Iris Hybridizing - leticia's Photos

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leticia > BEARDED IRIS HYBRIDIZING IS EASY... and it starts by knowing the reprodutive parts of the iris. There are three main parts...

The ANTHER, which provides the pollen is growing up just in front of the style arm, behind the beard. You'll see it in the center of the photo.

leticia > The STIGMA, located on the style arm near the top... also known as the stigmatic lip. This is the part that receives the pollen.

NOTE: The top surface of the stigmatic lip will likely appear moist and pristine on freshly opened flowers. That's the best time to pollinate.

leticia > ALL THREE REPRODUCTIVE PARTS... are visible in this photo of a flower with the standards and falls removed. It clearly shows the ANTHER with pollen, the STIGMA, just above the anther, and the OVARY, just below. The ovary is protected by the spathe. The OVARY will develop into the seed pod.

NOTE: The spathe is a very thin covering that encloses the bud before the flower emerges. It soon become dry, and almost paper like once the flower opens. If the spathe was removed, the ovary would appear as a slightly enlarged, ridged section between the flower and the stem.

leticia > REMOVE THE ANTHER with tweezers. Gently slide them down the shaft until you can get a section long enough to serve as a handle when applying pollen. Practice makes perfect!

leticia > A NICE ANTHER... It will be very easy to hold and apply the pollen .

PLEASE NOTE: Most anthers are loaded with pollen , however, some may contain very little or no pollen at all.

leticia > POLLEN IS NOT QUITE READY... notice how the anther has not fully opened to expose the pollen. You will likely encounter this on just opened flowers. Give it a few hours, and the pollen should be ready.

SUGGESTION: Wait until later in the day, or even the next day, to collect pollen from flowers you wish to use, and store it, as shown in the following photos. It will be available when needed.

leticia > A GOOD STORAGE CONTAINER for anthers with pollen. I got this one at The Container Store. They are about 2" x 1" Pollen will stay viable for several weeks... and can be used sucessfully most of the season. Some folks freeze pollen for much later use. Use freshly collected dry pollen when available.

SUGGESTION... Collect all three anthers from the iris you pollinate and store them for later use.

ANOTHER SUGGESTION... I normally begin my day in the garden by admiring and photographing the newly opened irises. After reviewing what has newly opened, and selecting the crosses I want to make, I prepare tags needed to label the crosses. (tags are discussed later) I also input the date , cross, etc. in my log, which is a simple spiral notebook. After making the crosses, I take some time to gather and store pollen from other flowers that I want to use.

leticia > STORAGE CONTAINER VENTILATION... I usually leave the lid slightly opened until the pollen and stem have fully dried. Then I close tightly. Store in a cool dark room. The stick on dots for labeling are about 1/2 inch diameter, and are available at office supply stores.

leticia > MAKING THE CROSS... applying pollen to the stigma. Best results are with freshly opened flowers. The stigmatic lip may be slighty stuck to the style crest on very fresh flowers. Encourage it to stand out by gently pulling back on the top of the style crest. Notice the pollen I have applied to the stigma in the photo. I fertilize all three stigmas of each flower. One anther may do all three, but if you have plenty of pollen, use a fresh anther for each. Only a little pollen is needed... one grain of pollen will fertilize one seed, but I prefer to apply liberaly. After a few crosses you will get a good feel for it, and be able to conserve pollen that may be in limited supply. You can hold the anther with tweezers if you prefer. You can also snap off the standards if they are in your way. Some folks snap off the falls to prevent insects from landing and adding foreign pollen to their cross. Insect pollinated flowers (bee pods) is uncommon. If you have been growing irises for awhile and have never seen a bee pod on one of your plants, chances are you have nothing to worry about.

PLEASE NOTE: Some varieties may not be fertile, either as a pod or pollen parent. Most are, but if you are having trouble with a particular cross, that could be the problem. I keep a list of every cross I make by date pollinated and parents. Depending on your needs, you may want to track weather conditions, time of day cross was made, age of flower etc. It helps keep up with successful and failed crosses, giving you some guidance in the future.

SUGGESTION: Remove all three anthers from the pod parent before you pollinate.

BEARDED IRIS HYBRIDIZING IS EASY... and it starts by knowing the reprodutive parts of the iris. There are three main parts...

The ANTHER, which provides the pollen is growing up just in front of the style arm, behind the beard. You'll see it in the center of the photo.

> BEARDED IRIS HYBRIDIZING IS EASY... and it starts by knowing the reprodutive parts of the iris. There are three main parts...

The ANTHER, which provides the pollen is growing up just in front of the style arm, behind the beard. You'll see it in the center of the photo.

BEARDED IRIS HYBRIDIZING IS EASY... and it starts by knowing the reprodutive parts of the iris. There are three main parts...

The ANTHER, which provides the pollen is growing up just in front of the style arm, behind the beard. You'll see it in the center of the photo.

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