Jacki- Each hybridizer would keep his or her own records....whatever works for you. sometimes a seedling will get named and the parentage is unknown, and it will be listed as such. Likewise, sometimes the seed parent is known, but the pollen parent is not. However, if you are hybridizing seriously, it is better to have a goal and know both parents. Yes, like your own kids your seedlings, from the same parents, will all be different. Some may look similar to each other, others may be quite different. Regarding your earlier writing about Mom determines characteristics more than dad.....you may have been reading about the inheritance of variegation. The variegation you see in a lot of Hosta cultivars is not inherited in the normal way. Variegation must come from the seed parent. Likewise the seed parent can't just be variegated, it must be what are known as "streakers". These plants have an unstable, streaked variegation.....basically a random assortment of variegated and nonvariegated tissue. This is an unstable form of variegation, and you must constantly cut off and cull reversions on your streakers that are either nonvariegated or stabilize into a more "normal" variegation pattern (e.g. light edge or light center). You may wnat to get a streaked Hosta or two to play with. There are some classic streaked breeders like 'Dorothy Benedict', 'Galaxy', 'Fascination' and many others. Once you get seeds and then seedlings, you will want to grow them for many years to know their mature size and other characteristics before registering a name to them. At that time it is better to only take the best of the best to officially name. Most importantly, though, HAVE FUN and enjoy watching your creations develop.

Self pollinated seeds can still be different than the parents. Most will be green, regardless of what the parents looked like (unless your mom hosta is a streaked hosta). But that doesn't mean there couldn't be a nice baby from the seed pod. If your parent is a variegated or solid colored hosta, chances are the babies will be solid colored. They may carry on traits like color, size, shape of leaf and maybe a wavy edge of a leaf. They may make good filler hostas if you have a big property. They can be fun to try, but usually don't amount to much. Seeds need to mature and that takes about 2 months. Wait till the pods are dry and ready to crack. Nature plants them when they split open. Some people plant under lights in the winter to pass the time.

what a brilliant system ... i especially like the clear cups held in the cell packs ... you can see how vigorous the roots are ... i dont know what to tell you about the timing.. i will have to ponder that part ... i used to keep the lights at about 2 inches from the plants ... but what i can tell.. is how many bulbs per level???? if one or two ... how do the ones toward the edges.. get sufficient light levels??? ... especially the lower you go ... unless you are moving them all the time ... i used to have 2 two light fixtures per level ... to spread the light intensity ... regardless.. you will be able to tell.. becasue the plants will start leaning toward the light.. so shuffle them around .. eh ... have you looked into the seedling links at the library ... never know where you will find a kernel of knowledge??? .. maybe even write to bob.. and give him a link to this post.. and ask him about your timing issue .... dont be shy.. worse he can do.. is ignore you.. and i highly doubt that he would ... i dont think chris does seeds... so i dont know if he could help ... i will continue to ponder the issue ... where are you.. more specifically ... and do you have a garage where you could carry them all ... to force the requisite dormancy??? .. lets say.. for the 50 odd days.. and then bring them back in.. and activate them again ... babs.. we in z5 have a giant refrigerator.. it called a midwest winter.. lol ... but you gave me the idea ... so i am working off it .... stop all fert pretty soon .. we want them to slow down.. and harden off ... and then figure out.. what the hell to do with them ...lol ken

Hey Carol If you want seeds - just ask! I'm sure there are lots of people around here that would send them to you for free (or posteage) so you can learn. We all want you to have fun with this! I can probably send you some - let me see what the deer have left me, the stupid hooved devils denuded a bunch of my plants last night :-( As far as growing instructions, there are as many ways to start them as there are hosta growers. Truth be known, tse seeds have sprouts in them that WANT to grow. We just need to provide an opportunity for them. I am attachgin a link to Bob Axemears site - great info on growing hosta seeds here. Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Seed Starting by Bob Axemear