try using the serach engine above ... there has to be hundreds of posts on the topic ...

as well as bobs incredible link on the library homepage ....

and after reviewing some of those.. i would be glad to answer some more limited questions ...

ken

Thanks for the info Ken. The information from the Library is great.

Still, I guess one particular question I would have is Dorothy Benedict any tougher to grow than any other hosta ?

Do you have any particular experience with growing this specific hosta from seed / If so, what were your results ?

Also, I was wondering what is the best product for starting the seeds. I have looked at some Burpee and Vigoro products that are called "self watering" and come with domes, starter plugs made of peat moss and amended soil which expand in the tray when watered.

Or should I just stick with my cheap flower pots and amend the soil with peat moss, soil, and a little bone meal and leave them uncovered watering frequently ?

Additionally, I was thinking of ordering the seed from Jim's Hosta (who I have had good experiences with in the past on plants) but, I don't know how many seeds you get for the $15 price.

Jim just answered my e-mail and said you get about 30 DB seed and he will throw in 20 Elation seed.

I figure if i can get half of them to maturity then it is well worth it.

You do realize that when growing from seed you are not guaranteed to get plants that look like the parent, don't you?

tj

Yes, I realize there could be several that aren't streaked like the parent DB.

that wasnt junkies point ... the seedlings will not be Dorothy Benedict .. regardless if they look like her ...

they will be a cross of DB with whatever the bee brought along ... and should never be called DB ... the proper name would be H. 'Dorothy Benedict seedling'

i presume you wont be selling them as DB ... but just making sure you understand the nomenclature ... the naming protocol ...

regardless.. have fun ...

ken

Ok, didn't know that. Don't plan on selling, just raising.

So, with DB as the seed parent, and who knows as the pollen parent ? I could theoretically have a new hosta species, I just won't know for sure what produced the new species since I don't know the pollen parent(s).

So, how would someone get a pure DB unless they had one from the original plant, or grew only DB's inside a greenhouse to prevent cross-pollination ?

I told ya I was new at this whole seed raising venture. LOL

koffman.....it would not be a new species..........but would be unique. A Hosta cultivar, like 'Dorothy Benedict' or 'Francis Williams' or 'Guacamole' are all clones of each other......and can only be propagated vegetatively. Even if you pollinate a 'Dorothy Benedict' with another 'Dorothy Benedict' your offspring are not 'Dorothy Benedict'.....as you are reshuffling the genes around (as with any cross involving "male" and "female" recombination) and may even bring out some recessive characterisitcs. Some could LOOK a LOT like 'Dorothy Benedict', but they would not be. The only way you can have the same cultivar is by vegetative propagation, usually division (or tissue culture in some cases which is a speeded up division sort of). The variety of characteristics you get in the seedlings, especially from an open pollinated seed parent, is 90% of the fun of growing these guys from seed. Enjoy!!

I could theoretically have a new hosta species

==>>> no a new 'cultivar' ...e.g. H, 'Hoffman' ... an OP seedling of DB .... OP meaning open pollinated ... or it could be something like a cross of .... Liberty x DB

you would propagate more true DB thru division ... as they do not come true from seed ...

ken

Thanks for the information. The whole "genetics" side of hosta growing is new to me, and something that is intriguing however daunting.

So,for example, if I raise a hosta from the seed I acquire, and there happens to be a unique plant within the seedlings. I raise the hosta a couple of years to make sure it is stable. would I be able to register the hosta via the AHS considering it is indeed unique ?

Db is a slow grower I tend not to use it cause it takes too many years to get a large plant. And it's been over used. It is pretty dominant so most seedlings look similar so not much in the unique category. If you are picky like me you will have to grow 10s of thousands to get something like a marketable plant.

rod kuenster at hosta seed growers is the king of seiboldiana seed. He has a 20 year head start on you