Hi Everyone! I haven't been on here in a few months, and haven't started my Daylily seeds either. I really need to get that done!

I've been reading all the various methods of starting the seeds, and I want to try the Deno method. Everything I've read though says to soak them in water overnight and then put them in the fridge. Well, after harvesting them last year, I dried them and then put them in the fridge. So, they have been in there since about the end of September and October.

My question is, do I need to put them back in the fridge after soaking overnight, since they have already been chilling? I've got room to just soak them and stick them in pots outside, but I'd rather try to get some little roots growing first so that I don't waste the room of putting them in a pot if they aren't going to grow. I'm also getting a late start, thanks to a busy winter, and I just didn't want to grow them under lights again.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated! And if I can just find some patience for my seedlings from 2 years ago to bloom, I'd be a lot better off!

Natalie

I am sorry I won't be of much help. I plant mine out in the ground in fall. Have not started any after refrigerating.

I think what the reference to putting them in fridge after soaking is for cold stratification. This is putting the seeds in the fridge with the water. Storing them in the fridge dry is just cold storage and doesn't stratify them.

I don't soak mine either, I just plant in seed trays outside in Aug.

My seedlings do much better doing the soak, damp fridge and start indoors vs planting directly outside. I did both last year, and my seedlings are much further along than the direct sown ones.

I store all my seeds in the fridge to keep them stable. For cold stratification, after soaking overnight in warm water, I put them in a small ziplock bag (can find in the craft sections of stores) and a damp paper towel (I use those face cleaning pads, cut into quarters) for three weeks. Then I pull them out and use whatever method is my current favorite to germinate them. (on the rocks, direct planting outside, planting into a seed starting pot. etc

I do check them periodically - I have had some crosses occasionally start germinating in the fridge ~Jan

I direct sow my seeds in pots in the spring (planting them today and tomorrow) in pots and transplant in late August into the ground. I do not soak mine or stratify in water and I have about 90% germination rate. My seeds have been in the fridge all winter in cold storage. Tets seem more difficult. This year I am taking a suggestion I read on another plant site and that is to take the tet seeds and rub them a bit with some sandpaper to take off some of the black seed coating before I plant them. I want to experiment and see if this helps them to germinate sooner. I will report back and report what the results were.

Thanks so much for all the help! I guess I was just confused about storage (dry), and stratification (wet). I'll add some water and stick them back in the fridge. I'll probably take a few bee crosses and stick them in pots too, without stratification, just to see what happens. I've got way too many bee crosses from last year anyway, and wasn't planning on growing most of them, so this will be a good experiment. I just wish that I hadn't gotten such a late start. Hopefully they'll grow enough to plant in the ground in the fall.

Natalie

Hi Natalie, haven't seen you on ATP or DG for awhile. I guess everyone has their own method for germinating daylily seeds, here is mine. If your seed has been in the fridge for that long you do not have to soak them overnight or put them back in the fridge. I had very good success using the little plastic zip locs with a piece of paper towel cut to fit, drop the seeds in, moisten well with 10% peroxide water mix, leave at room temperature and your done, it's easy to check the seed without fuss as you can see what the seeds are doing. I remove and plant as soon as they germinate, add a little more moisture if needed. Some seeds can take up to 30 days to germinate, so be patient.

Margaret

Hi Margaret!

I've been so busy that I haven't been on here at all for a few months. I found that if I visited, I never left, so I stayed away! I'm surprise I lasted as long as I did!

I really appreciate your information. That's how I thought the Deno method worked, but then I read that the seeds needed to be chilled after adding water. Since I had already chilled them without water, I was confused. I'm so late in getting them planted that I may do a little of everything to see what works best for me. I've got a few seeds that I'm really excited about from my crosses, and a ton of bee crosses that I couldn't care less about, so I'll play with the bee crosses and see what happens. It was a very strange year for hybridizing for me. The bees were way more successful than I was! It was only my second year, but I had a lot better luck the first year. I've got to be much more selective this year since I'm totally out of room. I don't even know where I'll put the seedlings once I get them started!

To make matters worse, we bought a travel trailer a couple of months ago, and have been camping every chance we get. It was fun the first time we went because it was snowing, and we didn't know how to work anything in the trailer! Good thing the heater came on without much effort. Now I've got to convince my son that he'll need to keep my babies watered when we are out of town, which seems to be every week. We're determined to get our money's worth out of the trailer! That's another reason I got a late start. We were either gone, or the weather was lousy, so I kept putting it off.

I hope all has been well with you!

Natalie

Hi Natalie,

Yes, it sure is fun to hang out here on ATP, time just flies!!

I think trying the different methods is a good idea, then next time do the one that works best for you. I have 28 seedlings of Sandy's crosses that are doing well, I don't know where I am going to find space for those either!!

All is well, thanks for asking.

Congratulations on your new trailer, and I don't blame you for wanting to get your moneys worth out of it. We love ours, it will be at the lake all summer this year, DH decided he wanted to try working as a park attendant for the summer, part of the deal was we get a free site for the summer. I will be joining him often once the spring planting is finished.

Margaret

Hi Margaret,

We've always thought about doing the park attendant thing, but it will probably have to wait until we retire again. DH retired from the Navy 10 years ago, but boredom got the best of him and he went back to work. We're really too young for full time retirement anyway, but it sure would be nice! We had to get the trailer because of the dogs. The little camper we had was much too small for all of us. This one is great, and even though it's not all that big, I can still play fetch in there with Bailey when it's too cold to play outside! Now if I can sneak my seedlings in there without DH seeing them, it would be perfect!

I just remembered all that storage under the bed! I bet I can find a use for it! Maybe I can even hook up the grow lights! haha!! I'm a lost cause!

Natalie

Hi! I've been prowling through the daylily forum here looking for information on what to do this winter with those little seedlings I have sitting in 4" pots. I'm nervous about leaving them in such small pots because they dry out so quickly. I'm very new to daylilies and these are my first seedlings, too. Hovering new mom here, looking for suggestions on how best to care for her new babies! Should I move them into gallon pots? Don't have a good place to put them in the ground yet.

Woofie, how old are your babies?

I started them in April or May (don't remember now). Here's what they look like now:

Those are big enough to go into one gallon pots. We plant them in the groung here when they are 5-6 weeks along and a lot smaller than those so they will be fine if you want to transplant them. The problem may be in the winter depending on your weather, they may freeze. I'm not familiar with your area and I'm sure someone close by will chime in with some suggestions and thoughts.

Thanks! I was thinking they looked like they really should be in something larger. I've heard that they will overwinter in pots, as long as they don't get waterlogged. I was thinking about maybe putting them in the woodshed. They'd still get cold, but they'd stay dry. Good idea? Bad idea?

That would be a good idea. Will they get light in there? Unless they are all dormant I would think they would need some sort of light.

Woofie, that's about the same size that mine were when I transplanted them into gallon pots last year, and they grew like crazy after that. I then put them in the ground at the beginning of fall, and I didn't lose one of them over the winter. But, I don't know about leaving them in pots, since I was able to put mine in the ground. I think you'll be surprised at how well they grow when they get some leg room!

Good luck, and I hope it goes well for you!

Natalie

Woofie, your babies look great, you got lots of good advice I see!!!

My problem is that my garden sits over what is essentially a swamp. Which was why I wanted to try to overwinter them in pots. I do have a few daylilies in raised beds and in the front yard that are doing ok, but don't have a good place to put these in the ground yet.

What the heck Woofie, try the shed, you got nothing to lose but a few plants, I say go for it!! I put 4 pots of daylilies in a small outdoor cellar as a test this past fall, all survived and are doing well.