Good Morning All:
(Ok, it's afternoon...lol) I have a question. I pollinated two of my Amaryllis around Christmas, collected the seed, floated them in water and transplanted them into little tiny pots when roots sprouted. They are now on heat mats near a very bright window out in my potting shed. Does that sound right?
What I really want to know is: will these seedlings generally all turn out to be the same color (whatever color is created by the cross) or will they be variances?
Thanks!
TIna
I don't remember what I crossed...a pink and a red. How is that for botanical record keeping? lol
Amaryllis seed pollination question
They will not look identical, because they are siblings. They originate from TET amaryllis, and these are as regards the shape admittedly rather similar. Thus the individual seedlings will not be VERY different. I predict that the color will be more or less equally "red" bcz the typical orange-red color of hippeastrums is rather dominant. Further, it has to be admitted, that crosses out of high-bred TET Knight Star Lilies will in their majority look like weaker, inferior copies of the parents.
A good combination, that it will produce a wide range of colors and forms, among these being some rasther attractive specimens, is pollinating a big flower-white with "Appleblossom"
Hmmm, I wonder if it is even worth it then? I am just doing it for fun. I live in a mild area, if they make it perhaps I will just grow them on for a future outdoor bed...
Thanks for answering my question!
I suppose it depends what you're goal is. Personally, I think it's fun to make crosses and see what I get. It may be that many will look like their parents, but you never know. Seeds aren't necessarily true to the parent plants, so you may find something quite interesting. Goes back to that biology class from high school... The bigger the gene pool, the more variety. So, I'd suggest adding more Amaryllises to your collection--those with different colors, shapes, etc. And keep having fun making crosses. And if you find you get more of a particular color than you want, share them with others!
Michelle
Regrettably, I did not read the header posting carefully.
I have to add, that you are not doing a favor to your seedlings, to plant them in singles, into tiny containers.
I wonder, why things are made complicated artificially, that this even starts with "floating".
You can stick more than 100 seeds into one 50 cm balcony box. (Use tweezers to grasp them by the edge to avoid squeezing the central embryo, and stick them into lines that you squeezed into the substrate using a piece of a ruler or such)
Then, for approx. 1/2 y you will only have to rinse the box, every couple of days, and THEN you will separate and replant the strongest seedlings into containers of appropriate size or, much better, into the same balcony box again, 10 to 20 seedlings in two lines of 5 and 10 respectively.
Note that it makes a difference whether you concede a substrate volume of 1 L to one plant OR 10 L volume that it is being shared by 10 seedlings.
My precious #1(cybister x papilio) x #2(cybister x papilio) seedlings look...
I question, This is my first time growing a Amaryllis bulb. My Amaryllis did flower this, now the flowers are
starting to dry out and all off. I notice the area where the flower fell from, would that be the area to find the seeds.
If so how would I collect the seeds.
Missg
Hi, missg.
Did the area behind the flower swell up? If so, then you probably have seed in the seed pod. When the pod yellows and splits, then you can remove the pod from the flower stalk and open it. You'll find black, papery-thin seeds with a little bump in the middle of them. Plant these in seed starting mix (the sooner the better the germination rate), barely covering them. They can take up to a month to germinate, so be patient (and remember to keep them moist). Once they germinate, they'll take several years before they flower, but it's still quite fun. Since seedlings don't necessarily produce flowers of the same color as their parents, it's exciting to see what you get!
Michelle