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About three weeks ago, I sprayed the 2008 seedling field with Round Up to kill any seedlings that were left. Well, you know Round Up, when you want it to kill something, it does not do a very good job. A few days ago, I decided to till in anything that was left with my 18 hp Kubota tractor and Woods tiller. Let me tell you, that woods tiller will make anything ready to replant in just a couple passes. Here is the tractor and tiller.
My neighbor kids me that the tiller paint and the tractor paint do not match. However, I know how really jealous he is.
This is what the seedling bed looked like when I started tilling it. Notice that the Round Up application did not kill everything.
Here is what it looks like behind the tiller on one pass through the seedlings. I know I will need to make at least one more pass.
This is what the whole bed looked like after 2 passes with the Woods tiller. I know there will be some partial crowns that will start growing and I will need at least one and maybe two more passes to clean up everything. There will be enough room in this field to plant at least 5000 seedlings next spring . . . if I am crazy enough to start that many seeds. I would probably be a dead husband if I did! :-)
There has been some discussion on the email robin lately about yellow daylilies. Yellows are my ultimate favorites. Here is Seedling No. 0651 (Macho Macho Man X Wonder Of It All), A 6" + citrus yellow, lightly ruffled, lightly sculpted, green throat, and great wide blunt sepals. A real stopper in the garden. Here is No. 0651.
Just a few plants yet to line out and the fall gardening will be done except for normal upkeep. This has been a hard summer with many 90° + days in a row with very little rain. It is getting so I don't know what a normal year is anymore.
Now is the time to start planning to attend the Daylily Hybridizer's Summit in Chattanooga (formerly the Myrtle Beach meeting) on December 3-5, 2010. For more information, contact me at LeePickles@epbfi.com
Exciting things happen to those who hybridize daylilies!
Life is very, very good. Remember, when the bloom is gone, you still have your daylily friends!
Comments can be made at the end of this page . . . it is easy and I would like to know how you enjoy the blog. If it not against your nature, please identify yourself.How about some of you in other countries? A left click on your mouse will give you a larger picture.
An update on the seedlings started from seed in the greenhouse on July 29, 2010. They are now about 3 weeks post planting. There are even some still germinating. The image below is shows the 3-week seedlings. This will also give me a benchmark picture at the time of drenching with the Essentials Plus 101 mixture posted on the email robin. Thought I would give it a try.
If you have never seen albino seedlings, check the image below and you will see two. Albino seedlings lack chlorophyll which is needed for growth. No matter what you do to these seedlings, they will not survive. Here I show the albino seedlings.
I started planting the peat pots on August 2, so they are about 18 days old at this time. I never get as good of germination planting seeds in individual pots as I do when I plant them in bulk. Don't know what the difference is. Maybe some more of these will germinate yet. Here are the peat pots.
Remember the plants I lined out in 100° heat and I was worried about their survival. Well, here is a picture taken today and you can see that they have even started growing, showing new green growth. Let's hope they continue. Since lining them out, we have had over 1½" of rain so I hope all that moisture doesn make them rot in this heat.
You can compare all of these picture to ones posted earlier on this blog.
Because of all the heat and lack of rain, we have not had much rebloom here this year. One seedling that is reblooming now is Seedling No. 0769 (Mandalay Bay Music X Belle Cook). Please notice all of the tentacles on the lower edge of the petals.
Now is the time to start planning to attend the Daylily Hybridizer's Summit in Chattanooga (formerly the Myrtle Beach meeting) on December 3-5, 2010. For more information, contact me at LeePickles@epbfi.com
Exciting things happen to those who hybridize daylilies!
Life is very, very good. Remember, when the bloom is gone, you still have your friends!
Comments can be made at the end of this page . . . it is easy and I would like to know how you enjoy the blog. If it not against your nature, please identify yourself.How about some of you in other countries? A left click on your mouse will give you a larger picture.
I guess if Bill Waldrop can show pictures of his cat, Sammy, I can show a picture of Shiloh. Bill tells of the escapades of Sammy, hunting, sleeping, sleeping, etc. Well, I will guarantee you that Sammy cannot play Solitaire like Shiloh. Here is Shiloh playing Solitaire on the computer, and not only playing, he wins. He likes to follow the cursor around the screen.
Today is Friday, August 13, 2010. Here in Chattanooga today, the temperature rose to 101° with a heat index of 110°. I looked at the thermometer in the greenhouse and it registered 120°. This has been a brutally hot summer in many places. I thought I would show the seedling trays as the are growing in the greenhouse. These images were taken at 5:00 pm when the temperature was still 100° outside.
The first three trays were the seeds planted on July 29. As you can see, they are doing quite well in this extreme heat. I have noticed that the seeds from one of my previous introductions, H. 'Aztec Sunrise', seem to be infertile. None with different crosses have germinated. Maybe I picked them too early, I don't know.
