Carpenter Seedling 04P 255 Da

Hello Daylily Friends,

I have been trying, giving my best effort, wanting so much to convert Jack Carpenter's Seedling 04P 255 Da. Last year I was convinced that I had it converted, but alas, I only had the scape partially converted, and the plant itself was also only partly converted. In my humble opinion the plant needs to be "fully converted" so that pods can be set on it, instead of just using its pollen. Well, starting on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2010, I again set about the work of conversion. I had dried the plants for 2 months. Yes, 2 months. A very long time. So, when the Colchicine was applied the plant readily absorbed the chemical. I want to use this Carpenter Seedling to try to enhance some of my seedlings with circles around the throat of the plant.

I completed my application of Colchicine on December 27, 2010, and then on January 11, 2011, I cleaned the plants and applied some water. On January 27, 2011, I cut all of the plants with my Pin Knife to keep them growing. Ultimately, on January 29, I moved the plants to a table in the Greenhouse. However, this did not work out very well, and so on February 1, 2011, I moved the plants back into my basement. I now have the plants again growing in the Greenhouse.

On Tuesday, February 15, 2011, I had a simple question: should I trim two of the plants. I asked for advice, but no one wanted to venture an opinion. So, I used my best judgment. I went ahead and cut the plants with my Pin Knife just to give the growing tip a point from which to emerge. It would seem that this is a risky step, but I assure you that it is an absolutely necessary step. If the plant is not cut so that the growing tip can continue to emerge, then what will happen is that rot will appear inside the plant near the growing tip, and most likely the rot will not be seen until it is too late. The plant will probably be lost from the rot. The fact is that if you have a question about cutting a plant that you are trying to convert, the rule of thumb should always be to make the cut, and take your chances. If you don't make the cut, I assure you that very likely you will lose the plant. I'm showing Plant #3 on February 15, and then I am also showing Plant #3 today, that is, on February 16.

The second plant that I am showing is Plant #4. It is the smaller of the two plants, and the fact is that its growing tip might emerge if I do not cut the plant, but I just can't take the risk. So much risk! Well I cut the plant, and I will have to say that when I saw it today I felt a lot better about opening up the top of the plant. There did not seem to be much loss of moisture at the tip where I made the cut, and indeed, there does not seem to be any setback from my cutting effort. Another factor is that when the Plant is cut this does not necessariloy mean that a "good thing" has been accomplished. I have had conversions grow as much as five to six inches, then sit still, and suddenly die. Just so sad, and it might happen again here, but I am hoping otherwise. Hope that you benefit from seeing Plants #3 and #4 both before they were trimmed, and after they were split.

Bill