Hybridizing My Way

Ploidity:
There are basically two type of Daylilies. Tetraploids & Diploids. I have no intention to get into all the scientific Mumbo jumbo of their difference, Basically  the difference is in the number of chromosomes  each type possesses. Tetraploids contain 44 chromosomes  and Diploids contain 22 chromosomes. Tetraploid Daylilies have been heralded by hybridizers as having significant advantages over Diploids. Tetraploids tend to exhibit larger blooms, more intense color, sturdier scapes and heavier substance in both the bloom and foliage. The leaf, stem and blooms exhibit greater vigor and vitality. It took 35 years of struggle in the face of skepticism for the promised potential superiority of the tetraploid to emerge from it predecessor, The Diploid. Many of the Hybridizers who made today's hybrids possible did not live to see there vision vindicated.

The greater number of chromosomes contained in Tetraploids greatly increases the possibilities of of future crosses today. Today there is a chemical process which one can actually convert Diploids into Tetraploids. Any former Diploids Cultivar names listed in our Daylily Database is preceded by the word "Tetra" i.e. "Tetra Becky Lynn" etc. Any siblings produced by these converted Cultivars will be Tetraploids. Tetraploids and Diploids are not normally compatible in terms of cross pollinating. I have crossed  Tetraploids and Diploids successfully but is an exception to the  rule and is rare.


Foliage Habit & Cold & Heat Tolerance:
It is very important to select plant with the proper foliage for the climate in which they will be grown. Foliage habit does not always guarantee their tolerance cold or heat tolerance . You have 3 varieties to choose from. Dormant, Evergreen and Semi-green.  The normal  winter behavior of foliage is referred to as it's habit. There and differences in these characteristic among various Cultivars. Foliage habit is loosely defined for official registration purposes by the American Hemerocallis Society. These terms were described by the late Dr. Arlow B. Stout. (see Foliage Habit in our lesson Characteristics of the Daylily.)

Pollen Collection and Cold Storage:
Since many varieties bloom at different times of the year, and even different  times of day, collection and freezing of desirable pollen is required to make many crosses. Some Cultivar are early season bloomers, some mid to late season bloomers.

There are several methods of collecting and freezing Pollen. The most important element of storage is dry, un-contaminated pollen. The first step in all methods is to collect the Anthers and thoroughly dry the pollen and anther. Some scrape the pollen from the anther for storage reducing the source of moisture completely. This is a tedious time consuming process not worthy of my time. The harvested  pollen can be stored in a variety of containers. Some use aluminum foil to store pollen. I have tried this and found the pollen damp after a few day of storage. Gelatin capsules work fine for scrapped pollen  but not for anther storage, due to moisture in the anther if not properly dried. The gelatin capsules will become soft and melt when moist, just like when taking medication. There is a high-tech method of pollen storage which utilizes 1.5 ml. micro centrifuge tubes, available at The Daylily Store online.  They are cheap and very easy to use for small quantities of pollen. Cotton is sometimes stuffed inside the tubes and the pollen is applied to the cotton and applied to the stigma by touching it to the cotton. However, as necessity is the mother of invention, I have developed my own method of collecting and storing pollen, which works better for me than all the methods mentioned above.

I collect, dry and store all my pollen in 3"X3" folded  Post-it Notes. I write the name and date of collection on the front of the Post-it note. I peal off the paper and turn it over and make a fold to the bottom of the glue edge on the back side , then fold remaining  glued  portion down and stick the folds together. This folding procedure forms a open ended tube of sorts. Fold  ¼" of one end toward the backside of the nametag side, you printed earlier before folding the Post-it note into thirds. Now. open the other end and drop the collected anthers into the open tube. Fold the open end closed and go to the next pollen collection point. I bring the collected pollen inside the Air Conditioned house and  unfold the tubes and allow to dry for 4 hours before re-folding and placing in a marked and dated  #1 paper coin envelope. (Available at Office Supply stores )  Make sure the anthers broke cleanly  from the filament of the stamen. Removed all excess tissue to eliminate excessive moisture content. I then place the envelopes in  alphabetical order inside  a plastic sealed box  in the freezer. Additionally I place several silica-jell desiccant  pillows inside the contained to absorb any moisture. Since the paper Post-it notes and envelopes are paper all the moisture from the anthers are remover in the drying process before cold storage.

Q-tips can be coated with pollen and used to apply the pollen.  The Q-tip can be frozen afterward for repeated use in the future. Pollen can be applied to small cotton balls and stored in sealed plastic film cans for later use, applied with tweezers or forcipes.  Pollen can be scrapped into small gelatin capsules ( Available at most pharmacy's ) and frozen for later use. When ready to make a cross, simply dip the Pistil into the fertile pollen inside the capsule.  Many time I simply applied  a small amount of fertile pollen directly to the tip of tweezers and coat the Stigma. It is my belief that you should only bring enough pollen back into the heat of the garden that will be used. Leaving the remainder of your stored pollen in the freezer where it is safe. Repeated freezing and thawing of pollen will degrade it's potency quickly. Frozen pollen has been used successfully after 9 years of  frozen storage. I also do not return the used anther to my storage envelope. If usable quantities remain on the anther it is stored in a separated Post-it note tube in the original coin envelope. The success of pollination can be greatly reduce by rainfall and excessive heat. Successfully pollinating Diploids do not seem as difficult in the hot summer months as do Tetraploids. If Successful, fertilization occurs within a few hours of pollinating the Pod parent. If successful, the ovary at the base of the bloom will begin to swell and produce a small green seed pod within a few days, unless it is aborted. Thirty Six hours after I make a cross I clip the spent bloom off 1" above the base of the bloom. Exercise caution when doing this, to prevent cutting into the tender seed pod, I do this to prevent wind from breaking off the seed pod from the scape. 

