"Hybridizing: Is it for you"?
By Lori-Ann Jones
By Lori-Ann Jones
When you love a daylily, there usually comes a time when something or someone inspires you to think about hybridizing yourself. Mine came at a Region 4 meeting when Dan Trimmer was showing a slide of Hemerocallis ‘Rosalinda’s Eyes’ that he had just introduced and I wondered if I could even start daylily seeds. Well, yes I can!
Since I only deal with Tetraploid hybridizing, my remarks, observations and statements do not necessarily apply to Diploid hybridizing.
So how do you get started? First and foremost, you need a direction in which you want to go called a goal. My goal back in 1995 was to produce Tetraploid Unusual Forms with the grace of a Diploid Unusual Form. The seedlings that I wanted to create also needed to be pod fertile because back then, it was hard to purchase a Tetraploid, northern hardy, Unusual Form daylily that would set pod. In the process, I ended up with some very large daylilies, some the size of Dinner Plate Dahlias that were tall and to me are just sensational. That is where the term “Big Honking” came in and it is a prefix for some of my very large daylilies introductions (6 ½” or better).
How do you go about achieving your goal or goals?
1. Produce your own seeds by crossing plants that you have in your garden already.
2. Purchase seeds on line through the Lily Auction.
3. The best way, in my opinion, is by first purchasing at least ten daylilies to start off your program.
Years ago I asked the late Rose Gruber, a hybridizer out of HADS, “How do you know what parent should be the pod parent?” She told me, “It was like breeding horses, the filly is the one with all the stamina and the stud has the pretty face.” So if you have chosen to cross daylilies from your daylilies in your yard or if you are going to purchase new daylilies to start your hybridizing program, what you are looking for is a pod parent that has the branching and the bud count you want to pass down to your seedlings and a pollen parent that has the pretty face that you are desiring in your next generation. This is especially true when you are just starting to hybridize. Once your program is about five to seven years out, you should have these traits in most of the seedlings you have selected for hybridizing and it should not make a difference as to which seedling is being used as the pod or pollen parent.
Alright, you have chosen a goal. You want big flowers with a ruffled edge. My suggestion is to purchase at least ten (10) great performing daylilies that are hardy to your area that have the traits you are looking for and that you can afford. You need to know that you can only cross a Diploid with a Diploid and a Tetraploid with a Tetraploid.
Don’t do like I have done in the past and purchase tender plants that died before I could hybridize with them. It’s important to do your research to ensure the daylilies you purchase do not have the same parents in their background. You want to start your own program and not continue with someone else’s program.
My yard is very small, but you would be surprised as to what you can do as a “Backyard Hybridizer”. Because of my limited yard space, I try not to plant more than four hundred seedlings a year. In the beginning back in the early 1990’s, one of the problems I stumbled upon was that when my seedlings bloomed, I loved every one of them. Twenty years later, I still have that problem, but I have learned to cut down from all my seedlings that I want to keep to between fifty to seventy-five seedlings of any given year’s seed crop. You have no idea as to how quickly you can run out of room. If you have acres, then this will not be a problem for you.
Now to get started, you will be crossing with half of these beauties you have purchased.
POD PARENT POLLEN PARENT
1 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
2 1 – 3 – 4 – 5
3 1 – 2 – 4 – 5
4 1 – 2 – 3 – 5
5 1 – 2 – 3 – 4
You can make sixteen pods without using the same pod and pollen parent twice. Assuming the pods give you ten seeds each, could be more and it could be less, you could have roughly one hundred and sixty seeds. Now take the second half of the plants you purchased and cross them the same way as you did the first half. Hopefully, you will get another one hundred and sixty seeds. This will be a combined total of over three hundred seeds. In your mind’s eye, I would like you to envision two beds running side by side like railroad tracks with a path between the beds. The first one hundred and sixty seedlings are planted in one bed and the other one hundred and sixty seedlings are planted in the other. Now you have two programs started and these two programs will enable you to cross back and forth between the two beds without using the same parents twice.
While you are making these original crosses, don’t forget to mark a tag as to who the pod parent is and who the pollen parent is. These seedlings will be your F1 generation when they are planted out the following spring. The pod parent always goes on the top of the tag with the pollen parent underneath.
Since I only deal with Tetraploid hybridizing, my remarks, observations and statements do not necessarily apply to Diploid hybridizing.
