What is your most hopeful cross this years so far? Mine is a Montezuma X Purple trumpet seedling( the pollen parent came from seedling of David Maltby at the ORLS show). It will be one of my first attempts at Embryo Rescue as well.
To the hybridizers
I've done a lot of crosses this year and this is my first year trying it. Nothing particularly stands out for me, though I have tried my hand at many OT crosses, and I am hoping to have a successful one or two.
Good luck with the ER, Peachguy. It sounds like you have something fun to work with there.
Remember you guys, document, document!
Then make sure you documented. LOL
I put mine on an excel spread sheet, as I go. (first pic) That way I can alphabetize the list so I can see all my crosses with x, y or z as the pod parent together. (second pic)
I fashioned a "pollinating kit": complete(I think) with paint brushes, squares of foil, assorted different color ties, pen and pad. Tweezers haven't been needed. Last year I tried using ties that you could write on, like what you would use at a coop when buying food in bulk. I found those don't hold up to the weather; althought the ties stay put, the written part disintegrates.
I have done some wild crosses, and don't expect many of them to take. But I am up to cross #86 and counting! Most are just "I wonder what would happen if I crossed this with this?" kind of thing. No regard to the crossing polygon (shame on me - maybe next year). And no futsing with ER, but I respect those who do.
Dirty crosses are with flowers that have just opened that day, and hopefully no volunteer pollen has found its way to the pistil. With many of my species lilies, fertilization won't occur unless I hand pollinate anyway.
Clean means I opened the bud and protected the stigma prior to the blossom opening.
Second pic in alphabetical order:
And which is most hopeful? Gosh, if only they would take, there's so many . . . . I am basically just throwing pollen around, an with no regard to chromosome count either. But several unlikely pods seem to be growing. Just hope they have something inside. For most of these it is too early to even guess the outcome:
L. 'Kentucky' x L. leucanthum
L. 'Kentucky' x L. 'Red Dutch'
L. 'Winnipeg' x L. papilliferum
L. from Harvey x L. 'Dots and Dashs'
L. 'White Henryi' x L. 'Madam Butterfly' (the MB with L. henryi parentage)
L. 'Kentucky' x L. 'Sarabande'
L. auratum x L. 'Winnepeg'
L. 'Soiree' x L. 'Super Tsing'
Leftwood I have sort of the same set up with documentation, however I print out tables and fill in the information then. In the witner I hope to enter all of my data into the computer. I am most hopeful about the Montezuma cross however it is too early to tell if it took but it is still the most hopeful as it was the only planed cross because I want to try and improve the purple in OTs. It is the only official cross of my program all the other cross are the "what would happen if I crossed this" . My most hopeful that has taken is a Citronella X Dimention as i am hoping for a dark pendent similar to the colour of Dimention, but I assume i will have to back cross with some dark red pendents or dimention its self, I really love the pendent asiatics. As for the ER it will be my first year and as hopeful as I am I don't expect wonders and I will probably make mistakes but thats how we gardeners learn by trial and error.
PS I am excited about a Montezuma X Salmon star but it is way to early to tell if that cross took.
This message was edited Jul 28, 2008 8:31 PM
Lefty...your organization skills put me to shame ;)
I have been using this stuff that I originally got for tying my lilies to the stake, but also doubles nicely, along with a sharpie, for labeling the crosses.
help !all my lilies have seed pods. i didnt try to cross them what do i do . my dh is making grow light shelves . one looks pretty big . when do i take them off ?
If I am not interested in seed collection, once the lily is done blooming I disinfect the cutting tool with alcohol then clip off each will be seed pod. Making seed takes energy away from the bulb in order to make the seeds. Now that I am making crosses, in order for the bulb to do well, I have just selected one that I cross per stem. Using all of the pods will definitely have a detrimental effect on the lily, even if the cross was not viable.
That said, a nice primer in this link from the North American Lily Society.
http://www.lilies.org/hybridizing.html
so just because the seed pods swell dosnt mean that the seeds will grow ?
Last year I had a nice fat pod that I had left accidentally and I thought perhaps it had been pollinated and after letting the seed pod ripen, I had no viable seed. So, yes, it can happen.
I am certainly not the most experienced person around here. I'm really hoping somebody else jumps in here to help you as well.
Ah yes, "permanent" markers are not so permanent in the sun. Graphite(pencil) holds up very well, not sure about oil pen. This year I just used masking tape, wrote the cross in pencil and traced that in permanent marker. Scotch tape was used to cover the writing. So far so good, but with 2 months left...
What I would really like to find a substitute for is the foil squares! They work great but don't look very pleasing, my wife has said so :*) and I have to agree. Also I now have dozens of tiny shiny pieces that are in the dirt. If there was only green foil.
Anyone ever thought about using parafilm? Almost invisible... http://www.2spi.com/catalog/supp/supp4b.shtml
Ahhh . . . but there is green foil, just ask a florist. But it is only green on one side.
I have used parrafin for grafting, but I don't have a clue what a pollen grain needs to "germinate". Does it need air? I dunno.