How long for sowing a seed you collected to the first bloom?

Missed cutting off a last bloom on Clarence and it now has a huge seed pod. If I let it mature and dry do I wait until spring to plant? How many years from sowing that seed to a bloom on average?

Ooooh !. Good question. Something I'd like to know also.

If you did not manually pollinate the bloom, it is most likely a "balloon".
I had dozens of them and when I cut a few open, there were no seeds
except for some tiny white ones. The pod would be large and fleshy
but no fertilized seeds. Some were probably 3 inches long by nearly
2 inches in diameter. I thought I had struck gold with seeds but no
luck.

Maybe some of the experienced hybridizers have a better explanation.

Pic of a sample pod.

Wait until the seed pod begins to turn brown and watch it closely and when the pod just begins to open take it off and bring it in the house. spread the seeds out on a paper plate and let them dry. I keep the seeds in the refrigerator all winter and start them in the house in the late winter or very early spring. When I put the seeds in the fridge I use small zip lock bags with slightly damp peat moss. Everybody seems to have there own way of starting them, but this has worked well for me. your climate in Iowa is quite a bit like ours in Illinois. With our tough winters I like to give them every chance to survive. It will probably two years before you will get a bloom and it may be a small one by the 3rd year you can see what you have. The most seeds I have gotten in one pod is 72 and sometimes you will get am empty pod. Its worth the wait. Have fun Marge

While I was typing my long message the one by gardenrose was added. This year for some reason I have pods all over the place and I suspect they are empty. I have never had this happen before and wonder why it is happening now. I only have two that I crossed, they others just appeared.

May be related to last year's weather. Early warmth, cold, warm, cold,warm
then a final hard freeze. Really messed things up around here. This year
I had some clumps with 8 or 10 bloom stalks. They were so thick you
could not tell which clump they came from. I waited too long to remove
the stalks and they formed the pods.

If the pod is empty, it may collapse. those with seeds will feel full. Many hybridizers go the refrigerator route. After they dry here, we put them in a labeled envelope & later sow them in plastic flats which are planted in a trench. We do many SDBs. TBs take a bit longer to germinate, but 3 yrs (sometimes 2) seems right for bloom. We cover our trench with wire to keep critters out of the boxes, both wild & domestic. Have fun!

IrisMA--Is it feasible to stratify the seeds in a damp towel in a refrigerator
for a couple of months and then start them under a grow light. I have some
old, probably diploids, that I want to cross next year. Lots of written info
on the subject but I take experience over theory anytime. The current
wisdom says never "winter" seeds or bulbs in a refrigerator containing
citrus fruit. Gives off ethylene gas which harms the seeds. Have you
heard of this?.

Refrigerator use for seeds not in our experience. DH & I just do the outside bit. Suggest posting on the hybridizers form for quicker answers although I'm sure someone will come through on this thread.

Oldgardenrose, I wonder if that is what these pods might be. I have never seen any this large before. Since they are all formed I shall wait to see if there is anything inside. Thanks for all your suggestions. jam

They can be large, the bees often hit it right--much better than some of us poor hybridizers.

I've put together some info that should answer your question... plus a bit more info for beginning hybridizers. Just click here. http://leticia.smugmug.com/gallery/1222403_uHtX8#P-1-12

Good Luck, Dan

The April 2007 issue of the Bulletin of the American Iris Society has an excellent article by Vincent Christopherson on "The Nature of Iris Seed Germination". Seems ethylene gas that is given off by ripening fruit in the refrigerator can actually promote the germination process by helping to do away with the seeds natural inhibitors.

I am lucky I guess, once I harvest the seed pods put them in yogart cups and in October I plant them in either the cold frame or unheated greenhouse and come Jan they start to germinate...

D

Dan, what great illustrations. Thanks so much. jam

I am away out of my league on this but I vote for planting the seeds outside
in the late fall and let them make it on their own. Darwin was not a complete
fool. If they cannot hack it on their own, let them die in peace.

You're welcome jam... hope it encourages you to do a little hybridizing on your own.

Dan

I was in a Monthly Mayhem seed swap last winter. I received seeds from candycow marked JI orange. I had never heard of orange JI so of course I had to put them in the fridge for several months. I planted them in May and now they look like this. What should I do to get them through the winter in upstate NY?

Nice crop there, Mittsy. I can't wait to see what they look like when they bloom. I would plant them in the ground early fall.

Oh dear, reading and looking____as if I needed to start down another garden project.

Did anyone harvest seeds from these extra pods? All of mine turned out to
be false pregnancies for lack of a better description.

Sometimes there is stimulation of the flower, but no seeds develop. These are referred to as ghost pods, more common with diploids, that tets, but can happen to both.

There can be seeds on rebloom, however snow or freezing temperatures usually melt the pod and or destroy any seeds, if they develop during this time. From when I plant seed to when I get bloom depends on the type of iris. From seed to germination I count a 1st year, the second year I will usually (not always) get blooms from SDB, IBs, BBs, MDBs, The third year I will get bloom from TBs, Versicolor SIBs, MTB. Arilbred bloom when they feel like it. Out of 6 seedling 1 bloom year 2, 2 bloomed year 3, 1 bloomed year 4, one bloomed year 5 and I am still waiting on #6. On average however I would say second year after germination (3rd year from planting seed) is when you will get most of your bloom.

Just to add an update on my July 7 comment, the only pods that had seeds were the two that I crossed. All the other pods were empty. I have been growing iris for at least 20 years and have never had that happen before. Must have been some strange weather event. Marge

Glad someone else had the same experience as I. There were dozens of
clumps with the empty pods, both the oldies and modern types. Must have
been due to the strange spring weather.