So how do you get started? First and foremost, you need a direction in which you want to go called a goal. My goal back in 1995 was to produce Tetraploid Unusual Forms with the grace of a Diploid Unusual Form. The seedlings that I wanted to create also needed to be pod fertile because back then, it was hard to purchase a Tetraploid, northern hardy, Unusual Form daylily that would set pod. In the process, I ended up with some very large daylilies, some the size of Dinner Plate Dahlias that were tall and to me are just sensational. That is where the term “Big Honking” came in and it is a prefix for some of my very large daylilies introductions (6 ½” or better).
How do you go about achieving your goal or goals?
1. Produce your own seeds by crossing plants that you have in your garden already.
2. Purchase seeds on line through the Lily Auction.
3. The best way, in my opinion, is by first purchasing at least ten daylilies to start off your program.
Years ago I asked the late Rose Gruber, a hybridizer out of HADS, “How do you know what parent should be the pod parent?” She told me, “It was like breeding horses, the filly is the one with all the stamina and the stud has the pretty face.” So if you have chosen to cross daylilies from your daylilies in your yard or if you are going to purchase new daylilies to start your hybridizing program, what you are looking for is a pod parent that has the branching and the bud count you want to pass down to your seedlings and a pollen parent that has the pretty face that you are desiring in your next generation. This is especially true when you are just starting to hybridize. Once your program is about five to seven years out, you should have these traits in most of the seedlings you have selected for hybridizing and it should not make a difference as to which seedling is being used as the pod or pollen parent.
Alright, you have chosen a goal. You want big flowers with a ruffled edge. My suggestion is to purchase at least ten (10) great performing daylilies that are hardy to your area that have the traits you are looking for and that you can afford. You need to know that you can only cross a Diploid with a Diploid and a Tetraploid with a Tetraploid.
Don’t do like I have done in the past and purchase tender plants that died before I could hybridize with them. It’s important to do your research to ensure the daylilies you purchase do not have the same parents in their background. You want to start your own program and not continue with someone else’s program.
My yard is very small, but you would be surprised as to what you can do as a “Backyard Hybridizer”. Because of my limited yard space, I try not to plant more than four hundred seedlings a year. In the beginning back in the early 1990’s, one of the problems I stumbled upon was that when my seedlings bloomed, I loved every one of them. Twenty years later, I still have that problem, but I have learned to cut down from all my seedlings that I want to keep to between fifty to seventy-five seedlings of any given year’s seed crop. You have no idea as to how quickly you can run out of room. If you have acres, then this will not be a problem for you.
Now to get started, you will be crossing with half of these beauties you have purchased.
POD PARENT POLLEN PARENT
1 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
2 1 – 3 – 4 – 5
3 1 – 2 – 4 – 5
4 1 – 2 – 3 – 5
5 1 – 2 – 3 – 4
You can make sixteen pods without using the same pod and pollen parent twice. Assuming the pods give you ten seeds each, could be more and it could be less, you could have roughly one hundred and sixty seeds. Now take the second half of the plants you purchased and cross them the same way as you did the first half. Hopefully, you will get another one hundred and sixty seeds. This will be a combined total of over three hundred seeds. In your mind’s eye, I would like you to envision two beds running side by side like railroad tracks with a path between the beds. The first one hundred and sixty seedlings are planted in one bed and the other one hundred and sixty seedlings are planted in the other. Now you have two programs started and these two programs will enable you to cross back and forth between the two beds without using the same parents twice.
While you are making these original crosses, don’t forget to mark a tag as to who the pod parent is and who the pollen parent is. These seedlings will be your F1 generation when they are planted out the following spring. The pod parent always goes on the top of the tag with the pollen parent underneath.
Make it easier on yourself and abbreviate the names.
I like to use the green tags that I can get from Staples that have a coating.
The coating will help the tag last through the summer till the pod has ripened. Also, I use a uni-ball pen that is waterproof.
I have found that a pod will ripen between four (4) to eight (8) weeks upon forming. A ripening pod will start turning brown or shrivel and crack open. I will also give a pod a very gentle squeeze with my fingers and if the pod gives just a little, I know that pod is ready to harvest.
