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!
I arrived back from Paris today to find this very interesting blossom on a plant of Streptocarpus 'Texas Hot Chili'. It appears the blossom has sported into a chimera bloom. I haven't see this before on a Streptocarpus so am finding it quite interesting. Now the question is...can it be successfully propagated? I don't know yet but I intend to find out!
My least favorite activity associated with selling African Violets is the packing and shipping. These 36 boxes have over 120 plants packed away. It's no small feat packing orders so they arrive in perfect condition.
