Hello Daylily Friends,
I'm really pleased that there has been such a strong response to the daylilies that I posted on this blog on December 30, 2012. Although I haven't yet been able to post my 2013 introductions on my "website," I'm pleased to say that I've neverless sold half of my available fans of BLAZING CANNONS. It is a wonderful red.
What I want to write about is my effort to convert PINK STRIPES, and I would note that I previously wrote about this subject on November 30, 2012.. I have the plants numbered one through three. Plant number four has gone backwards, and I'm not even showing a picture of it. You may recall that Plant number one is the plant that I had to cut away the points of growth, other than the one growing tip in the center of the plant. There was one particular point of growth that I had been reluctant to remove, but my friend Larry Grace gave me the advice that it should indeed be removed. I took Larry's words very seriously, and I cut away the point of growth. Larry said that it probably was not a conversion, and that it would only remove strength to the growing tip that I treated with the Colchicine.
Plant number two is the one plant that looks to me like it is the one that is most probably converted. The tissue is so thick, and it is so hard: like plastic. I have to keep cutting the foilage on all three plants just to make sure that the growing tip is able to emerge. I am always reluctant to cut the foilage, but this just has to be done to have hope of success. I would also say that these plants are always in front of a fan that runs 24/7. I think that the fan helps to prevent the development of disease. I even have a plastic marker that I use to scrape away anything that looks like the beginnings of a disease.
Plant number three is probably the least likely of the plants to be converted. It isn't quite as big as plants one and two, but its small size could just as well mean that it is converted. There is so much of the
give and take, and the
this and that, in conversion work. As many readers know, it is all just guess work at this point. I just have to keep working on keeping the three plants alive, and ultimately conduct the biggest test:
after the first bloom, measure the pollen by using the microscope. Nevetheless, at this point, I am hopeful that I will have a conversion.
I've also been working in the outside garden, removing leaves and pulling weeds. I'm showing a picture of one of the rows. It is a long row and you can see the little Greenhouse on the far side of the photo. It is difficult thing to expect, I know, but I do anticipate that most all of these seedlings will bloom this coming summer.
Finally I have to show you a bloom from our pink Camellia. Of course, it is a shrub that has showy roselike flowers, and glossy evergreen leaves. Although it has been raining quite a lot here in north Georgia, the Camellia nevertheless continues to bloom new flowers. It is so wonderful to see these blooms right during the middle of the winter.
I love daylilies!
Bill
I am amazed with your outside field, so neat and tidy and weed free. As well, love the look of your mulch on your service rows! Do you have any suggestions for keeping the weeds down? We struggle with this every year. Thanks very much!
ReplyDeleteHi Chey,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words about our outside field. We use "Preen" to control weeds, but over time weeds still emerge. We then just pull them up, but it is a struggle to keep the weeds under control.
One of the worst weeds is "Hairy Bittercress," and it loves growing during the fall and early winter. It even throws seeds as far as ten feet. I'm sad to say that Preen does not control this weed. What we do is to spray it with Lesco Three-Way Selective Herbicide. This works. We do our best to keep the herbicide away from the daylilies, but my wife has never found any harm to daylilies by spraying the weeds.
As for our rows, they are filled with wood chips given to us by a friend who cuts down trees for a living.
This is some of what we do to control weeds.
Again, thanks for your message.
Bill
Dear Bill,
ReplyDeleteWhen I sent you Pink Stripes to convert, I never thought it was going to be so difficult. I applaud you for your patience with it. I have another diploid that I hybridized called Tavern on the green, which I think hybridizers may want to convert in the future. I will have to share a piece with you when I get some guest plants back. Very unique looking green throat. Anyway, as to weeds, Snapshot is a great pre emergent, but very expensive. What I like to use to spray them that has been very successful is a herbicide called Trimec. You can get Trimec on Amazon.com for a reasonable price. Ohio had low temps in the single digits the other night. Some daylilies I have in the garage in containers are folded over from the cold. All daylilies that are dormant have definitely gone full on dormant at this point. Enjoy the read as always.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteI can see that PINK STRIPES has plenty of potential so I am going to work with it until I have it fully converted. I just have to continue to pay attention to the plant and be patient.
TAVERN ON THE GREEN sounds interesting. I particularly like the name. It is different with an emphasis on "green."
I like SNAPSHOT, but it is just too, too expensive, and my garden is much too large for such an investment. SNAPSHOT will control "Hairy Bittercrest," but the cost just can't make it worthwhile for us. That is why we use the Lesco Three-Way Herbicide.
Haven't tried Trimec. Will have to give it a test run.
Out in the Greenhouse this morning everything looks good. In the little Greenhouse the dormants look good. I think that I will increase the heat in the big Greenhouse to a low of 55 or 60 at about the middle of this month.
I always appreciate your comments. I don't know if I told you or not, but I crossed my 1-414 with your MILLENNIUM FALCON. Should see blooms this coming spring.
Bill
Bill,
ReplyDeleteYou should get good results with Millennium Falcon. Of all my introductions to date, I would say without a doubt it is my best parent. It is especially good when taken into other daylilies with applique throats. One other quick note about it....I have one fan left and this past year the foliage showed some variegation. I don't know if it was weather related or not. It is something I have never seen before on Millenium Falcon, so it could be a fluke. I'll keep you posted. Can't wait to see pics of your seedling.