Daylilies: It's Spring Chat and Pictures, 5 by

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Crit, iris seeds develop inside pods. The number of seeds in a pod varies. The pod is first green, then the color dulls then gradually turns light tan. When they are ready, the pod will begin to split at the top. You can then harvest the seeds. Spread the seeds on a kitchen paper towel and allow to dry for 7 days to cure. The color of the seed will change when dry.

It is fascinating that each seed growing in the same pod will produce a brand new and different variety never seen due to many generations of genes that were bred into the parent plants. On the other hand, some seedlings may have a few similar traits from their parents, just like humans. In either case, the result is yours. Any Iris seedling that shows excellence can be named and registered by the grower---You.

Store seeds in the fridge until you are ready. I start my seeds in October since I have many cultivars by soaking the seeds in a container with hand hot water overnight. Allow to cool. The seeds need to remain in the water for at least 3 weeks. Change the water out daily using a strainer to catch the seeds (so as not to lose any). No nicking is necessary. This soaking and rinsing treatment is to remove the seed germination inhibitor present in the seed or seed coat. Outdoors, the fall rains and melting snow in winter do the same thing over a 3 to 4 month period.

If you have only a few cultivars the method below is a quicker way to remove the inhibitor factor. It cuts the soaking time in half.

Buy nylon knee highs---cheap in Walmart. Put the seeds in the knee high so that they'll end up in the foot then take the knee high and a tag and use a mideum binder paper clip to attach the tag to the open end

Remove the top from the toilet tank. Drop the knee high into an area of the tank where it won't interfere with the moving parts in the tank. Be sure to leave the open end outside the tank. The foot part or closed part is put in the tank. The tank top and the binder clip will prevent the sock from sinking into the tank and get flushed.

After soaking, sow Iris seeds in pre-moistened potting soil 1/2" deep in these plastic shoe boxes. I covered the containers and leave them out all winter long on North side of my house. Iris seeds require 12 weeks of less than 40 degrees temperature that flunctuate to break dormancy. They will sprout during spring when temperature reaches 55 to 70 degrees.

If winter temperature has gone in your climate, or you live in a climate without cold winters, the fridge can be used. It will just take a bit longer to break dormancy.

Once the seeds have sprouted, I pot them up in 6-packs filled with potting soil. As the new sprouts begin to grow, I fertilize them with a 1/4 strength fertilizer solution with each watering. About six weeks after they have germinated and are about two inches high, I knock them out of the pots and plant them in the garden and hope for that next Award of Merit winner or better yet -- dream big, a Dykes Medal winner.

Handle them as you would any other perennial seedling.

Iris seeds can be stored in the fridge in ziplock bags and remain viable for years.

1] Where to place the pollen on iris.
2] Seed pod
3] Open pod with seeds
4] Sowed seeds in plastic shoebox, then in bin and placed on the north side of my house all winter covered.
5] Sprouted seeds April 2012