Thanksgiving Day, 2012!

Hello Daylily Friends,

This morning I had to get to the Greenhouse to see my conversions.  I knew that I had a problem with PINK STRIPES.  Yesterday evening I noticed a shoot that was obviously growing from the bottom of the plant.  Whenever I see a shoot growing the way this particular shoot is growing, I know that there is trouble ahead.  It seems that the energy from the plant goes to the shoot, and that the growing tip that I am trying to convert, just reverses and dies.  In the past, I've tried taking a plant from a pot and cutting away the shoot, but this has never worked.  In this particular instance there is a sprout next to where the growing tip was treated.  The growing tip or the sprout or both, may yet survive.  I'll just have to wait and see what happens.  In any event, I treated multiple plants, and I have another that I'm showing that I hope is converted.

I'm also showing TET. SPIDER MIRACLE.  This plant was given to me by my friend, David Williams.  I tried to use its pollen, and I tried setting pods on the plant, but nothing worked.  So, I looked at the plant's pollen using my microscope, and I found that it had about 40% tetraploid pollen.  I know from past experience that retreatment of a partly converted plant can be easily done, so I retreated TET. SPIDER MIRACLE.  I also have another three of this same plant that look converted.  Next summer I'll let you know what happens when I get a chance to look at the pollen again.

The next plant that I'm showing is CHOO CHOO CABOOSE.  I'm trying to convert this for my friend Lee Pickles.  I've seen it bloom as a diploid, and it has wonderful branching, plenty of buds, and is a very nice, beautiful, red daylily.  I might point out that in the past I've usually treated my plants with the chemical, Colchicine, three times a day for four days.  Sometimes I've treated them for five days.  This time around, however, I treated the plants only once for four days.  I've lost only two plants, and it looks like using a smaller amount of Colchicine may have been a good choice.

The next plant that I'm trying to convert is WAXEN SPLENOR.  It is just a beautiful red, and it has a lovely red eye, along with that coveted green throat.  I've also killed plenty of WAXEN SPLENDOR plants because I've likewise had no success in getting it converted.  I want to cross it with my seedling, HOTLANTA, which is red with a red eye.  My friend Paul Lewis wanted to see a picture of HOTLANTA so I'm including a picture here.  HOTLANTA is 24" tall, it has well defined 4-way branching, and a 5 3/4" flower.  It is 24" tall, but it may be taller after it grows outside in the same place for two years.  Anyway, I want to cross TET. WAXEN SPLENDOR with HOTLANTA to see if I can't produce a better red-eyed daylily.

I must also note that the pictures of my conversion plants all show small plants.  I've got a long road ahead making sure that these all survive.  I've got to keep them from too much moisture, I've got to keep any rot from appearing or harming the plants, and I've got to get the plants through the coming winter.

The last plant that I will show is BY THE GOLDEN RULE.  I have two others of this plant growing, and I'm hoping that they are both fully or partly converted.  The reason that I'm showing this plant is because it is so "hard and stiff."  I've learned that plants that show stiffness  after Colchicine treatment, are more likely to be converted.  Here's hoping for the best.

 I've also got to show a Thanksgiving day picture of the four of us in the family room.  Little Lily Rae is the star of the picture, and she is the star wherever she goes.  Just like a light switch lights up a room, Little Lily Rae likewise lights up any place she goes.  She has really been walking so well.  Also, she loves to climb our stairs.  Of course I am always with her, and I watch her carefully.  I hope to live long enough to see her have many adventures on the road up ahead.  I must say that she can now count to ten.  Well, more news soon.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Bill