Visiting Daylily Clubs

Hello Daylily Friends,

There has been a lot of information on the "Robin" lately about visiting Clubs that a Speaker might be invited to attend.  I am always delighted when we are asked to come and speak to a Club.  In fact, Diana and I have visited so many Clubs that I think we have a good idea of the membership of our Society by having met so many friends where they live.  I always bring plants to auction, and I like doing this, but I usually limit what I bring to about 8 to 12 plants.  Sometimes I bring double divisions if I have them.  I receive one half of the total sales price, and then the Club uses the other half to pay our expenses, and hopefully there is a remainder for the Club treasury.  If we travel to a distant State, then the costs are sometimes adjusted.  The purpose of a Club visit is to get to know each other better, talk about daylilies, and hopefully have some of our plants growing in other places.

Let me also say that the Government Shutdown was a sad event.  My last post had pictures of Confederate Statues that are in Virginia, where I was visiting, but may I just add that I do not see the Confederate Flag as an item that should be used as a political tool.  I particularly do not appreciate it being used by anyone for protest.  While I am a Southerner by birth and heritage, with ancestors who served in the Confederacy, I understand what happened during this period in our Nation's history.  However, using the Confederate Flag to protest in front of our White house is just W-R-O-N-G.  Today we are all bothers and sisters under one flag, and shutting down the Government is also W-R-O-N-G.   I am proud of my Southern heritage, but I just can't be pleased with those who would shame our government.  Anyway, as long as we all love daylilies we can find "common ground."

Well let's come to the business of daylilies.  I am a few weeks late this year with getting my seedlings planted outside.  It seems that many of my seedlings did not have strong roots as they have had in past years.  Now there were a number of plants that did have strong roots, but these were fewer in number.  I think that lack of hot summer days in August is the explanation.  I want to also add that I am very fortunate to have David Arthur as my friend, and even more fortunate that he helps me get my seedlings planted.  This is hard work, and David is, indeed, a hard worker.  I'm showing a picture of myself and David from this past Tuesday afternoon after we planted many seedlings in the outside garden.  Again, thanks David for your help.

I've also started trying to convert several daylilies from diploids to tetraploids.  I start by putting the single plants into trade-gallon pots.  I like to set the plants in the pots where the crown is just above the soil.  I like to then grow the plants until they are back to full strength.  Then, I like to dry the plants for about two weeks.  After the plants are dry, I take them into my basement where they are treated. I start by cutting off the top of the plant using scissors.  Next, I use a razor blade to cut the plant to a reasonable level just above the growing tip.  You might ask, "What is a reasonable level?"  Not an easy question to answer.  This can only be learned through experience, but even if you have experience, mistakes are still made.  I like to start converting by cutting the plants that I care the least about, and then finish with the plants that I most would like to convert.  This helps me, each year, to get myself oriented to the plants and cut at a "reasonable level."

I would also add that anyone who wants to follow the paths that I'm taking this fall in my conversion work might look back at the posts that I made on the following dates:  Friday, January 3, 2009, and Monday, February 15, 2010.  These two posts will be helpful to see the "tools" used, and to also see how Colchicine is mixed.  I would add two observations:  I no longer cut around the outside of the top of the daylily.  I leave the outside alone until about five days after treatment, but more about this soon.  Second, I add 8 milliliters of DMSO to 400 Milliliters of Mixed Colchicine.  The additional DMSO helps to get the Colchicine to the "growing tip."

Well, more news coming soon.

Bill