I have never tried lining out in this extreme heat before. I normally wait until the latter part of August, but the plants do not have enough time to recover doing it that late. My friend, Karen Newman, kept writing about lining out, so I called her and asked how she was doing it. She told me the secret of lining out in this heat was to cut up the clump and leave it lie in the dry shade for a day or two to let the cuts heal, then plant, and do not water too heavily. Also, wait until later in the fall to mulch. She said she learned this trick from David Kirchhoff. Here is my line out attempt.
Football time is quickly approaching. I am anticipating a great college season. Next it will be college basketball. I do like the college sports, especially the Lady Vols basketball team. Pro sports is just a job.
Exciting things happen to those who hybridize daylilies!
Life is very, very good. Remember, when the bloom is gone, you still have your friends!
Comments can be made at the end of this page . . . it is easy and I would like to know how you enjoy the blog. If it not against your nature, please identify yourself.How about some of you in other countries? A left click on your mouse will give you a larger picture.
Seed planting is done here at Chattanooga Daylilies, I finished this morning. I would estimate approximately 4500 seeds were planted, unless my math is off, which is entirely possible. If I get my usual 90% plus germination, I will end up with 4000 seedlings to plant/transplant. It is so much fun to try and visualize the outcome of a certain cross. For instance, I have some seeds planted of Melanie Mason's H. Cherries Jubilee X H. Camelot Red, a 2011 introduction from Jeff Salter. I can see a 32" heavily ruffled blood red with a vibrant green throat and to top it all off, it would be dormant. What fun!
Anyway, here is an image of all the trays on one of the growing benches in the greenhouse. I have positioned them where the exhaust fan pulls outside air across the trays, so the temperature should be about the outside temperature. Notice I said "should." There is a shade cloth on the greenhouse which should help.
Above, you can see all the trays on the growing bench. To the left, there are 12 No. 1020 trays that have a six compartment insert with each compartment being about 5" wide and 7" long. In a previous post, I showed that each of these trays was scored with four rows and an estimated 12 seeds per row depending on the number of seeds in the cross, some more, some less. To the right, there are 20 trays with 50 2" X 2" X 3" peat pots in each tray, so there should be a total of 1000 small pots. I am hoping that my germination rate in these pots will be better than what I have experienced before. It is planned that these peat pots will be planted in trade 1 gallon pots which will be grown in the greenhouse. Hopefully, I can get them to bloom in 9 months doing it this way. Whatever happens, all seedlings will be transplanted to the field in April 2011 for growing out and selection.
The image to the left is of the growing bench taken from the end with the 2" X 2" peat pots. I can hardly wait until I can post you a picture showing all green instead of potting soil brown.
Above, if you left click and enlarge the picture, you can see some of the germinated seedlings from seeds planted on 7/29/2010. They are really starting to pop. Planted in the trays above, I have gotten as high as 95% germination which I attribute to being able to keep the moisture level fairly even throughout the tray. Normally I don't start them until September and then I will put an electric blanket covered in plastic under the trays with the temperature set on high. The bottom heat really makes them pop. With the greenhouse as hot as it is, I didn't think I needed the bottom heat this year. We shall see!
To the left, I show what the heating blanket looks like when I use it. I lay down a layer of newspaper, then the blanket, then another layer of newspaper, then a plastic sheet which will, naturally, keep it dry when watering the seedlings. The heat is set on high. I have been asked if I were not afraid that set on high, it would be too hot. Normally, it is used to cover a human, and it doesn't burn them. I have also been asked, "Why an electric blanket, and not the electric mats used for that purpose?" Have you priced those mats? A mat the size for one tray can run as much as $50.00. The electric blanket . . . free from a friend.
If you are still reading, I appreciate you checking out our blog.
Exciting things happen to those who hybridize daylilies!
Life is very, very good. Remember, when the bloom is gone, you still have your daylily friends. Plan to attend a daylily function somewhere this winter.
Comments can be made at the end of this page . . . it is easy and I would like to know how you enjoy the blog. If it not against your nature, please identify yourself. A left click on your mouse will give you a larger picture.
It is seed planting time right here in the Scenic City! I am estimating that I made about 6000 - 7000 seeds this year, but I won't plant all of them. Don't have the energy or the space.
My normal method of planting seeds is using 1020 trays with a 601 plastic insert. The 601 insert has 6 trays to each flat, approximately 5" X 7" each and about 2"+ in depth. I like this method best because I can control the moisture more evenly in each tray. Here are some images of what I am doing.
Left is a 1020 flat with a No. 601 insert. There are six 5" X 7" trays to each insert. The trays are filled with seed starting mix which is a very finely ground mix. Four rows are scored in each tray as a guide for planting seeds.
If you will enlarge this image, you will be able to see the seeds planted in the rows. I plant anywhere from 8 to 15 seeds per row, depending on the cross length. I estimate that there are 300+- seeds per tray. The seeds are then covered with more seed starting mix. This is my most successful method for planting seeds. I will get approximately 95% germination using this method.
Here are the first trays that I have put in the greenhouse. If you enlarge the image, you will be able to see that I mark each cross and I date each tray when it is planted so I can see how long it takes for the seeds to start germinating. The tray number and date label is white. You can see the first four trays were planted on July 29, and the other three were planted on August 1. When germinated, these seedlings will be transplanted into #38 seed trays for growing in the greenhouse over winter to plant in the field next spring.
