getting lost in another forum ~~
"Tip number 1: hope to get lucky and don't be disappointed if you don't. All it takes is one seed to get a nice hybrid. Its just a matter of selecting the right seed to plant. The more seeds you have the more chances you have of getting that "one" seed.
Tip number 2: The better the hybrids you are working with the better hybrides you are going to be able to create. Work with dogs and you get flea's and perhaps another dog if your lucky. In short, a large percentage of your hybrides are not going to be as good as the parents you were working with if you are honest with yourself.
If your working with hybrides that have been extensively used for several years by several hybridizers, chances are whatever you create will not be as good as whats currently out on the market as these crosses have already been done hundreds of times over by other hybridizers. Why recreate the wheel when some has done it for you? Get the wheel and put it on the cart.
Down to Basics with Brugmansia
First, cut the calyx from the underside to get at the pistal a few days before the corolla extends out of the calyx. Cutting from the underside in a straight line removes the chances of rain washing the pollen of the pistal. Collect pollen for use on such a flower from a flower that is fully extended before it opens or shortly thereafter. Brugmansia pollen is generally good for about 6 days. Only make a cross if you trully want to see what that flower combination is going to bring. I suggest planting the entire seed pod from a cross or half if you have made that same cross to another pistal on that same plant. Then you can select out the larger healthier seeds to plant. 200 seedlings from a cross should ensure that you get at least one you like, but as they say, the luck is in the draw. Brugmansia are generally not self fertile, this means you must apply pollen from another cultivar to get a seed pod except in very rare cases. "
There are also his tips on hybridizing daylilies at :
http://davesgarden.com/showthread/50924.html
Eric's hybridizing tips
Bunch of typo's in that one. Perhaps it was good that was getting lost as I never noticed them before. Perhaps some of our other members could post some of their techniques in here at a later date for others to learn from. I should note however that just because a cross has been done before, that does not mean that someone else doing that exact same cross may not end up with a much better hybrid. My point I was trying to make here was simply don't hybridize with a dog if there is something better you can hybridize with to get that same trait. No point in working backwards when one can work forwards...,
Ever the Rambler.
Brugmansia
typos don't matter among friends, the info is what counts:)
Culebra, Candida species, Dr.Sues, Frosty pink, Ecuador pink,..in generall, most hybrids of this nature can be hybridized while the corolla is still green and just starting to emerge and even before the calyx has emerged. If one is not sure how far a flower is in its development...simply shine a flashlight from the back of the calyx through to the front of it so one does not open the flower too soon to hybridize it. Double orange...HG, will emerge from the calyx several inches while the inside skirts and sex parts/pistal/stamen, etc are not even close to being able to function as pollen donors or pollen recievers...etc. In other words, some very few Brugmansia must be hybridized a bit later than other Brugmansia. While most Brugmansia can accept pollen long before the calyx opens to allow the flower to come forth. One finds that pollinating early or when the flower first opens is generally the best time to fertilize as the pistal is slighly moist and hence the pollen tends to stick a bit better to the pistal or stigma. Other key times I have had success pollinating Brugmansia...early morning and late at night. Although, one often finds one can create fertlize many Brugmansia at any time of day and much depends on the weather it seems as to weather the pollen is what I term fluffy or sparse. Fluffy pollen is much easier to work with obviously and sparse pollen, well there may not be any detectable pollen to speak of...but often times one finds that there is just a bit if one rubs ones fingers on the anthers. This tiny bit is all that is needed to get a few seeds of interest.
Brugmansia by following your advice, I now have lots of seed pods. I've found that the pistal is ready to accept the pollen before the pollen in that same flower is ripe. I've also found that if I tear the corolla open and pollinate while the stigma is hanging down below the anthers, it works better. Has anyone noticed that sometimes when the flower opens, the pistal goes back up between the anthers and when it comes back out again, the pollen won't stick? My Jutner Orange is like that and it's kind of skimpy in the pollen.
Eric, I think that rambling is contageous.
Thanks Calalilly, was kind of hoping someone with pictures and labels would post the flower parts on this thread so we didn't have to jump everywhere for hybridizing tips. I know often enough people have either asked questions about anthers,calyx, etc or simply held silent....Culebra, Candida species, and a few others rarely put out much pollen, but one can often take ones finger nails and open up the anthers a bit as one presses the pollen to the end of the anther. In this way, even on a semi poor day you can get enough pollen out of a Culebra anther to pollinate a few flowers.
This message was edited Monday, Dec 17th 6:56 PM
If I can stand long enough today, I will take some close ups of what I'm talking about.
Cala, I found the same thing, but waited for the pistil to come back out and then pollinated... I figured mother nature knows best!
This message was edited Monday, Dec 17th 10:19 AM