# Daylily question



## Eric Muehlbauer (Oct 7, 2013)

One of my best daylilies had a fruit, and I've saved the seeds. I've never grown Hemerocallis from seed, so I figured I'd try these. So....my question is, should I start the seeds now and grow them through the winter, or should I plant the seed in spring? I doubt they'd need stratifying, but should they be chilled first? Thanks.


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## gonewild (Oct 7, 2013)

They need a short cold treatment


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## abax (Oct 7, 2013)

Absolutely, a cold dormant period. I plant seeds from almost 200 named
varieties of daylillies and I toss them out and cover them with shallow
soil and fallen leaves. If the pods are cracked open and mature, they'll
germinate just fine. Daylillies are the lazy gardener's friend.


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## junglejim (Oct 8, 2013)

I am reading a the daylily seeds need a cold treatment. I've retired at 55 from teaching fifth grade at the end of May and I'm having a ball making tropical waterlily crosses and daylily crosses. I thought I would miss teaching, especially reading to the kids. There's so little freedom leftthe way you want to teach, the focus of Reading and Writing really left out Science and SS. I just don't miss much of it, yet. I'm just harvesting water lily crosses- never could have done the pollenating and harvesting the last 33 years. The tropical waterlilies are very fertile right before the freezes. One cross the seeds have sproted in the jar before I could get to them. They are getting their first new leaves coming to the surface. What a blast!
I've got 85 plus daylilies all moved and labeled. I've got time now to see which ones are really fertile. It's fun to keep records and notes on them. There's one I got 2 years ago. It's called "Goin Bananas". It's a clear yellow bigger than the Stella ones. The snow shuts it down.(Indiana) So I've crossed onto it other really late daylilies with Stella backgrounds. It is one that's quite fertile. I've had a ball since May! I've got 3 different crosses that I know the parents. I think the seeds will go in the crisper in a baggy and early March start them. I'm not sure if they need a little moisture in the baggy. Good luck PS Get "Goin Bananas" You'll flip over it!


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## abax (Oct 8, 2013)

jj, why not just fix and label a nice little seed bed outside and let them
germinate naturally? The natural method makes sure that the seeds get
the variable conditions the seeds need to scarify and sprout.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Oct 8, 2013)

I think I'll plant the seeds in a pot and put it in the fridge for a few months, then take it out and water normally. At what size should I plant the seedlings outdoors? Angela- I can't plant them outdoors right now...the squirrels would make short work of any seed plantings at this time of year.


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## abax (Oct 9, 2013)

I put metal screening over my seed beds, but I feed squirrels and we have
a treaty of sorts. I hope someone who germinates in pots can help you.
I usually transplant out of the seed bed when the young plants have six
leaves or so. In a seed bed, it's fairly easy to lift the young plants with
a trowel to check for good roots.

*white oaks have had a tremendous acorn set this year. Can I send you
some acorns? I think a ton will be easy to round up.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Oct 9, 2013)

Oh please.....the street trees in front of my house are a pin oak and a red oak...the pin oak with an exceptionally heavy acorn crop, as usual. My front lawn is covered in them. And the squirrels will be busy, digging up everything as they bury them.


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## nikv (Oct 11, 2013)

I store my seeds in a Tupperware container and keep them in the fridge over winter. I plant them in the Spring and they do fine.


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