Hybridizing Dahlias

Bessie · 2023-09-14T03:43:02+00:00

Krista to discover if seeds are growing in the seed pod, after there are no remaining anthers on the pod, gently squeeze the pods between your thumb and fing...

Teddahlia

I posted this picture of second year seedlings on Facebook twice in error. Meant to go on Hollyhill Dahlias where we post a picture every few weeks. I mistakenly posted it to Dahlia breeding and then left it there and then posted on Hollyhill Dahlias page. I like both of these second year seedling s. The red one folds up so much at night that it looks like the Boley's tulip flower. The orange one grows on a 6 foot(probably 7 feet) plant.

Teddahlia

Oops ! I planted two of the same color next to each other again! Margaret is not happy. The orange WL seedling has a sister seedling of the same color and same height planted next door. This one is better and in my notes I wrote one of them makes lots of tubers. I believe it is this one and we will see.

Juliarugula

Teddahlia I’ve been curious but never asked. Is Margaret’s rule about not planting two of the same color next to each other a practical rule or an aesthetic rule? I like to imagine that she likes a rainbow of colors as she walks through the garden. But maybe it’s just that it makes it easier to not mix up seedlings?

Teddahlia

"....practical rule or an aesthetic rule?"
Yes, there is a practical aspect to it as you risk confusing varieties when you evaluate or dig them. But I would say 75% is she does not want a big patch of the same color and a few years ago she would supervise me as I planted in more detail about what colors were allowed next to each other.
I find it hilarious that I fail at such a simple task. I will do better next year. Picture is same flowers with less cropping. Flower on right can look pretty good to cut flower growers but is not a classically formed waterlily. I like that way of saying it: "not a classically formed...." is better than saying the form is not real good.

magucci

Teddahlia I think you’re hilarious. I get such a kick out of your writing and humor and genuinely come here just to find your latest Margaret story 😂.

Teddahlia

Margaret had me mark one branch of a multi stalked plant as the flower on that branch was a different color. I dutifully followed her instructions. I took a picture of the special flower and here is a peek of it.
I expect that I will not be able to l save the sport but when we dig, I will know more.

SteveM

Teddahlia That one looks nice enough to try some cuttings from the laterals on that branch or a few leaf-node cuttings. As you know, it depends where (how high up) the mutation occurred on the stem.

Teddahlia

No place to overwinter a cutting here. I bet we can save it from the tubers.

Bessie

Teddahlia depending how "special" this flower is to you, and your interest in saving it... feel free to mail a few green cuttings to me ( mad scientist), as I've got some grow lights. Although I've had my share of failures rooting cuttings, I'm diligent to try to keep things alive. Also, I grew a huge (6" diameter ) plant of Lynn Slight on my kitchen window sill two years ago, just from a cutting. I'd happily mail any life back to you in late spring.

KitCMC

Teddahlia swoon

calico20hill

I have a question. Are Rivers varieties not good seed producers? I bought a lot of River's Dahlias hoping to add their genes to my seedlings. This year, there are very few seed pods and very few seeds on them. Other plants around them have a nice set of pods. I have not tried hand pollinating but the bees have been doing a good job on my poher plants.

Bessie

calico20hill , I think it may come back to what @Teddahlia advice is... cross like types with like types. Maybe the River's dahlias contributed the pollen for the other plants with nice pods? I was able to get some seeds from River's Bombaros when I hand crossed it with a stellar. I've not had great luck hand pollinating this year. My best results were when I crossed siblings of Bahama Mama. Unfortunately, I'm trying to get some great genetics into the future seedlings, not just push around genetics of the so far unproven seedlings. @Teddahlia I'd love to be accused of "Grand theft of genetic material", as that's my ultimate goal!

Juliarugula

calico20hill Are Rivers varieties not good seed producers

I’ve had good luck with Zwink (which was recommended as a seed parent on their Facebook page last year), WB’s Bluebell, and (probably) River’s Ripple (I haven’t opened it yet). They were moderate seed producers for me. I don’t know that I’ve left blooms on my other rivers varieties long enough to make pods…

Teddahlia

Rivers grows hundreds of varieties and I am sure they vary in seed making abilities. Pollen works well too. I will have to report you for "grand theft of genetic material" . 😳

MissyWeitzel

I'm looking forward to next year! Hopefully I have better germination rates.
When drying my seeds I use the small dessert size paper plates. It's easy to just cross off and write new names and stack 'em back up to reuse. Plus I can stack them together with seeds still on them carefully and move them all at once if need be!

Emilyp

MissyWeitzel Me too! But I use the big plates. Sometimes I draw a line down the middle to keep two varieties separate, and then hope that I don't bump the plate and mix up the seeds (which I often do).

Teddahlia

I shuck one variety at time, count the seeds and place immediately into the number 7 coin envelope. The envelopes remain on the kitchen table for several weeks and are thoroughly dry when stored. On of the more enjoyable activities is sorting the envelopes and then in 2022 I actually put a seed count onto the Excel spread sheet. Did not do that in 2023 but may well do it again for 2024 seeds. I bet we will have more seeds in 2024 than in 2022. Margaret is hand crossing this year and did not do so in 2023. She already set record this year for number of seeds in one pod. Having said that she also identified many incompatible crosses that produced no seeds. It is tempting to repeat crosses that produce seeds but the real measure are crosses that produced good seedlings. She repeated one of the best from the last time she hand crossed.
This is the double seedpod that is now fully ripe. I picked it today and tomorrow will shuck the seeds.

bloomhjelm

Excel is a wonderful tool. I use spreadsheets heavily twice a season and forget them for the remaining ten months a year.

I recently found my dad's ice fishing logs and I think I know where I get it now. He tracks: fish type, hole number, fisherman, time and date, fish length/weight, lake site, and even local gas prices to get up to the lake.

Teddahlia

One of the dahlia club members who is not in good health recently and is about 10 years older than me, was a college instructor and taught database programs in their infancy. Most of what he said to me about such things went over my head. He said that a database program was much more powerful than spreadsheets and he kept some of the club records on a database instead of Excel. His Excel spreadsheets for the clubs finances were always very professional and he loved doing income and expense projections for the club's budget and printing reams of paper for all the board members.
Excel spreadsheets really help in dahlia breeding. Information is what you need to plan crosses and when you plant thousands of seeds over the years, your memory is beyond deficient. When you set up your spreadsheet, too much of a good thing is not good in the long run as the time to feed information into the spreadsheet needs to be commensurate with the value of the data you input. If I were setting up a new Excel spreadsheet, I would add a column for a picture of the seedling. I would not embed the actual picture but would put a link to it and keep the pictures in the "cloud" on something like my Google drive.
Dick Parshall has recorded the ADS classification and parent of every seedling that dared to bloom in his garden. He has it on a paper record and said the paper stack is about a foot tall. It is a goldmine of information that is essentially useless.

Teddahlia

We are harvesting Margaret's hand crossed seed pods and every time I extract lots of seeds from a pod she is very happy. However, a percentage of crosses do not "take" and the pod is empty. A few have rotted before we harvested them despite the fact we have inspected the pods for rot several times. Lots of seeds this year and lots more to harvest. She is no longer pollinating and quit about 5 days ago as it is too cold and wet to take.

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