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...

MissyWeitzel

Bessie thank you! Very helpful! I bought some little glass vials. I'm ready to try a little hand crossing this summer. 😊

SteveM

Do dahlia seeds need to dry/cure/rest before they are planted or can they be planted out-of-the-pod with success? Something I've always been going to try but never did and now I need to know. "Never put off until tomorrow an experiment you can do today."🙂

Bessie

SteveM in a few days I'll have my first "fresh seed starting" experiment results. I collected seed from a few pods that seemed ripe and immediately put them in plastic baggies with moist paper towels. They're being kept at about 80 degrees F.

Teddahlia

Elfin (picture)is a seedling of Mi Wong.

Bessie

24225 is a second year seedling that has been slower to produce a bloom(4") than it's almost lookalike seedling, 24232, that's been blooming for a few weeks. Hollyhill Daydream is the seed parent.

Teddahlia

I thought it was HH Daydream. 👨🌾

Bessie

Teddahlia just today I considered that the seed from the cross between 24225 x 24232 might make a really nice seed mix, considering how much they both resemble each other, and their seed parent Hollyhill Daydream. I think gardeners would want a nice dependable seed that produces pretty waterlily blooms.

SteveM

If I remember correctly, Dr. Hammett created a line of fully-double dahlias that came true from seed. I thought they also came true to color but I don't remember the percentages. I think he worked on these for several generations and the seeds were once offered for sale through Thompson and Morgan. I might be wrong on all the details so don't quote me.

Teddahlia

Margaret and I did a quick look at the 2025 seedlings and spotted a miniature formal decorative flower that has very nice form and a tight center(centers on miniature FDs and MBs are the most common defect). It is on a tall plant. I like tall plants. So I took it's picture(4 pictures) and I do not like flower in the picture. Usually, a very nice flower is just as nice or even nicer in a picture. The form is fine but the color is weird. I am going to let the flower mature a bit and take another picture. Perhaps you all find this post to be aimless chit chat. Dahlia breeding is full of "interesting to me" but maybe not to you things.

DarcyD

Teddahlia I have one like that now. It’s weird. Like the phone camera isn’t capturing it like I see it. It’s this one. I tried adding my hand to help color correct. I tried early. I tried late. I used different settings. I guess I need to break out my real camera.

Bessie

DarcyD it's so frustrating to not be able to capture the real color of a flower! Sometimes I'll change the focus point on the flower and it helps get closer to a true representation. Magenta and purples are the hardest for my Pixel 6 pro.

Teddahlia

2025 seedling of an unreleased breeding flower.

Bessie

Teddahlia genetics questions, if you have data... And wish to devulge the info. I know 0% about this trait.
Are you guaranteed the seedlings are variated like the parent? I'm really asking if the varigation is a dominant trait.
What about the % varigation of the result of a cross of parent x child?
What about the % varigation of the result of a cross of child x child?

Teddahlia

I'm really asking if the varigation is a dominant trait.
In the true meaning of dominant, no.
As a trait that pops up unexpectedly yes. A true dominant trait would make the flower variegated if there were just one of the 8 genes that was variegated. If that were true, there would be lots more variegated flowers out there.

What about the % varigation of the result of a cross of parent x child?
We do not actually count such things but there certainly are more. HH Pink Tigress begat HH Tiger Rose. HH Tigress begat Pink Tigress. We do not count percentages. Just more variegated and lots of solid color flowers too.

What about the % varigation of the result of a cross of child x child?
Variegated seed parent and variegated pollen parent. I do not think Margaret tried that hand cross and if she did the seedlings certainly were not all variegated.

I took this picture a few minutes ago. HH Fingerpaint.

Teddahlia

Subject: Variegated. I posted this picture a while ago.

2024 seedling in 2025.

Teddahlia

One more variegated; not yet released.

Teddahlia

Continuing the variegated pictures of seedlings. Took this yesterday. Color is off a bit as too much yellow.

Teddahlia

Here is another 2024 variegated seedling just now blooming.

GalenaB

A tiny little 2nd year seedling that I think I'll take to a 3rd year. It didn't quite fit the 2" ring, and the 3" ring (pictured) is too big, so I'd say it's around 2.5 inches. The blooms are a bit smaller if I don't disbud, but I disbudded this one. Stems and bloom attachment is good.

Bessie

GalenaB nice to hear from you! The purple seedling looks like a nice one.

Teddahlia

Smaller is better. Nice flower.

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