Mark Labbe, a very good friend and knowledgeable hybridizer has shared this information with me and I now put each seed cross in a plastic ketchup holder used in takeout. Mark said, "Leave the seeds in the cup for four (4) hours to dry because I prefer my seeds as fresh out of the pod as possible as I get the best germination that way.” “I let them dry for 4 hours because I found that I do not get much mold in the seeds in the refrigerator and I am able to quickly identify the bad seed (that probably starts the mold growing).” So far I have allowed my seeds to dry overnight. With the emphasis Mark has put on seed germination and his seeds do germinate very well, I have decided to commence preparing my seeds for the refrigerator in the manner he recommends.
I like to put seeds in small zip lock bag, 2x3, 2 Mil with a white block that I purchased on line.
I have found that a pod will ripen between four (4) to eight (8) weeks upon forming. A ripening pod will start turning brown or shrivel and crack open. I will also give a pod a very gentle squeeze with my fingers and if the pod gives just a little, I know that pod is ready to harvest.
Mark Labbe, a very good friend and knowledgeable hybridizer has shared this information with me and I now put each seed cross in a plastic ketchup holder used in takeout. Mark said, "Leave the seeds in the cup for four (4) hours to dry because I prefer my seeds as fresh out of the pod as possible as I get the best germination that way.” “I let them dry for 4 hours because I found that I do not get much mold in the seeds in the refrigerator and I am able to quickly identify the bad seed (that probably starts the mold growing).” So far I have allowed my seeds to dry overnight. With the emphasis Mark has put on seed germination and his seeds do germinate very well, I have decided to commence preparing my seeds for the refrigerator in the manner he recommends.
I like to put seeds in small zip lock bag, 2x3, 2 Mil with a white block that I purchased on line.
Place a small piece of a coffee filter in the bag to absorb any moisture. I pull the string off the tag and just tape the tag to the bag. This saves me the time of writing everything twice.
I then write in red on the tag with how many seeds are in the bag. Now when I go to record them on my Excel Spreadsheet, I have all my information at my fingertips.
Keeping excellent records on your crosses is very beneficial. When you have a good seedling, you need to know the parents to that cross so that you can see who is giving you the trait you are admiring in that seedling for future hybridizing.
The seeds need to be stored for at least 4 to 6 weeks in the refrigerator for stratification purposes. This process simulates planting your seeds outside in late November. My seeds are kept in the refrigerator from harvest to usually the middle of February when I start them. Some hybridizers do not store their seeds in the refrigerator and when I was given some of these seeds to start, I have found pour germination. One or two seeds out of ten seeds germinating is not what I call excellent results. I believe it is because Tetraploids produce seeds that have a thicker and harder shell.
Now what to do with the seeds? You can read: The Daylily Journal Vol. 66 No. 4 Winter 2011 page 47, ‘The northern quest’ ‘From seeds to blooms in just over a year’ or you can go to my pages here on this blog and read the article with just a little more added information.
Time flies when you are having fun and a little over a year has passed since you planted those seeds. Many seedlings will bloom if you have followed my instructions. A friend of mine, Lindy Ryer, said to me one day, “It must be wonderful seeing a flower for the first time and knowing that no one else has ever seen it.” It can be wonderful when the flower is beautiful and that is when you want someone to stop by your garden just so that you can share in the exhilaration of that moment. Not every seed that you plant will produce a beautiful seedling. Be prepared to be very selective.
Now what do you do with your seedlings that are blooming? Do you line breed or do you out cross?
Line breeding is when the two seedlings you are crossing have the same parents or you cross back to one of the parents or you put the parent back onto the seedling. You do this if you are trying to pull out a recessive trait. For an example, I have heard that teeth are a recessive trait. My best luck ever in hybridizing has been to use half-sister and half-brother. I refer to them as “kissing cousins”. That means that one parent is in both seedlings to be crossed, but the other parents are different.
An example would be: ((Heir to the Throne x August Wedding) X (Jim Baker x Heir To The Throne)). Heir to the Throne is represented in two different seedlings.
Out crossing is when you add other genes by using plants you have not used before. You do this when you are trying to add a trait that is not present in the parents or the seedlings growing in your garden. This would require a few more daylilies to be purchased or if you are lucky, a fellow hybridizer will share pollen with you.
