a member. I really like the new website. I also have a problem with not being able to join in on activities. I am probably doing the spring and fall thing too/
Donna
I don't know if I'll try seeds yet. We never expected our other seeds to be such a success. On valentine's day we started by setting out tomato seeds, lights and all, not expecting too much. By mid March we added lettuce, radishes and squash and started the caladiums inside. By the beginning of April our little shop of horrors was all green, and we couldn't wait for the final frost date to get my living room back (we have a very small house). Every room had plants, and I still had lily bulbs to go in. I'm certainly back on my feet was really overwhelming. Thanks for your good wishes.
Now I have a question for you. The asiatics have all bloomed, and the orientals have started to bolt with hot weather. So here's my question: Now the the spent blooms are showing seed heads, if I continue to let them grow into healthy seedheads, am I taking anything away from the bulb, i.e., if I clip off the seedpods, will the bulbs regenerate any faster? It seems that the new growth from the bulbs is really pretty slow.
If you are not saving the seeds, then yes, you should remove the seed heads. It is best to do it even before a pod forms, when the individual bloom is no loner "enjoyable". I just snap them off at the base of the flower. That way I avoid the potential of spreading disease (known or unknown, e. g. virus) by using clippers from plant to plant.
For those who DO want to save seeds, I recommend limiting the seed pods to no more than two per lily stalk. Some people also limit it to plants that have been grown out a full year.
Mostly I only allow 1 or maybe 2 seedpods per bulb. I also only purposely leave those which I have specifically crossed. My experience is the experience I got from pard. Energy is placed in seed production rather than energy to next year's bulb/flower production. Since open pollination does not necessarily mean good seed, it may be expending the energy for nothing, or shall I say not good seed.
Also remember to disinfect your tool between each and every lily, to prevent any spread of virus ^_^
Looks like we cross posted.
Cross-post=OKAY! Some of us need to hear/read see it twice... or more before it sinks in...I wasn't aware of those facts, though they make sense. Gotta go cut off some seed pods...Keep talkin', we're listenin' ^_^