What would it take

OK

Inquiring minds want to know!

If you have not tried to hybridize iris what would it take to get you to try?

Need to clear more acreage, need the iris to bloom to see what would be a good cross, need more education on hybridizing, and I would do it !!!!!!!!

1st...maybe I will...just for the fun.. 2nd..the additional knowledge I need !! I have learned tons along the way this past year. but still need info. I have pollinated and sent orchid pods to a lab for growing before, but have never tried anything else as keeping things inside for me just doesn't work. Can the seeds be started outdoors? I guess general info about what to do after the seeds!! LOL!!! Not much info I need, huh!!! LOL!!
debc

Not sure anything would. There are so many beauties out there already I would rather just support those who do want to hybridize them.

I think everyone should try at least once...it is exciting, fun when they start blooming to see that no two are really totally alike and when you take colors you have in your mind what you think you will get and you get some really different and unique colors. No also you can get a few dogs along the way!

D

Try it you will like it

I am afraid I have more irises than I can plant right now! We did make some crosses in our local AIS chapter but when they were giving out the seeds, I declined. Dee and Anita, I will buy your cultivars and then scratch my head to figure out where to put them.

LOL

seeds are started outdoors as especially with the smaller classes, they need the cold to germinate. We enjoy hybridizing & I think I might try a couple of TBs, not for me, but there is trouble sending iris plants to Europe now as the EU changed the classification from bulbs & tubers to herbacious plants. The British Iris Society members are livid, & since they may have trouble getting the newest plants, I can send seeds to their seed exchange.

Ok lets make this a little more scientific

Respond to the following (PS working on a paper for Region Newsletter no IDs will be used)

Hybridized before: Yes/No
Would hybridize if: (Mark 1, 2 or 3)

Had Space
Had money
Had Knowledge
Had better stock

Thinking of hybridizing:

This year
in the next couple of years
Some time in the future
Never

I have:

seedlings
registered iris
introductions

Thanks all
ANita

I hybridize medians. I need more space for seedlings. 1 More knowledge 1

I have seedlings in the 4 median classes. I have registered irises Intros: SDB 4 BB 2 MTB 2

Hybridized before: No
Would hybridize if: (Mark 1, 2 or 3)

Had Space
Had money
Had Knowledge *
Had better stock

Thinking of hybridizing:

This year *
in the next couple of years
Some time in the future
Never

I have:

seedlings
registered iris*
introductions

I have seedlings... which are under evaluation in Oregon, and at the AIS guest gardens in Madison Wisconsin for the 2010 AIS Convention. I think every iris grower should give it a try, even if you are growing on a small city lot like I was. Only thing, seeds can be plentiful during a good season, and not having adequate space for them can make you a touch, well a lot, insane, trying to plant them all. Only plant a few more than you have room for!!! We recently acquired some acerage, and with help from my good friend Denise Stewart, I will be expanding my seedling patch every year. It's addictive, very easy, and will add much pleasure to any gardener. Here's a link to bit of info that may be helpful to beginners. Just scroll down to the photo gallery, "Iris Hybridizing"

www.leticia.smugmug.com

Dan

I added comments, but don't know if they will reach you or not. As you know I don't do computers well.

I will send you some tonight.

well probably a good deal of patience LOL that I don't have!
I am more into letting someone else do the work, and then admire fluffy colorful blooms in my yard ;)

I have never tried to hybridize irises.
I would if I could find someone to teach me everything even if it's online. (knowledge)
I have space, 35 plus acres to play with and the irises I have here love it.
I would probably need either some seeds to start with or some better stock.
I would love to have several different display gardens and each one devoted entirely to individual hybridizers.
I grow daylilies from seeds and this year I'm making some of my own crosses.

I think we just get comfortable and it's too easy to just purchase plants from others or garden centers.
I know from other plants I've grown from seeds it brings and different kind of enjoyment when you grow something no one else has ever seen.

I'm all for trying my hands at this if someone wants to give me advice and so forth.

Happy Gardening, Marian

Hybridized before: Yes
Would hybridize MORE if: (Mark 1, 2 or 3)

Had Space 1
Had money
Had Knowledge
Had better stock

Thinking of hybridizing:

This year yes, again
in the next couple of years
Some time in the future
Never

I have:

seedlings well, I'm supposed to have, but I don't see any
germinating
registered iris
introductions

bonita

I wish our region would be more active. We need an Anita!

Hybridized before---no.

Would hybridize if---more knowledge

Thinking of hybridizing this year----pseudatas

I have-----none at present

Pseudatas are so new, that experimenting is vital.

I would love to start hybridizing Iris. I hybridize daylilies now and they are really easy but I'm still not sure how to do Iris.

Hybridized before- Iris No

Would Hybridize if - More knowlege

Thinking of Hybridizing this year - yes



This message was edited Mar 18, 2009 8:35 AM

Hybridized before: Yes
Would hybridize more if: (Mark 1, 2 or 3)

Had Space 3
Had Knowledge 3

Thinking of hybridizing: This year.

I have 1 seedling from a few years ago. I must have really been lucky to get that seed pod. Only 1 seed germinated from the pod.

