Monday, February 17, 2014

Important Conversion Information.

Today I want to concentrate on one important point in conversion work.  I have a plant that, in my early opinion, is converted.  I say "early opinion," because no one can be sure whether a conversion exists until the pollen is examined using a microscope.  Let me show a picture of the plant.  It is SUNRISE SHADOWS, Plant #5.  In my opinion this plant is converted because the foliage is "hard and stiff," and a root has begun growing at the base of the new plant.  Now, look just below the new root.  You should be able to see where I cut away a "growing shoot."  Since this new shoot is growing below the area of the new root, it is my opinion that this shoot is a diploid.  This diploid shoot will take away strength from the top part of the plant, that is, the converted part.  Moreover, this growing diploid shoot will grow at the expense of the conversion.  I just think I have no choice but to cut away the shoot. 

I also make every effort to cut across the top and sides of plants that I've treated to help air reach the growing tip.  Whenever I've told myself that "cutting" the treated plant should be delayed, I've regretted the decision.  The rot will begin to build due to lack of air, and the existence of moisture from having watered the plant, will combine with the Colchicine to form the "black rot."  Take a look at two pictures that show how a plant is doing that has been regularly cut to keep the area of the growing tip open to grow.  The pictures should speak for themselves.  I am hopeful that this conversion effort will be successful.

Now, let's take a look at two daylilies that I cut back today.  I didn't take any pictures before I did any trimming, but I did cut into both plants to help open the growing tip to air.  When I did this I saw the beginnings of the black rot.  I knew that I had to be more aggressive and so I cut both plants to where the air could reach the growing tip.  Keep in mind that I use a fan running 100% of the time to improve air circulation.  Plant Number #1 looks ok.  I had to cut away the beginnings of the black rot, and then on Plant Number #2, the black rot was much more extensive.  I was reluctant to cut anymore than I did because I think that I got to the black rot before there was too much damage.  With these two plants we are at the "teetering stage."  The conversion may happen or it may not.  The plant can die, it can remain a diploid, it can become partly tetraploid and part diploid, or it can grow to be a real powerhouse, and be a full tetraploid.  But, at this point, there is nothing more that I can do but to wait.

Well enough talk about growing diploid shoots, black rot and the teetering stage.  Let's look at a daylily that I'm really happy about, and this is Seedling 11-297, Plant #1.  It is hard and stiff!  The surface of the foliage is "rugged," and it has proceeded through the various stages of conversion to where it is today.  I have some hope that it may even produce a bloom before the summer ends.  I have a good feeling when I see progress like this!

I also should mention a bloom that I had today in the Greenhouse.  It was from Bill Maryott's IMPRESSIONISTIC.  Lovely flower.  I like to pollenate flowers from more temperate climates with some of my dormants.  So, I used pollen from HEAVENLY SUNRISE.  I hope the pod sets.  I'll  keep you posted.

Bill

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for more conversion advice bill.
    I have decided to try my hand at converting my best dip seedlings. I will only do a few, as to not bite off too much and lose interest. Colchicine and DMSO in hand. Plenty of time to select the best and get PPE / appropriate storage vessels.
    Thanks again
    Zachary Hickey

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  2. Hi Bill,
    This is a great update on the conversion process. I was wondering how much and how often you apply water to the conversions when they are the size of Seedling 3-434 plant #1? I was also wondering how long it takes for a conversion of that size to reach the size of your 'Sunrise Shadows' conversion? I just tried a few conversions of my own for the first time, and it looks like I didn't trim them soon enough. They had a similar "rot" so they are currently about the size of your "Seedling 3-434" conversions. Any help you could provide would be appreciated.
    Thanks for the posts,
    D.S.

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    1. Hi Zachary,

      Whenever I treat a plant I like to use 5 diploids. This allows for unwanted shoots, water issues, and other problems that can thwart the process. Good luck with your effort! I would like to see more AHS members make the effort to be good at hybridizing.

      Please let me know how things are going.

      Bill

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  3. Hi DS,

    Well here is my watering schedule. (1) I let the plants dry for at least two weeks. They completely go without water. (2) After I've treated the plants with Colchicine I wait five days, and then remove the outer rings around the growing tip. At this point there is still no water applied. (3) About 10 days after the outer rings are removed I apply limited water around the edge of the pot. Not too much water, but enough so that the plant has sufficient moisture to survive. Remember that the plant received the Colchicine, and this practically serves as moisture. (4) Next, I watch the center of the area around the growing tip. This often needs additional trimming. I do not apply water if there is trimming, and I will often wait about a weeks before I apply more water.

    After all of these steps are followed, I usually water about once a week. This is all very discretionary depending on the plant and the soil mix, and what the hybridizer sees during the process.

    The size of 3-434 is, indeed, an issue. I only had three plants that were grown from proliferations. I kept one plant as a diploid, and treated the other two. After the pictures were taken that you see above, one plant looks ok, and the other is not so good. This is a tedious process, and small plants are not the best from treatment with Colchicine. I just didn't want to have to wait another year.

    I can't find my notes but I think that I initially treated SUNRISE SHADOWS around the middle of November, and now it is as shown in the picture. Quite a turn around.

    I hope that this added information helps, and thanks for your questions. Good luck with your conversion work!

    Bill.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Bill for the extra information. Hopefully I can keep my attempted conversions alive.
      D.S.

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  4. Hi Bill,
    I was looking at possible conversion plants and thought Michaels Sword (Brad Best 2005) would be a valuable conversion. My concern is the fans are medium sized for me but I have an abundance to work with. My question is are small fan plants impossible to convert? Any help on the matter would be appreciated.
    Thank you
    Zack

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  5. Hi Zack,

    Small and medium fans can certainly be converted, but the small fans, for me, seem to be a bit more difficult. Now here is a big statement that I believe to be true: To my knowledge there isn't a diploid that can't be converted.

    Bill

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