Bridge Plants

Good Morning, it is snowing here in central Arkansas this morning. The high today will be 35 degrees. So i guess i will stay in where its warm.

The picture showing is a diploid seedling that i really like. It is 6 inches and perfectly round. Some call this a Bagel Look. 4 inch petals and 3 inch sepals. So whats not to like? Low bud count is my problem. I think it has 14 buds and top branched. For some that is good but the plants i want to intro i would like to have in the high 20s bud count with branching.

I have some near whites with the plant habit i like that i will be breeding to this seedling d4409. I am hoping to keep the lavender color with the big blunt sepals. Lavender color is pleasing to the eye and i think i should try to keep a line going with this color.

Last nite i woke up thinking about this plant, i was thinking about the lavender base color and it had a blue eye on it. Was an Angel telling me what is comming in the future? I cant answer that cause i dont know but i will try this color combo of lavender with a blue eye. The breeding of this flower has Linda Agin and Carribean Whipped Cream in it.

I guess my biggest fault is i love self flowers, no eyes or bicolor just rich solid color. Even though i have been a study of Jack Carpenters for years i never got into eyes like Jack has. When i went to the Lily Farm with thousands of eyed flowers blooming seems like i always came home with the selfs. But the recent pattern eyes that have came out now i am starting to like those but my first love is Selfs. Have a Great Day and let no one steal your thunder!!Jim Elliott

Using Fungicides

Well here i go again, thinking out loud. I have been seeing posts on the Daylily Robin about starting seeds and damping off. So i thought i would give my 2 cents. Is there a difference of Mildew and Fungus? My being a house painter i am use to seeing Mildew on houses and carports also Mildew will live on clothing as long as temp and ph factor makes for happy Mildew. To get rid of mildew we need to change the ph factor by using bleach or vinegar. These 2 liquids will help get rid of the Mildew. Mildew lives on nonliving materials and takes in its moisture and such right out of the air and usually in damp places with not so much air movement.

Fungus makes it living from being a host on living plant tissue. Whether it is on the leaves of Crepe Myrtles in what we call Powder Mildew or in the form of Rust on our Daylilies. There is a Blight that kills your Tomato plants when the summer heat gets going. The Tomato leaves will start to curl just like when you have worms on your Tomato plants but these leaves that curl will turn brown and fall off and before long that plant is dead. After spraying a good safe fungicide on your Tomato plants the plants leaves will return to normal and look healthy again. Find you a fungicide that can be sprayed on Fruits and Vegetables.

Damping off is what we as Daylily People need to be aware of. This is when your seedlings start germinating and get leaves about 2 inches tall then just fall over for no reason. This is Damping Off. Doesnt matter if you use cups or plug trays it will get you one day. The planting medium need moisture mixed in before planting your seeds. What i do is take two 5 gallon buckets and put a gallon of water plus one tablespoon of fungicide in a bucket then fill the other bucket with potting mix. Add the mixed water to the planting mix and mix with your hands until it has a wet consistancy, you dont want any dry pockets in your mix. You must have holes for drainage in your cups or your seeds may rot. Wether you water from the top or place your cups in a water trough add fungicide to the water at least once a month. But by all means start off with fungicide in the planting mix before starting seeds. Once they start damping off water with a fungicide before you loose them all. But if you start with a good Fungicide and a good planting medium you will have fewer problems as your babies grow.

We woke up to 18 degrees this morning in Central Arkansas after spring like temps for the past 3 weeks. My plants are in the greenhouse in the ground waiting for the plastic to warm them up. In the comming weeks i hope to show what is going on in the greenhouse as we set things up for bloom season. I cant wait to see scapes and blooms.

Your ideas and comments are always welcome. May you have a Blessed New Year. Jim Elliott