Tagging and Recordkeeping:
Everyone seem to have an elaborate system for keeping track of there plants, pollen, crosses and harvested seeds. When I started growing Daylilies years ago I made Aluminum name tags for all my Cultivars. I created a spreadsheet containing there Name, ID #, Hybridizer, Year,  Pl , Fertility and precise location in case tags were lost or removed by the kids. I made Plant marker tags like the one shown at left. Each of my Cultivars are assigned a unique number. As you can see my Ed Brown is # 185, this  number will never be changed or used for a different Cultivar. When I make a cross, I  hang Parentage tags using Maco, string merchandise tag at the base of the pollinated bloom. (Tags are available at most office supply stores) I mark these tags with a Pentel mechanical lead pencil using soft (0.5 mm) B  lead. The markings on the tag will never run or fade in the outdoor element. Sharpies don't work, throw them in the garbage, they stink. If and when a seed pod develops I number each string tag numerically on the reverse side. In the case of Ed Brown the number would be 185-1, 185-2 etc. The cross record of both parents are posted to my Hybridizing journal with this unique number as a duplicate reference.

I go to the garden at sunrise and  and make a list of the Cultivar I plan to cross that morning, recording all planned crosses in my hybridizing journal. Accurate  records are needed  to prevent lost parentage names of crosses. I dab each pollen on all crosses for that pollen parent at the same time on all planned crosses. Then I get the next anther and continue until all is completed. I make and hang my tag I try to complete all pollinating by 8:00 am. Exercise caution when hanging tag on new crosses. The previous day crosses are very tender and easily broken off the scape resulting in failure of that cross. The seed pod will shed the old bloom covering the seed pod in a few day. Resist the temptation to help the shedding process. You will surly break off the seed pod. The seed pod will rapidly grow from the size of a peas to the size of a golf ball depending on the parentage used. The seed pod will mature in 40 to 60 days.

Harvesting Seed Pods:
Seed pods are ready to harvest when they start to turn brown and crack between the three lobes of the seed compartments. Failure to harvest seed will result in the loss of you precious seed. The seed pod will open completely and spill seed on the grown, depriving you of you hybridizing efforts. Check you seed pod daily to minimize these unfortunate losses. I use a 24 compartment small part or fishing tackle case to collect my seed pod in the garden. (Available in the sporting good dept. at Wal-Mart stores) Place the seed pod and tag in a single compartment and close the lid to prevent spills. I bring my seed indoors and shell  the seed pod into open baby food jars placing the original tag in the jar. I print the  parentage, date of cross and pliody of each parent & harvest date  on a  #1 coin envelopes for final storage of my seeds. Each cross is assigned a unique number. This is a combination of the year, parentage. If I crossed Ed Brown with Strawberry Candy in the year 2003, the number would be 03-185-555. Multiple crosses of the same parentage are assigned the same Id number.   The envelope is place inside the open jar with seeds and tag. Seeds are air dried for 3 week before planting or storing in the refrigerator. I store all Dormant Cultivar seed at least 6 weeks in the refrigerator before planting. Dormants require a period of cold storage to provide their required dormancy period. Dormant seed not give a period of cold storage may not germinate. All jars are place in nursery flat in racks to prevent accidental spilling and mixing of crosses, until they are placed into the marked coin envelopes for storage.

Seed Starting and growing:
Before starting your Daylily seeds it is important know the nutrient content of your soil. Perform a complete soil analysis to determine fertilization needs.  Soil sample kits including sample bag and instructions can be  obtained from your local county  Agricultural extension service office free of charge. However, the fee  for the actual soil analysis is usually about $15.00. 

Seeds should be planted about 1/4" below the soil line regardless of your method of sowing your seeds. The seeds should be placed at least 8 inches apart.  Spacing the seeds 12 to 18 inches apart will grow faster and bloom sooner. The soil or starting mix should be moist, not wet. Seedling should emerge in 7 to 10 days. Soil should be kept moist preventing the soil from forming a hard crust on the surface. Seedling should be fed regularly with fish emulsion or a weak 1/2 strength solution of a balanced fertilizer like
20-20-20 . Miracle-grow or Peters plant food works fine. It is extremely important to keep weed out of your seedling bed. Small newly emerging seedling imply cannot compete with  weeds for nutrients. When seedling are 6" high they should be mulched to reduce the growth of weeds. Leave, pine needles or pine bark make great mulch. As the seedling grow larger additional mulch can be used to control weeds.

Transplanting into Beds:
Seedlings started in pots or flats should be transplanted at 6 to 8 weeks old. By then they should be 6 inches tall with 4 leaves. Seedlings started in pots or flats must be hardened off gradually to full sun. Place the seedling in full sun for only 2 hours the first day, and gradually increase the amount of time in full sun. Within a week they will be hard enough to survive in the garden.
 

Cultivar Registration:
Cultivar registration is a complicated time consuming process. All the requirement can be found at The American Hemerocallis Society website. There registration information page can be accessed Here. To visit the AHS home page click Here