I need a bit more information from folks, please.

Such as if stratification helps or not; if germination is excellent sowing the same year as collecting or if viability is lost by storing in the fridge; I don't understand what a "dormant cross" is but I'm going to have to assume that shive is speaking of stratification because "storing" simply means w/o damp media as in buying seeds in a paper packet and tossing them in the fridge... etc.

Thank you,

Dax

If one or both of the parents is a dormant, stratify. I have never planted seeds the same year. I refrigerate everything and start seeds inside in February. I often get 100 percent germination that way. I don't grow your parents, so I don't know if they are dormant. Look them up. Daylilies are either dormant, semi-evergreen, or evergreen.

Thank you so much. I'm with ya on the same page.

Dax

Okay last question:

Do evergreen and semi-evergreen crosses benefit from cold stratification just like dormant's do? Or is it better to store them cold and dry and then sow (say February for example?)

My triploid crosses are: (evergreen x evergreen). And I would like to know for future information (semi-evergreen x evergreen) as well.

Appreciate it much.

Dax

I am in a similar zone to you (Indiana) and this is how I do it. I treat all seeds the same whether from evergreen parents or dormant.

I have planted them in late summer and overwintered them in a greenhouse that stays around 60 degrees in the winter (unless it is sunny and then the temperatures go up for a while). I have found no benefit from doing this. They don't grow much; in fact, many will go dormant. At least they quit growing but don't lose their leaves. When they start growing again, the center looks like a daylily coming up in the spring. We have also had a lot of trouble with spider mites in the greenhouse. Furthermore, when it's time to plant the seedlings in the ground, they are no bigger than the ones you waited to plant the following spring.

As far as loss of viability is concerned, you do lose some seeds while in storage. I don't worry too much about that because I figure they were not viable in the first place.

I dry the seeds for at least a day or two (sometimes longer--just depends on when I get around to putting them away) on paper plates in the living room. I think what's important here is that they are dry when they go into storage.

I store them in small plastic bags (the 2 by 3 inch size) in the refrigerator. I don't have any experience with storing in a cool basement. In late January I start the process of germinating the seeds. I have found that I get quicker germination if I use moist stratification. So in late January, I pour a little distilled water in the baggie and put them back in the refrigerator. Many of them will start germinating in the refrigerator, sometimes in even a day or two. Others will stay in the refrigerator for 3 weeks and show no signs of germination.

I used to wait until at least one seed in the cross germinated to plant them. Now I don't bother with that. I like them to soak for several days (at least 2 to 3). Then I plant all the cross. I find that germination is much quicker. It used to be before using the moist stratification that some seeds would take months to germinate. Now they all germinate in a week or two. That's important to us because we like to start planting in April if the weather cooperates (this year it didn't and none of the seedlings are in the ground).

With this treatment some seeds won't germinate at all in the refrigerator but as soon as you plant them, they germinate quickly.

We have been hybridizing for 10 years and it seems that every year we refine our methods. This has worked well for us for the last several years. We have over 3000 seedlings to plant this year.

Daylily hybridization has been the most exciting thing we have done with plants. Good luck to you. I hope every seedling you grow is a keeper.

Nancy

Gardener365 - I was in the same position you are just last year, and Nancy as well as others kindly steered me along the way. I'll add this link though, which is the method (pretty much) that I settled on. I liked pregerminating in the perlite - so clean, and I could see how the seedling was progressing. Starting Daylilies from seed

There are more parts after the initial video, for how that fellow handles his seedlings as they grow.

Best of luck!

Alex

Nancy, you're an absolute doll. I appreciate your every detail.

Alex, I'm going to read the link. It's appreciated!

I think I'm in several feet deep with Daylily's from seed. It's a fascination to me.

And, I have 6 acres that's already an arboretum of woody plants, plus... being able to plant my seedlings everywhere.

You folks are very kind.

Dax

Dax welcome to the joy of daylilies . Here is a pic of my seeds and how I store them .

They are dried for at least 2 days as I have had problems with them germinating in the bags before I need them to . They are kept in the fridge each pod in individual plastic baggies and those baggies store in larger zip lock bags in the fridge until I decide to germinate them . They will grow on you as well as grow for you. I have a mini fridge full of them. As you can see I also label the seed pod ......not always the cross but at least the pod parent..

As you will see , everyone has a different way to germinate their seeds . I do not stratify my seeds . When I am ready , I remove the seeds from the fridge and put seeds in individual labelled containers and add water and a bit of hydrogen peroxide . Then I place them in bright light to finish germinating

When they start to germinate I pot up in individual plant pots in coconut coir .with a light layer of sand on top to thwart any possible fungas gnats whose larva will chew the plants off at the soil line although I have not had that problem with the coir as there is no organic material in the coir I still do this step . I also have a fan blowing on the seedlings and I water from the bottom up ..

I usually do this around April here. I grow them on in the house until temps outside are warm enough for the seedlings to go outside. I am ashamed to say that seedlings have even sat in their pots of coir outside even over winter when I didnt have a bed ready to accept them .

Just one really important note , where ever you plant them , remember daylilies do best with about 6 hours or more of sunlight .

Right now I am dismantling 2 gardens that are 5 years old .......they were fine when I first planted but trees have grown and dropped the amount of full sun down to very little , The daylilies are growing but not producing many blooms . Time to move them .

I've been fascinated with these for a longer time than I realize. When I placed my first and only order thus far I was alert to (appx.) bloom overlap and varieties and their being diploids or triploids. At the time, dormant/evergreen/semi-evergreen didn't compute, however, I was alert to the possibility of winter hardiness issues I believe I read (I'm sure I did) about the evergreen and semi-evergreens.

I think there's a fascinating world reachable with daylilies and the proof exists already. I cannot hardly wait to see my first bloom, however, this year will be the year that the plants won't carry over in my unheated hoophouse (I lost all but one last year to a freak winter) but instead they will cruise easily thru winter in my greenhouse with temperatures set at slightly above freezing for night/day. Naturally like others with greenhouses we see temps soar sometimes as close as 90 F during the dead of winter on the sunniest of days. And these fluctuations I've found to be great for all other seed I've grown. Doesn't matter whether oak, pecan, walnut, or any other. I'll be willing to bet that daylilies will respond well to Fall sowing in containers in my greenhouse. I will certainly try some of the seeds that way that I don't have priority written all over them. Some of the extra Maho Mite for example that set a lot of pods.

While I will not be on the forum much in upcoming recent times, you can certainly bet that I will be here once this hobby begins producing flowers.

Cheers all and best regards,

Dax