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Hybridize
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Hybridizing Daylilies One of the most exciting aspects of daylilies is the ease with which new cultivars can be created. Pollinating daylilies is a simple process, and with a basic knowledge of seed harvesting and germination, one can look forward to new plants and potentially new cultivars to be registered and recognized by the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS). As with most garden endeavors, this does require patience, as the most aggressive timeframes for achieving this is nine to ten months. A more realistic timeframe is two to three years. Ploidy All daylilies are classified as either diploid or tetraploid. The difference between the two is the number of chromosomes associated with each type. The tetraploids have twice as many. The important thing to note here is that diploids will only successfuly pollinate with other diploids, and tetraploids will only pollinate with other tetraploids. If you intend to hybridize daylilies, it will be important to note the ploidy at the time of purchase. If you know the name of the cultivar but are not sure of the ploidy, you can consult one of two databases to assist. Tinker's Gardens daylily database Type in the name of the cultivar and press Enter. Ploidy will be noted as TET or DIP next to the cultivar name AHS daylily database Scroll down and look for the Cultivar Name field. Type in the name and press Enter. Look for the Tetraploid field (should be in the lower right). If this field contains nothing, the cultivar is a diploid. If it contains Yes, the cultivar is a tetraploid.
Choosing Cultivars to Cross Once you have separated the tetraploids from the diploids, you will then need to decide which two daylilies you want to cross to produce a child plant. There are almost infinite possibilities here. Daylilies are like humans in that two parents can create multiple offspring with similar, but different characteristics. In this manner, ten different hybridizers could create the same cross and come up with ten similar, but different cultivars. In fact, seeds harvested from the same pods will produce different blooms. There is some guesswork in determining the end result and some new blooms will be destined for the compost heap, but with some planning successful crosses can be achieved. One must consider the characteristics of each parent and try to determine what the result of the combination will be. For example, crossing a dark pink with a light cream daylily MIGHT result in a light pink daylily. However, it just as easily might result in something else. One key point to note is that daylilies do not self pollinate themselves. In order words, if you have cultivar Red Volunteer, you cannot produce another Red Volunteer by pollinating the flower back onto itself. The only two recognized methods for increasing a particular cultivar is through division or proliferation. See the Grow section of this site for more information on these two methods. Pollination Pollination of a daylily is a fairly simple process. Inside a daylily bloom are the pistil and stamen of the flower. There are typically six stamens and one pistil in each daylily. On the ends of the stamen is a powdery substance called pollen. The easiest method is to pluck one of the stamen from the donor plant, carefully transport it to the recipient plant (the intended cross), and rubbing the pollen onto the pistil of the recipient plant. If the fertilization is successful, a small "pod" will appear after the bloom falls off of the recipient plant (don't pluck the flower off after fertilization). The small pod will mature in several weeks and produce seeds. Challenges Harvesting Seeds Just as the seed pod begins to turn brown, it will begin to split apart. It is precisely at this point that the seeds needs to be harvested. Harvest the seeds by plucking the entire seed pod from the plant. Label the seed pod if desired and take the pod to a location where the seeds can be effectively handled without dropping them into the garden. The seeds will vary in size depending on the daylily, but most of them will be slightly larger than a BB. Germinating Seeds Daylily Seed Production From Seedlings To Blooming Daylilies After germination, seedlings can be planted in the shade to protect them from the intense Texas heat. Alternatively, the can be overwintered in a greenhouse to extend their growing season. This is a must if one wants to accelerate the blooming process. Seeds planted in the fall can be pushed to bloom the following spring, but it does require optimum growing conditions, fertilization, and care. Many hybridizers expect their seedlings to bloom a year and a half after a fall planting. Once a bloom is achieved, the daylily can be evaluated. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if one finds a daylily attractive, then by all means it must be kept and nurtured to multiply. However, those who judge modern daylilies will often be looking for unique characteristics to evaluate the worthiness of a new cultivar. Should one find enough appeal with a new cultivar to register the new plant with the American Hemerocallis Society, instructions on how to complete this process can be found on the AHS website. http://www.daylilies.org/AHSregister.html
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