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Jul 6, 2012 11:34 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Debra
Nashville, TN (Zone 7a)
Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Seed Starter Region: Tennessee
I just harvested my first seed pod of the season yesterday - Aerial Applique X Lavender Echoes. Eleven more pods were ripe today! I've lost nearly a fourth of my pods to the relentless triple digit temperatures. How are the rest of you dabbers doing on pod harvest?

Debra
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Jul 6, 2012 12:02 PM CST
Name: Cynthia (Cindy)
Melvindale, Mi (Zone 5b)
Daylilies Hybridizer Irises Butterflies Charter ATP Member Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Birds Region: Michigan Vegetable Grower Hummingbirder Heucheras Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge)
I haven't harvested any yet up here in the north but I would bet over half of my crosses are not taking.
Lighthouse Gardens
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Jul 6, 2012 12:51 PM CST
Name: Ann
Manhattan, KS (Zone 5b)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
None ripe yet, but have noticed several shriveled up, brown and hard--no seeds. Lots simply didn't take. Pretty sure it's going to be another puny crop. Last year was awful and this isn't looking a whole lot better..... We're supposed to finally get back into the low to mid 90s for highs for a few days early next week. Lows actually in the 60s instead of nearly 80.
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Jul 6, 2012 1:18 PM CST
Name: Natalie
North Central Idaho (Zone 7a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Dog Lover Daylilies Irises Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Hummingbirder
Frogs and Toads Native Plants and Wildflowers Cottage Gardener Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Region: United States of America Xeriscape
I've barely just started making crosses. I did a lot yesterday morning, because it was so nice and cool, and then within two hours, it was pouring down raining. Hopefully some of them took before then, but I have no idea how long it actually takes. I've been having the same problem with the heat, and haven't even bothered most mornings. I have no luck when it's super hot out, so I didn't waste the pollen. It's all been added to the freezer though! I've only had 3 or 4 bee pods so far, all on Stella, and I usually have lots of them.
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Jul 6, 2012 2:24 PM CST
Name: Cynthia (Cindy)
Melvindale, Mi (Zone 5b)
Daylilies Hybridizer Irises Butterflies Charter ATP Member Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Birds Region: Michigan Vegetable Grower Hummingbirder Heucheras Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge)
I believe I read somewhere that pollination takes place within 30 minutes.
Lighthouse Gardens
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Jul 6, 2012 2:27 PM CST
Name: pam
gainesville fl (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover The WITWIT Badge Region: Ukraine Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Native Plants and Wildflowers
Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dragonflies Daylilies Butterflies Birds
I harvested my last, and biggest pod today. I had moved my pots in the shade after dabbing, and the pods did pretty good. 17 seeds from the tet today. A record for me.
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Jul 6, 2012 2:33 PM CST
Name: Cynthia (Cindy)
Melvindale, Mi (Zone 5b)
Daylilies Hybridizer Irises Butterflies Charter ATP Member Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Birds Region: Michigan Vegetable Grower Hummingbirder Heucheras Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge)
That is very good.
Lighthouse Gardens
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Jul 6, 2012 2:40 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Debra
Nashville, TN (Zone 7a)
Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Seed Starter Region: Tennessee
Eight of my 11 pods picked today had no viable seeds. They were all squishy, even those where the pods had browned and cracked open. Bummer!
Last edited by shive1 Jul 6, 2012 4:46 PM Icon for preview
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Jul 6, 2012 4:38 PM CST
Name: Natalie
North Central Idaho (Zone 7a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Dog Lover Daylilies Irises Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Hummingbirder
Frogs and Toads Native Plants and Wildflowers Cottage Gardener Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Region: United States of America Xeriscape
Cindy, that's great news for me! I sure hope I get lucky because yesterday was the only cool day I've had so far!

Sorry to hear about your mushy seeds. So disappointing!
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Jul 7, 2012 12:18 PM CST
Name: Dot or Dorothy Parker
Fort Worth TX (Zone 8a)
Birds Region: Texas Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Lilies Irises
Daylilies I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Cat Lover Butterflies Plant and/or Seed Trader
I have been getting super good seeds this year. Of course many aborted or just dried up, I think this is somewhat normal. Not all varieties make good seeds. For anyone interested I have seed auctions posted now.

Dot
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Jul 7, 2012 12:52 PM CST
Name: pam
gainesville fl (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover The WITWIT Badge Region: Ukraine Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Native Plants and Wildflowers
Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dragonflies Daylilies Butterflies Birds
It just so happens that my 'last and biggest'pod came off a seedling from some seeds I bought from you(Dot) last year. Wonder of it all x orange blossom trail ( i think). It made FAT petals too.
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Jul 7, 2012 1:45 PM CST
Name: Dot or Dorothy Parker
Fort Worth TX (Zone 8a)
Birds Region: Texas Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Lilies Irises
Daylilies I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Cat Lover Butterflies Plant and/or Seed Trader
Orange Blossom Trail makes BIG seeds, at least on the plant itself. I had 2 clumps of it this year and 56 pods on it lol. It may sulk next year lol. But you know I had pods on it last year too. Wish I had room and energy to grow seedlings, I'm just too old and tired now. But everyone else can grow the fruits of my labor. I remembered that you got some seeds last year but I didn't remember what you got. I'm glad you were happy with them.

