First of all let me say, "what enduring hope there is in starting a seed and waiting two to three years for it to come into bloom for the first time".

In the fall after many weeks of crossing daylilies it's time to harvest the seed. Little paper or plastic bags are labeled and each cross or pod is picked just as it is cracking open and still mostly green. The seeds come out black and plump. Some times its good to let them sit for a day, just to dry up a bit. In most cases the seed go directly into bags. I put a very light dusting of Captan powder in the bag with the seeds. For me this keeps mold and rot from forming. You may not need anything depending on the amount of moisture in your conditions. Once the seeds are sealed in their bags they go directly into the fridge. I place the bags in mason jars at refrigeration temperatures. I do not let ice form in the bags, that's to cold. I start my seeds in Mid-February down the basement, under two sets of four bulb fluorescent fixtures. They are above a table on chains that can be raised or lowered. the fixtures are draped with silver reflective body warming sheets. These reflect most of the light back to the plants. Once the seedlings start to emerge from the soil, a timer keeps the lights on for 16 hours a day.

Soil: the soil used should be store bought, and of good quality. I purchase mine from Lowes or Home depot. I use a variety of containers such as cut plastic water gallons or wash basins or plastic bins. The main characteristics is that it be deep enough for the seedling roots to penetrate into the soil. I do not plant the seedlings in the ground until late April up to mid-May so they need some room to grow.

By early April when the night temperatures do not go below 40 degrees any longer, the seedlings are eight to 10 inches in height, and I bring them out side to harden them off. Buy this time I usually give them a hair cut and clip them down to 6". Then I place them in a shady bright spot out of direct rain and let them harden. They may stay like this for up to two or three weeks with just being kept moist.

I prepare seedling beds by tilling the soil and making a soft clean bed to plant in. Mulch and leaf mold are added in the fall and let sit there over the winter, until its tilled in before planting. Preparation of a good seedling bed will go a long way in making sure you get a good stand of healthy seedlings.

After all the seedlings are planted, I give a great sigh of relief, then apply Preen to the entire bed. This is important because one of the biggest battles you will face with taking your seedlings past this point is to keep the weeds out. One application of Preen right after planting in May and a second in the beginning of June will be enough to help you out.

My daylilies are only field grown and tough. I do not use any fertilizer except a little millorganite, and this I use more to keep any animals off, then for growth. In my place everything must be fenced in or all the work put into the crop will be lost.

Just a last word: For me and my family this has been a rewarding effort. My daylilies are scattered over the United States with family and friends. When July comes around each year and a new set of seedlings are coming into bloom for the first time. The blessing and joy of seeing a beautiful one you designed is amazing. But let me qualify this with saying that it is a lot of work and time invested. I don't know how many years I have left in me to do this.

Please add your experience to mine, I am still learning every year how to make this process more efficient and enjoyable.

Mike