Questions percolating Senor ZenMan:
1. SPACING, you say: I consider rows a foot apart as much too close. Why? What are the issues? What if I want to play with a few, but also need to sell some? With thirty 4' beds, thinking maybe I should save 5 beds for play (wide spacing) and 25 beds for production (zinnias and other annuals). Does that sound right?
2. Struggling with the concept of "selfing". I was going to ask you if I should quickly destroy all florets in the "receiving" bloom before applying my "sending" floret pollen in order to reduce selfing. Then I stumbled across this, which I would love an English translation of : Disc florets need to be removed with a pair of broad-tipped forceps to prevent selfing unless the female parent is either fully double or a femina type (see section 6.1). Pollen is then applied to pistillate ray florets on the emasculated parent. Forceps are used to remove disc florets from the paternal parent and pollinate the stigmas of the pistillate ray florets.
Ay, chihuahua!
3. Am I wanting to apply the floret to every single stigma? If I miss one,won't I end up with a "who knows what" seed/flower?
4. You say (3/18): ..it takes three weeks, from the day a stigma is fertilized to when a green seed is well developed enough to pick. Question: how mature should the receiving flower be prior to introducing cross pollen?
5. You say "It is important that you be able to recognize floret seeds, as well as the petal seeds"... Why? Do I need to search for one versus the other? Are either in an easily identified location, for example, outer circumference of bloom has more floret seeds (or something)? Hasn't anyone figured out how to hybridize one with a little 'f' on the floret petals (underneath side preferably)? -Ok sorry.
6. So then, let's say miracles happen, and you end up with the coolest zinnia ever to have been grown anywhere by anyone. Now what the heck? Wouldn't have any faith in the seeds ... so maybe just chop off stems, and start grabbing bottles of fungicides, pesticides, etcacides in hopes of keeping this thing alive forever? Reminds me once in a culinary class the baking instructor gave me a sourdough bread "starter" that was 200 years old, and instructions on how to feed it and keep it alive. Right, lasted 5 weeks in my fridge.
7. Breaching: am I worried about "over" breaching? Do I want to use a surgeon's scalpel and a 500x magnifying glass, or will my machete do the trick? What exactly am I trying to do? Nick the shell but avoid any damage to the embryo? If that's the goal, maybe put it on a light table, assuming the shell when backlit will be sufficiently transparent to see the embryo? Is pediatric surgery experience required or is this something a union plumber can pull off?
Please don't hurry to answer. This week or this year will be fine. I'm eager of course, but truth be told, I'm just playing, and goodness knows there are enough chores waiting out in the garden for me, and I'll bet, yours for you.
Apologies for ignorance, gratitude for advice...
Nomasted
Low mountains,
Veracruz