I did a whole lot of crosses last year. Not one took. Almost daily rain, very humid. Then, last fall I saw the link that Dan had posted. I HAD BEEN DOING IT ALL WRONG! Thanks Dan, I hope to have better luck this year. Very, very informative pictures and information.

Survey with my answers:

Hybridized before: Yes/No -- No
Would hybridize if: (Mark 1, 2 or 3)

Had Space -- no
Had money -- no
Had Knowledge -- no
Had better stock -- no

Thinking of hybridizing:

This year: no
in the next couple of years: no
Some time in the future: only if I get bored with the gardening I am now doing.
Never yes

I have:

seedlings no
registered iris no
introductions no

Sorry to sound so negative but I am having fun now and can only just barely get done what I need to. When I run out of maintenance and new planting, I will consider hybridization, but that is not likely to happen. Guess vegetable gardening is more my thing than hybridizing. Love the iris flowers though.

Hybridized before: No
Would hybridize if:

Had Space - no problems there, but space is unprepared. No money/energy to do so.
Had money - 3
Had Knowledge - 1 (highest need)
Had better stock - 2 (second highest need)

Thinking of hybridizing: definitely

This year and in the next couple of years

I have:
I'm getting my first order of Japanese iris this spring - assorted
McEwen seeds in fridge
a historic Louisiana iris hybrid from about 1917?

This will be my first year hybridizing both daylilies and iris - non-bearded - if I can. There is a local woman who does this - she doesn't know yet that I plan to pick her brain. I've been reading up on it, but nothing beats first hand knowledge, due to all the possible variables. I never had the patience for this sort of thing before, and I'm still not sure I have it now. God sure found an interesting way to work on my patience. I'm just trying to figure out why HE didn't try this sooner! (grin)

FYI - I'm also learning how to germinate the seeds from crosses, practicing on bee pollinated stuff. If anyone has extras that I can practice with, I'd love to get that part of the process down before trying to germinate my own crosses. I'll pay postage! :-)

Trying it tells you if you want to keep on or be a gardener. It takes patience. Do you have a copy of McEwen's book The Siberian Iris? It can be a help.

yup, got that one from the library, studied it for days! I'm still waiting for my first publication from the JI society. Not sure when that comes out. I'm a bit squeish about defoliating the flower to keep bees from it after I pollinate it - it seems such a shame! My goal will be reblooming ones.

Not really a problem. there are other blossoms available to look at besides the ones you are using. Keep good records!!!

Good to know. Thanks! :-)
Yea, I have my gardening journal just begging for details. What are the chances of getting blooms on stuff you plant this spring? Can you plant them before the last frost date?

so sorry beakerlj, but after I go through the trouble and thirty 5 am mornings of work to cross hundreds of irises just to get a few pods and seeds, I really just have to see what comes up. maybe someone else?

We usually plant new seedlings in May. Last year I got them planted out in July--organized? It probably will take at least a year to bloom. They are pretty tough however, put a brick, rock in New England on the rhizome to prevent heaving if out early.

Hybridized before: Yes/No--I tried some crosses for the first time last year and ended up with 6-8 pods

Would hybridize if: (Mark 1, 2 or 3)

Had time--1, I didn't plant any of the seeds that I got from my crosses last year
Had Space--2
Had money
Had Knowledge
Had better stock

Thinking of hybridizing:

This year--maybe
in the next couple of years
Some time in the future--probably, it was fun to watch the pod grow and mature
Never

I have: --none of the following

seedlings
registered iris
introductions

Hybridized before: No
Would hybridize if:

1. Had money


Thinking of hybridizing:

Some time in the future


I have:

registered iris

2nd chance - you mean you've registered an iris before? or you mean you grow them that others have registered?

polly, I'm planning on having you teach me. Free weeding labor in exchange for knowlege.

I'm just thrilled that the seeds I got from Dee (Epic Poem) and (unknown orange Japanese iris ) from candycow thrived last year and might bloom some time. Patience is a virtue I am trying to cultivate in myself!

mshadow, what link are you describing? What did you do wrong? Let us learn from your mistakes! lol

Mittsy, great offer, but I don't know any more about hybridizing than you do. Darn it all, I could use some help weeding. At least I've been able to get a jump on it this year, and I don't have to take my daughter to the Doctors and pt every day like I did last sping and summer.

lovely iris check out zacattack above, go to that website and you couldn't get better info.....start to finish

Ok

Here are some sites I think all of you will find interesting

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/7679/hybridizing.html

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/7679/seeds.html

Hybridized before: Yes/No - No
Would hybridize if: (Mark 1, 2 or 3)

Had Space - have space just not prepared - 2
Had money
Had Knowledge - 1
Had better stock - 3

Thinking of hybridizing:

This year
in the next couple of years - 2
Some time in the future - 1
Never

I have:

seedlings
registered iris - 1
introductions

Beakerlj, was referring to www.leticia.smugmug.com. Lots of beautiful iris pictures too! Scroll down to album titled Iris Hybridizing.

What I did wrong before - I was putting the pollen on the inside of the style crest, didn't know about the stigmatic lip.

Also, links posted by avmoran have good info too.