Tuesday, June 28, 2011

I'm pregnant....sort of

I'm back at it making my annual early summer crosses which normally start to produce flowering sized plants around Christmas...what a great Christmas present to myself!  I'm far too picky about what I ultimately release which is why you don't see much in the way of new introductions from me.  I do have a few things showing great promise right now so look for something new from me in the spring.

This is Alan's Fallen Angel holding a few seed pods from various pollen donors.  If memory serves I put Baby Brian, Cirelda and Dancin' Trail onto it this year.  Time will tell.

Here's some general information on crossing.  Once you pollinate the seed parent it takes approximately four (4) months for the seed pods to mature.  After I harvest the seed pods from the parent I normally store them for about 10 days to fully dry/ripen.  I then sow them onto a dampened seedling starter mix with a tight, clear cover and place them about 8" below my florescent lights.  Germination normally occurs within 7-27 days.

So yes, it's almost a full year from initial cross to seeing if you've developed anything interesting.  Definitely not a hobby for the inpatient!



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