If you will enlarge this image, you will be able to see the seedlings are starting to germinate. These seeds were planted on July 29 and this image was taken on August 3, five days after planting.
I am always trying something new even though I have found that starting seeds works the best for me in the 1020 flats above. But you know us guys, we always have to try something new. This year, I am trying 2" X 2" X 3" peat pots for some of the seeds. I tried three trays earlier and only got about 50% germination, but I mark that up to the seeds not being in the refrigerator long enough. I plan to plant these peat pots, when and if they germinate, into trade gallon pots and grow them over the winter in the greenhouse. I believe that I can get most of them to bloom next spring . . . we shall see.
In addition to the above seeds, I have approximately 2000 more to plant. Planting is always an exciting time, trying to visualize what might come from a cross. I have gotten smart this year. I carry the trays filled with seed starting mix to the patio and sit in the shade to palnt the seeds. Sure beats the heat of the greenhouse.
Let's hear how others of you out there plant your seeds.
Exciting things happen to those who hybridize daylilies!
Life is very, very good. Remember, when the bloom is gone, you still have your friends!
Comments can be made at the end of this page . . . it is easy and I would like to know how you enjoy the blog. If it not against your nature, please identify yourself. A left click on your mouse will give you a larger picture.
Jean and I made a trip to Wilmington, DE this past weekend to visit our son and family. It is always amazing to see how much Ben (15) and Max (11) have grown. Friday night I had a ping pong tournament with them and they named it "The Friday night massacre" so I guess you really don't need to know the score. I told them that my reflexes were 20 seconds slow so they would have to play 20 seconds slower . . . they didn't buy it.
Saturday we visited the Nemours Mansion, the home of Phillip I Dupont. What an incredible home and what incredible innovations the man designed himself. I guess the one that stood out to me was this elaborate method for making ice for his homemade ice cream. The mansion was full of innovations.
Another highpoint was seeing the array of vehicles this man had. The one that stood out was a 1960 Rolls Royce. We were told that there were 10 made of this model, Queen Elizabeth had the 1st, Phillip Dupont's 3rd wife the 2nd, plus Wayne Newton and Sir Elton John have one each. When asked about the value, he said in the neighborhood of 1 million. Here is a picture of our son Jaimie and me beside this classic.
My first thought was to tell you that this was our rental car and chauffeur, but if that were the case, the chauffeur would probably be in a tux.
I mentioned my seedling No. 9080 (Fringe Benefit X Horny Devil) on the robin and how fertile it was. All I had to do was stand across the greenhouse and point the pollen at it and it set a pod. Here is No. 9080.
Otheres that I mentioned that were very pod fertile for me this year were: WONDER OF IT ALL, BLUEGRASS MEMORIES, ROCK SOLID, RAZORWIRE, and ROBERT W. CARR.
Exciting things happen to those who hybridize daylilies!
Life is very, very good. Remember, when the bloom is gone, you still have your friends!
Comments can be made at the end of this page . . . it is easy and I would like to know how you enjoy the blog. If it not against your nature, please identify yourself. A left click on your mouse will give you a larger picture.
I made another round of the fields this morning. One of the blooms I spotted was in the newly planted seedlings from the greenhouse. I gave this a 1001 number since that is their normal bloom year . . . this is unusual for me to have one bloom from September 2009 seeds. Below is Seedling No. 1001 (Tickle Me Elmo X Kaskell's Best Edge seedling). Notice the teeth.
In the named varieties field, there were two on rebloom which surprised me because of all the heat and lack of rain that we have had. I do not water this field.
H. 'Bodega Bay' (Pickles, 2008) Height 28", bloom 6", season M, Rebloom, Semi-Evergreen, Tetraploid, Fragrant, Pink pearl polychrome. (Edge of Heaven × Horny Devil). This is a bright clean color in the garden standing nearly 36" on rebloom.
H. 'Smooth Groove' (Pickles, 2009) Height 36", bloom 6", season MLa, Semi-Evergreen, Tetraploid, Pastel cameo pink self. (American Gothic × sdlg). This picture was taken on a rebloom scape. Notice the fine teeth on the petal edges.
Each time I post, I think this will be the last from the field and then more keep cropping up. So I will not say "no more", but I doubt that there will be. Those of you in the north that envied me when my daylilies started blooming, it is now my time to envy you.
Exciting things happen to those who hybridize daylilies!
Life is very, very good. Remember, when the bloom is gone, you still have your friends!
Lee and Jean were born and raised in Iowa. They met in 1954 and were married in 1957. Both attended the Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) and graduated in 1962. Both accepted teaching jobs in Council Bluffs, IA where they lived until moving to Tennessee in 1974. Lee retired as an administrator in the Dean's office at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Jean retired from the classroom in 1999. They have two children, two grandchildren and currently live in Hixson, TN with their two dogs, Sara Jessie, a yellow lab, Spikey, a rescued mixed breed, and a Snow Shoe Siamese cat, Shiloh.
