when growing seed.. you need a GOAL

12 years ago

i am starting a new post.. on some thoughts buried in another post ....

how do you make goals when growing seed???

============

post one:

Alright, obviously I need a larger piece of property if I'm going to give each seedling 5-10 years...so many plants, not enough yard!

===>>>>

what you need.. is a GOAL .... this was the hardest lesson to learn ...

first.. we do not need another green hosta ...

second.. you need a streaked mother.. or seeds from such.. to get variegated seedlings.. which.. in 5 to 10 years.. will settle into new edged/centered plants ... otherwise .. you are just going for one color hosta ...

so once you get to this point.. and you have a goal .. when the little babes are 2 or 4 leaf.. you throw out 90% of them ... believe it or not.. at one inch.. you can 'see' it all ....

so if you want a new tall vase shaped yellow .... and i will yell... EVERYTHING ELSE GETS THROW AWAY ... there is simply no reason to grow them .. since they do not get you to your goal ...

does that make sense.. and trust me.. throwing them out.. is the hardest thing to do .. but caring for 1000 seedlings.. IN THE HOUSE.. come march.. is a real pain in the tuckus ....

so .. grow seeds from plants with any of the following that pleases you:

size

plant shape

leaf shape

color

etc ...

but come up with a goal ....

if your goal .. is a new yellow mini.. is it really worthwhile to grow seeds from sum and substance????

now.. as a first timer.. i understand the goal is simply to play around ... and see if you can do it all .. but start contemplating the light at the end of the tunnel ... and keep firmly in mind.. do you really need 999 plain green hosta?????

you can get streaked seed from jim's .. if the others have not stated such

ken

====

post two:

too many interruptions while typing the above ....

soo

someone mentioned brother stephen .... lets say you like its leaf shape.. and size ... it has a yellow center ... which i THINK means that its seedlings will favor yellow ...

if you plant seeds from that one.. i would bet.. you will get ... if its not sterile ... 70 % yellow ... 20 % blue.. and 10% green ...

so if your goal is a blue look alike.. you throw out the all the green and yellow ...

is there any way you are starting to see the beauty of a GOAL????

you would start at the library.. with a given seed mom .. and hit the myhosta database link.. and see that BS's heritage is 'King Tut' x (x 'Mildred Seaver') .. and if your goal was a yellow.. you would see that king tut is a great yellow ... and so this would be a good one.. to raise yellows out of ... as far as the mildred seaver side.. who cares.. that one has done done to death .. lol ...

so then at the library .. flip over to king tut .. and we see a plant with vase shape.. great yellow.. etc ... IS THIS YOUR GOAL???? and then flip to the myhosta on tut .. and we see its a 'Tokudama Aureonebulosa' hybrid .. which means forget about 5 years.. you will have to grow them on for 10 to 15 years ... because tokus are known to be slower than molasses in feb ...

so setting goals.. is all about research ....

i think i will stop now.. lol ... i am guessing your eyes have glazed over at this point.. lol ...

i am going to move these two posts over to a new post ... so its searchable ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: original post

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

leafwatcher
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hmmmm, so you are saying my goal of introducing a new green for each letter of the Alphabet is probably not that impressive?

hahahahah,

Apple
Bark
Cat
Dog
etc ....

It sure would be cool to come up with something unique and outstanding, one of those identifiable from ten feet types.

So most streakers eventually settle into a fixed pattern? and don't remain streaked? A person could tie up a lot of room waiting , thats for sure...
mosswitch
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What's this "we" stuff, Kemo Sabe? There is plenty of room in my woods for more plain green hostas.

I'm not gonna register any of them, name them (I don't name my mayapples or any of my other wildflowers), and that's what they would be. Ground cover, background, etc. I'm not likely to have a thousand babies, and I really don't have any goals. Other than the serendipitous pleasure of getting an occasional something different that is fun to watch growing to see what it's going to turn out to be when it grows up.

Goals are for you serious hosta growers, lol! You set 'em, grow 'em, register 'em, market 'em. I'll be there to buy 'em!

