Happy Solstice! Though Alberto didn't make it, daylily seed sowing season is soon to begin, and I'm pretty sure I'll end up with some more albino seedlings to work with. I had not found out early enough that albino plants need both sugar feeding and mild fertilizing, and the original seedling was such a small-leafed cultivar that the feeding method quickly outpaced its ability to grow more leaves. It came from a parent plant only 15 inches tall - so its own leaves were just too tiny.
My three-point plant for this year is:
1. Choose those albino seedlings that have the longest leaves
2. Feed them the sugar-water at cut ends of the leaves
3. Provide their roots with mild fertilization
I'll post new pictures once I get a good candidate during seed sowing. Rather than tossing seedlings out or letting them all die off, I figure one or two might be worth another try now that I know to supplement the sugar-water with nutritious fertilization.
Thanks for asking after Alberto - though the life span was too short, it was longer than would otherwise have been, and led to learning more and being ready to try for another increase to longevity and, hopefully someday, full albino daylily maturity.
(The first day I met "Alberto")
