Greenhouse seedlings . . .

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On my Sunday, August 29 blog I gave the recipe for using Essential Plus 1-0-1 for stimulating growth in daylily seedlings. Supposedly, it helps with earlier and a higher percentage of seed germination as well. If you want to see the whole story, along with the formula for mixing, see my blog of August 29, 2010. Here is a picture of the chemicals.

 

I am a real believer in the Essential Plus 1-0-1 concoction. I don't have a control group, nor do I have pictures of root systems at the same age without the formula . . . all I have is my experience, and it tells me that these root systems are much larger at 6 weeks than those of the past. Here is a typical 6 week seedling root system.

Or the root system on a single seedling.

One of the pleasures of hybridizing is watching the various stages of seedling growth, from the initial seed planting to the transplanting of the germinated seedlings, then the growth. In previous blogs, you have seen the seeds as planted in the greenhouse, and images of these trays as they have germinated and grown. 

On July 29, I started planting seeds in the No. 1020 trays in the greenhouse. They germinated, they grew, and it became time to transplant into No. 38 Seed Trays. I started transplanting on September 12 and finished this morning, October 3. I ended with a total of 62 No. 38 Seed Trays with 2456 seedlings.

Above is a typical No. 38 Seed Tray. After the seedlings are planted, I sprinkle Marathon over the top for aphids, gnats, thrips, etc. They also get some Milorganite and Nutricote slow release fertilizer over the top.


Below is the first 36 trays line out on the growing bench. A frame is built and a plastic liner is added so I can grow in a water bath if I am going to be out of town for several days.

In addition to the No. 38 Seed Trays, I started some seeds in 2" X 2" X 3" peat pots to transfer to trade one gallon pots. The seeds were planted in August and transplanted to the one gallon pots in September, finishing on September 14. Here is a picture of one of the growing benches taken 10/3/2010. You can compare this with the picture taken on the September 10 blog to see the growth in 23 days.

Here is an up close picture of the same above seedlings. Nice growth isn't it? I ended up with 749 one gallon pots.

I do have a few more seeds that I would like to start in peat pots to transfer into the one gallon pots, so I may not be done yet. It is hoped that the seedlings planted in these pots will get enough growing time and be able to generate enough root mass to bloom this coming spring.

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: LeePickles@epbfi.com or David Kirchhoff at Hybridizer@aol.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!

Lee