It boils down to this: Cross an eye with an eye and you should get an eye or cross an edge with an edge and you should get an edge but that is not what always happens when dealing with Tetraploids because of the variables and the number of chromosomes involved in any given cross. It can be like playing Russian roulette, you can never be sure of the outcome because Tetraploids are not predictable due to the fact that you are dealing with forty-four chromosomes verses a Diploid with only twenty-two chromosomes. Years ago the late Ron Valente, a talented hybridizer of Tetraploids from Maine and a protégé of the late Steve Moldovan, spoke at a HADS meeting explaining the odds of repeating a Tetraploid cross and getting the exact results. I do not remember the exact numbers but Ron’s figures were mind boggling making an exact cross almost impossible to accomplish even if you did a long cross which would consist of loading up a plant with pods attained using the same pollen parent.
Select seedlings for possible introduction and for your hybridizing program. Choose your next generation wisely by crossing back and forth to the seedlings that already show you some traits of what you want to achieve. This is where you would use my term “kissing cousins”. Cross the related sibs back to each other to pull out the trait or traits you are looking for in your next generation. Other things to consider are bud count, vigor, overall plant appearance and of course a pretty face to that daylily.
Make sure you purchase a good camera to take pictures of those seedlings. I purchased a Canon Rebel XT back in 2005. The camera shoots excellent pictures and has 8 mega pixels. In my opinion, the colors are true so the only thing I do is crop a picture but I will add the name of the daylily or seedling number when needed for a power point or for some other application.
I like to select seedlings the first two years from their bed, dig and move them to their permanent home. The remainder of the seedlings in that bed are tossed or given away on that second year. Now I can watch, hybridize and evaluate those chosen seedlings. After you have moved a seedling, allow it two years to look like it did the year you moved it. By then if the seedling has not multiplied, has a low bud count, or you are still asking yourself why you selected that seedling, it is time to be discarded. If after about five years, or more, the plant shows nice increase, bud count, nice foliage and of course that pretty face, I will then line it out to be registered and introduced. In that time frame of evaluating your seedlings, one year is forgiven for bad performance due to the elements. Steve Moldovan allowed his seedlings such a reprieve and I defer to his knowledge and expertise.
Make sure that you take measurements of the seedlings that you have chosen to introduce by year four, before you line out the plant. When it comes time to register your seedling for introduction, you will need to fill out the form provided by the AHS. Go to their website and see what information you will need at: http://www.daylilies.org/ I would also recommend that you go into the dictionary at the AHS website to familiarize yourself with the terminology so when you describe your introduction, your language is correct. Example: Do you know the difference between an eye, a band and a watermark?
You’re going to want to show your introductions and if you are a smart cookie and you feel that you can do a website by yourself then by all means go for it, but if you feel that you cannot, you will need a webmaster who will build your site for you. You will be responsible for putting together all the descriptions of your introductions and anything else you want on your site. An example would be a history of yourself and your garden.
For a final thought, remember, hybridizing can be hard work involving disappointment but the rewards can be fulfilling, satisfying, gratifying and totally enjoyable. Maybe someday I’ll see your seedlings up on screen at a hybridizers meeting. If you decide hybridizing is for you, bon voyage, enjoy the trip!
Keeping excellent records on your crosses is very beneficial. When you have a good seedling, you need to know the parents to that cross so that you can see who is giving you the trait you are admiring in that seedling for future hybridizing.
The seeds need to be stored for at least 4 to 6 weeks in the refrigerator for stratification purposes. This process simulates planting your seeds outside in late November. My seeds are kept in the refrigerator from harvest to usually the middle of February when I start them. Some hybridizers do not store their seeds in the refrigerator and when I was given some of these seeds to start, I have found pour germination. One or two seeds out of ten seeds germinating is not what I call excellent results. I believe it is because Tetraploids produce seeds that have a thicker and harder shell.
Now what to do with the seeds? You can read: The Daylily Journal Vol. 66 No. 4 Winter 2011 page 47, ‘The northern quest’ ‘From seeds to blooms in just over a year’ or you can go to my pages here on this blog and read the article with just a little more added information.
Time flies when you are having fun and a little over a year has passed since you planted those seeds. Many seedlings will bloom if you have followed my instructions. A friend of mine, Lindy Ryer, said to me one day, “It must be wonderful seeing a flower for the first time and knowing that no one else has ever seen it.” It can be wonderful when the flower is beautiful and that is when you want someone to stop by your garden just so that you can share in the exhilaration of that moment. Not every seed that you plant will produce a beautiful seedling. Be prepared to be very selective.