Meanwhile, my green seedling babies will be growing up right along side them. And if I get more than I want, well, I know a lot of people who would like to have them!
Related Discussions
Bean tower..when seeds germiante will they grow out of a hole?
Q
Comments (16)
hmm makes sense Jim...I am sure that the dirt would fill in the void someday..but I am not so sure that a bean could crawl thru a 3/4" di. hole..lol..my bad. Sorry Purple you know about snoozing...But It sure is nice to know that I am not the only "city dwelling limited space guy" seeking vertical growing habits. So I built the tower yesterdy. its is about a 6" square. I am thinking that the wood will hold the moisture fairly well. Not as good as PVC pipe. But its what I had to work with. reflecting on the problems of inserting a plant. I cut 5/8" x 1/2" conduit, galvanized, into 4" pcs. Packed them half way, inserted a bean seed, and finished packing them. I will insert this into the holes upon first signs of growth. If I was to do it over. I would use 1-1/2 PVC cut into short pieces. Drill the hole on a angle so that the plant will grow out of it. My other thought was to cut up 16 ounce water bottles and force them into the hole. If there was two halfs they may be able to be made removable after the plants are well rooted. AS for growing pole beans in the tower. I have a 3 foot x 6ft high, u-shape metal trellis now. That packs 9 lineal feet into a 3 ft. sq. foot print and I can get to all sides of it. PB. I believe that the bush bean stems will bend over under their own weight and learn to adjust. ( hopes it not a big wind that adjusts them) lol I am thinking that this method would be great for Romaine lettuce. It could be placed out of the heat. Maybe it need's to be on wheels...lol..4 towers on a 2' x 4"..the " Tower Dolly" ???? only 39.95...plus S&H..easy assembly instructions included...and 2 free Ginseng Knifes CrAzY LaRrY
...See More
What to grow when you're not growing?
Q
Comments (10)
Clover might be good as would many other legumes. Buckwheat is supposed to attract beneficials. What about sunflowers! They attract beneficials and pollinators. Also feed the birds as well as squirles. Many herbs also attract beneficials. Bees seem to love the basil. Carrots take a long time so if there is a little water, you could come back to find carrots in the fall and if they were to go to flower, the good bugs love em. Radishes can help add organic matter to the soil if you leave them to rot. They may also be deterrent to some squash pests. Lots of annual flowers or even an annual wildflower mix might be great if you are starting from a relatively weed free base. I like growing alyssum along with lots of veggies. Nasturtium would be a good choice in somewhat dry/poor neglected areas, when grown in with other plants they make good aphid traps crops. Marigolds, they are supposed to be great companion plants but I've read that they would actually be far more effective is grown as a cover crop and turned in to help deter some soil pests. I've also read a bit about using sesame plants as a cover crop against some pests. You are probably best off having a bit of variety so that if something fails there is still a chance that something else will work. You will probably want to use something that you can get inexpensively and easily. Check for local seed sources or someplace like Johhny's selected seeds usually has some cover crop mixes. I got several different seed bags from them to see what cover crops will work well here. I currently have beds of clover, oats, winter and spring wheat, buckwheat, and since I can various cool weather crops that are struggling with the almost 80 degree days we have had lately. Just be careful of perennial plants that are known to be aggressive (stuff like mint and yarrow are probably not a good idea where you want to plant a veggie garden again next season.) It is definitely a good idea to keep something happening in the garden even if you aren't actively cropping. If all else fails, bury that garden under lots of leaf or compost mulch for the season so the worms can have a party while you are away. Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx Gardening
...See More
when to start growing from seed
Q
Comments (3)
In your zone, you could start the seed in late summer, and the seedlings would probably be established well enough to survive your mild winter. You can do it either in containers or directly in the garden. I must add a word of caution..the seed Parks sells is Miscanthus sinensis 'New Hybrids.' It consists of a mix of seed from several different hybrids, blooming at different times. I've grown it from seed for several years, and in my warm zone 7 garden it re-seeds quite freely. So much so, in fact, I have removed it.
...See More
Noob Mistakes (You made when you first started growing Hoyas)
Q
Comments (32)
I really enjoyed reading this post! I'm probably guilty of buying ALL THE PLANTZ!! I started with a couple then a few more... Because I'm lucky to find so many different types in my area at reasonable prices I take risks in buying ones that may or may not do well here. I figure it's worth the risk. I had no idea how lucky I am to find such a variety, but it's rare to find a big established plant. Although I just passed on a 5 foot (on trellis) multi flowering carnosa because I couldn't fit it in the car... I have a couple of Graveyard hoyas, most I've replaced and trying again. (Or will if I find another one for sale) I don't think I'll get another lauterbachii again even though they turn up all the time. Mine grew fast and tall but died. Not sure if it was underwatering or the cold but as I since found out it grows huge with next to no chance of me ever seeing flowers here I really cant be bothered buying it again. Since joining this group and learning "if in doubt, unpot and check roots and/or chop" I haven't lost many plants, except poor polyneura that got cooked in the last heatwave :( (I bought a new one in case my cuttings didn't take but they did!)
...See More
Gesila
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
LOL, yep, plenty of room in the township's woods for my plain green hostas. Maybe they'll keep the weeds from coming over the fence into our gardens.

I'm going to try to grow some hostas from seeds that were pollinated in Van Wade's nursery from my hosta Great Plains. I also have tons of seeds from Empress Wu that I plan on sowing in the park. I found a video that shows how to sow them outside with a zip loc bag and wet paper towels, or something like that. I might get in trouble planting hostas back there, but they can't do anything if the hostas magically popped up from seeds.

Ken, great post for newbies that want to start getting serious about trying to grow a really cool hosta!

Gesila
in ny zone5
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Gesila, perhaps the town's mowers complain about all those large -leaf 'weeds' growing in their path and spray them, with some drifting over into your yard?
Gesila
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
LOL Bernd, the town's mowers just happen to be the same guys that take care of our lawn and snow! They are already onto my plan! These poor guys have to contend with our 400+ hostas in the spring, summer, and fall, and then the 20,000+ Christmas lights when plowing the snow in December.
User
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Gesila says, "I might get in trouble planting hostas back there, but they can't do anything if the hostas magically popped up from seeds. "

.... when they built a new county courthouse in Mobile, a college student (who worked for my x-husband at the time), put out turnip seeds on the lawn, and those babies come up quick and are very definitely identifiable. So at least you will not be doing turnips. That little escapade made the local news, BTW.

I'd say you are very smart, Gesila, to be really nice to the mowers and the snowers in your quasi garden extension.
It sure couldn't make it look bad to have those gorgeous Empress WU invading the woodlands.

I bet you bake them cookies too, don't you?
trudy_gw
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
M and M Hosta Seed Sales has some nice deals on streaked hosta seeds. Bought a few packs and mine are now coming up with some nice streaks in the seedlings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Seeds for sale

when growing seed.. you need a GOAL

Comments (7)

leafwatcher

mosswitch

Related Discussions

Gesila

in ny zone5

Gesila

User

trudy_gw

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US