Heat was my problem. During the hottest days, even the bees couldn't get the pollen to take. I could almost track our temps from either no seed pods on the scape to lots of pods on the scape.

Ken, I did 592 crosses this year and I taged them and logged all of them so any crosses that didn't take I logged that also. I had around 20% success overall, with some super performers and some low performers,and some complete failures, lots of open pollenated pods, the bees succeded where my efforts failed. but I learned a lot and wrote it down I have had a lot of help from Ron Livingston. and the Boys at Naylor Creek.I'm germinating under lights now and what is coming up is about as successful as my pollination efforts, but I'm seeing some real winners already and some really nice people have sent me some of their hybrid seeds to germinate. I hope I can double my crosses next year. some of my hopeful breeders didn't flower, because they were too young. and I'm increasing my collection to include more parent stock. good luck to everyone else on their hybridizing, Jim King

Highjack is right on. During the week of our 100 degree plus days, none of my blooms set seeds. The scapes were barren toward the middle.

Great subject, Ken. Next, you want to delve into why my streakers don't bloom?

Heat must play a role here. If I can get to the flowers as they open in the early am, even if it is hot, above 87 degrees, they still will take, but not always set seed. It just swells up and then the flower will fall off. I think if it were not for the heat, that those swollen flowers would set seed. Almost any pollen I use early in the late spring, before the humidity sets in will take and produce seed pods. I like using the streaky seedlings that have been growing over winter because they flower very early, and I get a lot of streaked seedlings from my seedlings every year.
Mary Ann, my named streakers did not flower this year well either. I think it was because they were moved last year, and I am hopeing for some bloom from them next season. If not, I am cutting back tree limbs for more sun. The only streaked seedlings I got were from Liberty Bell, a streaked NOID from Foxwillows, and my streaked seedlings from 05/06 winter seed starting.

Ken,

I have a copy of a program that Stephen Zolock gave at a Michigan Hybridizers meeting back in 2003. In the program it talks about crossing a Diploid with a Tetraploid will result in a Triploid (which are sterile). An example of this would be to cross Sum and Substance (Dip) with Niagara Falls (Tet), would result in a Tripoloid. The article goes on to talk about ways of converting Diploid into Tetraploids through the use of chemicals, which from my understanding is how some have crossed Dorothy Benedict with Sum and Substance.

So to your comment of momma rejecting daddy pollen, in some cases the answer is yes, according to this research.

BTW I had several people tell me this was one of the most informative programs ever given to the group.

Regards
Jerry

jerry ...

all i remember about the chemicals converting Diploid into Tetraploids ... is that it can do the same to the applicator ... meaning you .... THEY ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CHEMICALS .... ergo ... i ignored the suggestion that I need to fool with them ....

maryann .. streakers.. which are moving away from solid green ... are inherently weaker .... ergo ... they take longer to mature .... [which means if you move them they recover slower] and that they probably need more sun to overcome the white tissue [but not too much or they will burn] ... etc ... i really cant say why yours didnt flower this year ...

ken

Ken,

Agreed the chemical to transform from Di to Tet are some nasty stuff. I'll never use them, but some have, with the desired effect.