Dot
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Jul 7, 2012 1:55 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Debra
Nashville, TN (Zone 7a)
Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Seed Starter Region: Tennessee
Dot - I'm glad to hear you had a successful pod harvest. This is definitely NOT a normal year here. I set a great many pods, even on cultivars that had refused to set pods in the past. But the lengthy and brutal heatwave, combined with drought, is steadily wiping out the fruits of my labor. I picked several more worthless pods today. They had turned brown and cracked open, but contained underdeveloped seeds or soft seeds. I'm looking forward to the coming week when we finally get out of the triple digit temperatures.

Debra
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Jul 7, 2012 2:01 PM CST
Name: Dot or Dorothy Parker
Fort Worth TX (Zone 8a)
Birds Region: Texas Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Lilies Irises
Daylilies I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Cat Lover Butterflies Plant and/or Seed Trader
Debra,

It is brutally hot here too, 100 every day now. My daylilies are in big pots and we water them every other day. What helps I think is I have them in shade about half the day. I noticed that the ones getting the most sun are drying up pretty fast. I have to harvest those even before they crack open. I squeeze them and if they crack, I pick them. I have been going out 3 times a day to get them, they crack open so quick in the hot weather.

Dot
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Jul 7, 2012 8:42 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Debra
Nashville, TN (Zone 7a)
Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Seed Starter Region: Tennessee
Dot - I'm hoping for better results on the ones I grow in pots under my carport. The ones in the ground that get regular water and some afternoon shade will probably yield more seeds. I'd like to go out more times per day to harvest, and have done so in the past, but I just can't take the 103 and higher temps. One of the medications I take makes me sun sensitive now. So I spend most of my time in the garden in the early morning and the late evening.

Debra
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Jul 8, 2012 4:35 AM CST
Name: Fred Manning
Lillian Alabama

Charter ATP Member Region: Gulf Coast I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Amaryllis Region: United States of America Garden Ideas: Level 2
Ponds Hummingbirder Dog Lover Daylilies Container Gardener Butterflies
I have had a good year making seed, we haven't had the extream heat here, I also stop dabbing the first week of June so I was finished before it got so hot.
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Jul 8, 2012 7:04 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Debra
Nashville, TN (Zone 7a)
Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Seed Starter Region: Tennessee
Fred - Glad to hear the heat didn't effect your seed production!
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Jul 8, 2012 10:22 AM CST
Name: Mona
Guntown, Ms (Zone 7b)
I love nature & everything outdoors
Daylilies Dog Lover
I'm getting more good seed pods now. The first groups were really disappointing. Alot of them were bad and some that I did save, probably won't come out of the fridge as good seed. I have two containers in the fridge, one to keep and one to sale. If I have any doubt about the seeds being good, they go in the keep box. I dried this last group for 3 days and some of them really dried up all scrunched up like a really bad prune. The aren't soft, very hard in fact and possibly good, so I'll try to soak them later and see if they are good. I usually don't soak my seed that I'm going to plant but I thought I might with some of these.

The seeds that are plump and good are always the ones that I want to keep, so they doesn't leave many to sale. Soooooo I'm having to put some of the ones I wanted to keep into the sale box for now. I've still got hundreds on the plants, so I'll have many more to keep. Way too many to keep.,
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Jul 8, 2012 10:30 AM CST
Name: Dot or Dorothy Parker
Fort Worth TX (Zone 8a)
Birds Region: Texas Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Lilies Irises
Daylilies I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Cat Lover Butterflies Plant and/or Seed Trader
Mona,

I dry mine 2 days the most to make sure they are good and dry. Especially the big fat seeds, they need extra time to dry. The smaller but very firm seeds I dry one day. I hate sending seeds to people that are all shriveled up. You can feel by touch when they are dry, the ones that aren't will be more shiny and feel different.When they dry they will be a bit shriveled up. It's kinda a look and feel thingy.

Dot
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Jul 8, 2012 10:45 AM CST
Name: Mona
Guntown, Ms (Zone 7b)
I love nature & everything outdoors
Daylilies Dog Lover
I usually dry mine 2 days, but for some reason(life I guess), time just slipped by and I didn't realize I had waited that long.

4 years ago, I got in some seed from a well known seller on the Auction that looked worse than mine and i just knew they were bad. I came very close to sending them back. I wasn't one bit happy since I had paid $4 a seed for those 5 seed. These dried up little wads of seeds, germinated in less than a week. So, it can be a guessing game. I give mine a firm, but not hard little squeeze to look for that dreaded pop. If they pass this test I put them in the fridge and if they go bad in there, I will know because they get all squeashy(sp?).

I harvested another 80 or so pods yesterday. I'll have to shell them today and write up my list as I work them up. Then I'm only going to let these dry for 2 days.

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