Hybridizing my way
Hybridizing your own daylilies can be fun and very rewarding. And most importantly, it's easier than you probably think! Here I will explain how I go about hybridizing my creations.
It all starts in late winter. I start getting the itch to work with my daylilies. There is just one little problem, it's winter and the plants are still dormant. So I turn to the next best thing, start planning what plants I want to cross in the spring. I usually jot down ideas on a notepad late at night, thats usually when ideas for crosses hit me. I decide what goals I would like to achieve with each cross. Each cross has specific goals I would like it to achieve. For example, if I crossed a plant that had a red band, and another one that had an extremely high bud count, a goal could be to achieve a plant that has a red band with a high bud count. Of course this is just a basic example. Ok enough talk, lets get into the fun stuff!
First off I keep an eye on the daylilies that I want to cross to see when they will be blooming. For the beginner, you'll probably just want to deal with plants that bloom at the same time so you don't get into freezing pollen and saving it. (If you are interested in freezing pollen and using it at a later date, I will explain it in detail further down the page.) Go out into your garden early in the morning the day the flowers will be opening. I usually go out between 8 and 9 am. That seems to be a good time here in the Dallas area as it gives time for the pollen to dry, and it's still early enough to have a good chance of a successful cross. You want to be the one pollinating your plants, not the bugs! The earlier you pollinate, the better your chances.
For the next part, you'll need a pair a tweezers. (you don't NEED them, but I find them helpful) Using the tweezers, I carefully take 1 (one) stamen off one of the flowers. In case your unsure, here is what a stamen looks like. There is usually 6 of them. Now take the stamen you removed and take it over to the other plant you want to cross it with. Dab the top part of the stamen (called an anther) on to the tip of the pistil. There will be only 1 pistil, so it will easy to spot. And guess what? You have just made your first cross! Within a few days, if the cross was a success, you will see a little pod start to swell at the base of where the flower was attached. (The flower it self falls off after a few days) Now, you must tag the flower you just crossed so you can remember what was crossed! It's easy to remember when you have only a few crosses, but it gets confusing if you have more than a few crosses. It's good practice to mark all of your crosses. There are several different ways to go about this. I used to use a piece of elastic, shoestring type of material. It worked OK But from experience, I wouldn't use it. This year I came across a new way to mark my crossed flowers. Got any old mini blinds laying around collecting dust? Well put those things to use! What I have done is cut the blinds up into 2 inch pieces, then punch a hole at one end with a hole puncher. (Click here to see what the tag looks like.) I then write what was crossed with what on the tag with a permanent marker, pull a twist tie through the hole and then gently tie it around the base of the flower. Now you've got your self a tag. I got the mini blinds tag idea from Bill Jarvis page. Check it out here. It is a VERY good site and I HIGHLY recommend that you read every word of it. I learned from his page how to hybridize my first plants and I still go back to the site when I need answers to any questions I have. Bookmark it!
Now comes the hard part. Waiting. You want to see those plants right now! But as we all know, thats not going to happen. But we do need to harvest those seeds! When your plump seed pods start to turn brown and crack, it's time to collect your seeds! (This can take anywhere from 40-60 days) I wait till most of the seed pod is brown and dry, just to make sure all the seeds have ripened. Take the seed pod (and your tag!) off the plant and carefully pry it open. I would suggest doing this over a large paper grocery bag, just in case some of the seeds try to make a run for it. Knock all of the seeds out of the pod. Most will just fall out if you turn the pod over, but there is always those that like to get stuck up in there. Just gently use your finger to set them free. Once all of the seeds are out, you can discard the pod. I then put the seeds and the tag (you may have to bend the tag if your using the mini blind tags) in 35mm film canisters and leave the canister open overnight so the seeds can dry out completely. (This is done so the seeds won't sprout early or rot.) Once the seeds have dried, pop on the lid of the canister. I also like to write what the cross is on the outside of the canister. This just makes it easier for my needs. Once this is done, time to put those seeds in the refrigerator. While I've been told it is not necessary to do this, I do it anyway. It sorta gives the seeds a short dormancy period. I leave my seeds in the fridge to chill for 3 weeks (it's OK to leave them in longer too). Once the 3 weeks is up, it's time to plant those seeds!
I plant my seeds in Ferti-lome potting mix, mainly because it's loose and holds water well and because it's pretty cheap. However I'm always looking for new mixes for my seeds. Try different things and see what works best for you! I plant the seeds in those "6 paks" that pansies usually come in. I plant 1 seed per cell. I place the seed in the center of the cell, and press it down lightly. I push until the top of the seed is just below the soil level in the pot. I then push some soil over it and give it a good watering. When they are all planted, I move them out to my greenhouse. They can also be grown indoors under plant lights. Keep them in a warm place and don't let them freeze. The warmer it is, the faster they will germinate.. I've noticed it takes about 7 to 21 days for them to germinate. I keep mine in the greenhouse all winter and keep them warm so they continue to grow over the winter. (In some areas you can start the seeds in late summer and have them big enough to go out in the garden that same fall. This is primarily done only in the far south where the growing season is a few months longer. If you do attempt this, I like to say give the plants 6 weeks to get established before winter sets in. It may take less time than that, but the more time they have to establish, the better the chances of them surviving the winter.) Once spring has arrived and the danger of frost has passed, it's time to move the babies into the real world!
I plant my plants fairly close together, due to the very limited amount of room I have. I'd say I have them about 12 inches or a little less apart. Ample room to grow. If you have allot of space, plant them a little farther apart. Once I plant them in the garden, I give them a light feeding of a water soluble fertilizer. Usually Miracle Grow 15-30-15. Keep in mind it's a light feeding. Full strength could burn the roots. I also put shade cloth over mine, mainly to protect them from hail storms since those are a quite frequent event here in the Dallas area. Shade cloth is optional, it's up to you.
With luck, you should have blooms in about 2-3 growing seasons (Sometimes 1 if your really lucky!). Some take longer than others and it depends where you live, so if a plant doesn't bloom with the others, don't worry, it just might not be ready to show it's face to the world yet! Well that pretty much covers how I hybridize daylilies. So far it has worked very well for me and I hope it continues to do so. Ahh before I go, for those of you who want to freeze pollen and store it for later use, here is what you do. When the desired plant blooms, head out into the garden early in the morning, say 8 or 9ish and pluck off a few stamens. Place them in a container than can be closed tightly. I use 35mm film canisters to store my pollen. Place the stamens inside the canister and bring it in the house. I set my canisters open in a room with a ceiling fan and let the pollen dry for 12 hours. I then lock up the canister, mark the outside of it so I know what pollen it contains and toss it in the freezer. When your ready to use the pollen, take it out of the freezer, let it sit for about 5 mins so it thaws then head out to the garden and make a cross like you normally would.
Heres another important bit of info. I bet when you went to mark your tags you asked your self "What plant do I list first?" Does this even matter? Yes. Yes it does. You always list the mother plant or pod parent first. Pod parent is the plant that produced the seed pod. The other plant would be the father plant, or pollen parent. It is listed last. So if you crossed a plant named Streaker and a plant named Little Joy, and used the pollen of Little Joy on Streaker, your tag would be marked like this: Streaker X Little Joy. If you want to learn more about this matter, check out the American Hemerocallis Society's site. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me. My address can be found here.
