My stalk with two hopefully fertilized pods rotted at the base and fell over. The pods have not turned brown yet. Is there a way to save this so the seeds inside have a chance to keep developing?

Bring the stalk inside & put in water. Use a narrow container so it would be upright. Someone once told me to stick in a potato, but I have not tried that message.

irisarian said: Bring the stalk inside & put in water. Use a narrow container so it would be upright. Someone once told me to stick in a potato, but I have not tried that message.

I hope your seeds ripen ok.

Paul Black says to cut the rot off and put the stem in the ground next to the plant and it will ripen. I've done that successfully.

Wow! Do you have to water it specially or anything?

tveguy3 said: Paul Black says to cut the rot off and put the stem in the ground next to the plant and it will ripen. I've done that successfully.

No it has everything it needs to finish maturing.

Seems miraculous! Will try. It is my Aristocracy cross!!!

tveguy3 said: No it has everything it needs to finish maturing.

My iris garden is at a different property that is 3 hours away. So, I usually cut mine after the pods are fully developed (~45 days, sometimes earlier). That way I don't have to worry about animal damage, worms, rot, drying and dropping seeds while I'm not there, etc. I cut the stems about 12"-15" long and put them in a vase with a couple inches of water. I change the water and re-cut the stems about once a week. (I don't know that re-cutting the stems has any effect, but that's what I do.) When the pods start to shrivel and brown a little I remove them to a dry vase and let them stay there until they start to open on their own (usually around 60-80 days from pollination.) This technique has served me well for years. I hope this helps!

Marbledrew said: My iris garden is at a different property that is 3 hours away. So, I usually cut mine after the pods are fully developed (~45 days, sometimes earlier). That way I don't have to worry about animal damage, worms, rot, drying and dropping seeds while I'm not there, etc. I cut the stems about 12"-15" long and put them in a vase with a couple inches of water. I change the water and re-cut the stems about once a week. (I don't know that re-cutting the stems has any effect, but that's what I do.) When the pods start to shrivel and brown a little I remove them to a dry vase and let them stay there until they start to open on their own (usually around 60-80 days from pollination.) This technique has served me well for years. I hope this helps!

Wow, 3 hour drive to see your irises. I'd get a camper and stay through the bloom season.

Tom, definitely!

Tom, it's at a lake house, so I DO stay there quite a bit during bloom season. But, after having spent that much time away I just can't justify staying only to babysit seed pods.

Well, that's good. I'd go crazy if I missed the bloom season. Of course I may be crazy anyway.

@tveguy3
It worked! I have 32 Sergey x Aristocracy seeds! again for the help.

OK - on to the next stage. I have read various different methods on here re: germinating seeds. What does Paul Black do?

LynNY said: Wow! Do you have to water it specially or anything?

First you need to stratify them in the refrigerator. Or plant them in little peat pots outdoors so wintertime can naturally stratify them with cold.

i used plastic 4" pots. Then later transplanted them into one gallon pots. Of course, at that stage, it would be best to line them out in a bed.

Here is what perplexes me: because of the need for stratification (which our upstate New York winter will do no problem) I presume that the seed is (in a state of nature) not going to germinate until spring, sort of like echinacea.

If I put each seed in a little pot with potting soil, do I water it? Do I just leave it outside to experience whatever weather happens from here onward, or keep the seeds dry inside until it gets cold, etc?

I am unclear as to the timing - so many people have written of different methods of doing this but they also have different climates. I'm afraid that if I stratified them now, they might germinate right when winter hits and be killed. (zone 6a) I don't have a greenhouse, which some of the folks who have written instructions involving sprouting seeds in the fridge seem to be using.

I really appreciate your help here folks - I have already read a bunch of articles on this site but it's unclear which method is better for my situation.

The instructions I have read for refrigerator stratification say to put them into slightly moist sterile potting medium (probably perlite or vermiculite), so if you do it outdoors over winter, I'd say water once or twice and then let your rain and snow take over. Either should work, but be aware that iris seeds can be slow to germinate, sometimes finally sprouting two or three years after planting. So don't discard pots just because they don't germinate the first spring.

I am in New Mexico and I don't put them in the fridge. I put them in large bins outside once the 1st frost comes and then keep them moist all winter. It has been cold enough to give me a decent bounty of seedlings each Spring. So in New York they will get cold enough and may stay moist enough without you having to wet them. It's one way to do it but there are lots of methods and I am still learning. I know it's important though once the seeds are outside and in the ground not to let them dry out. And sometimes they don't come up till the 2nd year but if I don't get at least some sprouting the 1st year, I toss the seeds because I am not patient enough to wait years. I have heard stories of a seed sprouting a decade later(too nerve racking for me).