Now what do you do with your seedlings that are blooming? Do you line breed or do you out cross?
Line breeding is when the two seedlings you are crossing have the same parents or you cross back to one of the parents or you put the parent back onto the seedling. You do this if you are trying to pull out a recessive trait. For an example, I have heard that teeth are a recessive trait. My best luck ever in hybridizing has been to use half-sister and half-brother. I refer to them as “kissing cousins”. That means that one parent is in both seedlings to be crossed, but the other parents are different.
An example would be: ((Heir to the Throne x August Wedding) X (Jim Baker x Heir To The Throne)). Heir to the Throne is represented in two different seedlings.
Out crossing is when you add other genes by using plants you have not used before. You do this when you are trying to add a trait that is not present in the parents or the seedlings growing in your garden. This would require a few more daylilies to be purchased or if you are lucky, a fellow hybridizer will share pollen with you.
It boils down to this: Cross an eye with an eye and you should get an eye or cross an edge with an edge and you should get an edge but that is not what always happens when dealing with Tetraploids because of the variables and the number of chromosomes involved in any given cross. It can be like playing Russian roulette, you can never be sure of the outcome because Tetraploids are not predictable due to the fact that you are dealing with forty-four chromosomes verses a Diploid with only twenty-two chromosomes. Years ago the late Ron Valente, a talented hybridizer of Tetraploids from Maine and a protégé of the late Steve Moldovan, spoke at a HADS meeting explaining the odds of repeating a Tetraploid cross and getting the exact results. I do not remember the exact numbers but Ron’s figures were mind boggling making an exact cross almost impossible to accomplish even if you did a long cross which would consist of loading up a plant with pods attained using the same pollen parent.
Select seedlings for possible introduction and for your hybridizing program. Choose your next generation wisely by crossing back and forth to the seedlings that already show you some traits of what you want to achieve. This is where you would use my term “kissing cousins”. Cross the related sibs back to each other to pull out the trait or traits you are looking for in your next generation. Other things to consider are bud count, vigor, overall plant appearance and of course a pretty face to that daylily.
Make sure you purchase a good camera to take pictures of those seedlings. I purchased a Canon Rebel XT back in 2005. The camera shoots excellent pictures and has 8 mega pixels. In my opinion, the colors are true so the only thing I do is crop a picture but I will add the name of the daylily or seedling number when needed for a power point or for some other application.
I like to select seedlings the first two years from their bed, dig and move them to their permanent home. The remainder of the seedlings in that bed are tossed or given away on that second year. Now I can watch, hybridize and evaluate those chosen seedlings. After you have moved a seedling, allow it two years to look like it did the year you moved it. By then if the seedling has not multiplied, has a low bud count, or you are still asking yourself why you selected that seedling, it is time to be discarded. If after about five years, or more, the plant shows nice increase, bud count, nice foliage and of course that pretty face, I will then line it out to be registered and introduced. In that time frame of evaluating your seedlings, one year is forgiven for bad performance due to the elements. Steve Moldovan allowed his seedlings such a reprieve and I defer to his knowledge and expertise.
Make sure that you take measurements of the seedlings that you have chosen to introduce by year four, before you line out the plant. When it comes time to register your seedling for introduction, you will need to fill out the form provided by the AHS. Go to their website and see what information you will need at: http://www.daylilies.org/ I would also recommend that you go into the dictionary at the AHS website to familiarize yourself with the terminology so when you describe your introduction, your language is correct. Example: Do you know the difference between an eye, a band and a watermark?
You’re going to want to show your introductions and if you are a smart cookie and you feel that you can do a website by yourself then by all means go for it, but if you feel that you cannot, you will need a webmaster who will build your site for you. You will be responsible for putting together all the descriptions of your introductions and anything else you want on your site. An example would be a history of yourself and your garden.
For a final thought, remember, hybridizing can be hard work involving disappointment but the rewards can be fulfilling, satisfying, gratifying and totally enjoyable. Maybe someday I’ll see your seedlings up on screen at a hybridizers meeting. If you decide hybridizing is for you, bon voyage, enjoy the trip!