Champion Daylilies
Hybridizing
The two fazes of daylilies
On the first hand, waiting for your daylilies to bloom in the spring is full of anticipation. You watch as the plant awakens from its winter rest, slowly taking shape. Then scapes begin to rise above the fountain shaped leaves. Buds form, and not soon enough for us gardeners, daylily season is here. We admire them, show them off to friends and then chop them up, spreading all over our yard for an even bigger show next year. Ah yes, it's all good.
But....
There is another side of daylilies that seems to capture thousands of people's imaginations. Making your own. Crossing your favorute red with a new cream colored daylily you bought this spring. Or that purple eyed daylily with the bright orange one you got from Aunt Sally 2 years ago.
It's called hybridizing. It's catching on all over the world. And it's easy. The process is simple, the seeds are large so they are easy to handle and germination process is quite straight forward. No big secrets here. Anyone can do it, and thousands are enjoying the thrills and excitement of designing their own daylilies.
Now, if you want to become a professional hybridizer, have a huge commerical operation and make tons of money, then don't read any further. This is all about how easy it is for us hobbiests. It's not designed to be any kind of "all the answers are here" page.
The first rule is to understand there are two types of daylilies. Although to the eye they look the same, for the sake of our story you can not cross breed them. They are called 'diploids' and tetraploids. It's all about the chromosomes. But that's all you really need to know about it. Crossing a 'diploid' with a 'tetraploid' would get you the same as crossing a cow with a horse...nothing. So, rule number one is 'diploid to diploid' or 'tetraploid to tetraploid'. See, that was simple.
Most people will give you lectures on having a plan, a goal on what you want to accomplish with your hybridizing program. I have an idea. Who cares. Just put pretty on pretty as they say and you'll get some beautiful seedlings. Remember, never forget rule number one.
The fertilization process is easy. Each daylily bloom has 6 male parts (stamens) and 1 female part (pistil). Reach down to the base of a stamen and break it off. Take it to the partner plant you have chosen and rub the powder from the stamen on the tip of the pistil. Voila! You just made your own daylily. Several of them in fact. It's best to do this in the morning, around 9 if possible. But, that is just ideal.
What did I mean by "several of them in fact"? Well, I guess I'm going to have to explain or I'll be receiving a bunch of nasty emails. Daylily seeds, even from within the same seed pod, are all individuals. Just like parents who have five children, they are all somewhat different. They might pass on the same eyes or same basic coloring, but the appearance may vary greatly. So too with daylilies. So, moral of the story: Every seed is unique to itself.
So, you've made your crosses and are waiting for the seeds to appear. A seed pod will begin to form at the base of the bloom in 3-5 days. So, since they form at the base of the flower, don't dead head the bloom or you'll be breaking off the developing seed pod. At least half of your crosses should turn into seed pods. In about 6-8 weeks your seeds will be ready to harvest.
Harvesting your seeds is exciting. You begin to wonder what they are going to look like. Are they going to be green with purple edges, or maybe there will be the most sought after of all, a blue daylily in the bunch. Only time will tell. But, enough dreaming, let's get back to the seed pods. They will grow to about the size of a walnut. When they turn brown and begin to crack open it is time for you to pick them. Open the pod and you will find anywhere from 1 to 20 seeds inside. Spread them out on a paper towel in the kitchen to dry them for 2 or 3 days. Keep them from getting wet or from the sun hitting them. When they have dried thoroughly, place them in a new paper towel, wrap them inside and put them into a zip-lock baggy and into your refrigerator. Moisture is your enemy. Leave them there for at least a couple of weeks. Months if you prefer.
If you want to hurry the process and plant your seeds during the winter, that's fine. If you prefer to wait until spring and plant them right into your new fancy dug seed bed, that's fine too. Whatever works for you. If you plant them indoors for the winter just remember, too much moisture is bad. It will cause the newly formed roots to rot. Plant them in a sterile soil, one with no actual dirt in it. You can get it at most any garden center. The containers should be deep. I use 5 inch deep containers. Some people just use styrafoam cups and poke a few holes in the bottom. Don't worry about fertilizing at first. The seeds contain plenty of nutrients for the first few weeks of growth.
Seedlings need light. But a strong winter sun through a window all day might be a little rough. I use florescent lights and let them run about 16 hours a day. Seems to work for me. I also lower the temperature when the lights are off and raise it back up to near 80 when they are on. But, every situation is different and your solution will work just as well as the next guy's solution. You can read books and scour the internet for hundreds of tips and how to's on how to do all this. But remember, it really isn't brain surgery and daylilies are one forgiving plant. The main thing is having fun, having a hobby that is rewarding.
When your seedlings grow up they get to become real daylilies. Stop babying them. You want the strong ones to survive, and the rest to disappear. Now it is time to watch the first blooms open. Don't judge your new daylily by the first bloom. Or the second for that matter. Like kids just learning to walk, they are just learning how to produce great blooms. Most people say that in the second year of growth you will really see what you have created. Now that may sound like a long time, but it is only for the first year. After that you will have new daylilies poping up every year. And just maybe, you will be the hybridizer of the world's most beautiful daylily.
And, it wasn't all that hard.....It actually was fun.
Some of my seeds at 4 weeks
A couple of tips:
Buy the daylilies that have the traits you like best.
Keep good records of your crosses.
The pod parents name is listed first.
Fertilize at a low dose after 4 weeks or so.
Circulating fresh air is important.
Keith Schumacher