Growing PCI From Seed

Growing PCI from seed requires patience, a tough heart and more patience. Germination can take several weeks to a few months. Patience is required while waiting for seedlings to mature to a blooming age, usually two or three growing seasons, knowing that only a few may be deemed worthy of further consideration. A tough heart comes into play as you cull the seedlings that did not make the short list of the seedlings to allow to continue for further evaluation.

When I started growing PCI from seed I found many differences of opinion on the steps to take to get good germination, anything from soaking them in the toilet tank to refrigeration. Being somewhat of a non-conformist, I decided to try doing it my way.... Lo and behold, germination was excellent and

Before you can start PCI from seed, you must first have a resource for seed. A few options to consider:

• Leonine Iris
• The Society for Pacific Coast Iris' Seed Exchange
• Seed from your own PCI, whether bee-crossed or from a specific cross. Note: If collecting your own seed, whether bee-crossed or hybrid, be sure to bag them with an organza bag or a tightly meshed, yet breathable, bag and tag them with the parentage (e.g. "Kalarada" x bee-cross or "Kalarada x Blood Veins"). I typically harvest the pods by cutting the stalk when the pod cracks open then store them in their organza bag in a cool, well ventilated, area to allow them to mature completely.

Here are the steps I take with seed harvested from the current year:

Note: Seed harvested in previous years may still be viable but the germination rate is typically reduced; the same techniques are used.

• Create a waterproof label showing the cross (e.g. Kalarada x Blood Veins)
• Using a moistened double-layer of paper towels, empty the seed package or bag on to the paper towel and a triple layer of paper towel over the seeds. If Vitamin B1, or a similar root stimulant, is available I'll add a drop or two to the water used to moisten the paper towel.
• Place the germination packet in a shallow tray or dish, moisten the paper towel completely, but not soaking wet, then place the tray aside where you can check it for moisture every few days. (I usually leave it on the kitchen counter or on top of the refrigerator.)
• After three or four weeks I'll plant the seed in pots, one pot for each cross
• The pots then go into the greenhouse or a bright window to await germination.
• Once germination seems complete and after the seedlings have developed three or four leaves, the pots will be gently turned out and each seedling is planted in it's own seedlig cell to continue to grow until they can be planted out, usually mid-May.

Planting out

Seedling can be planted out any which-way in the garden, or lined out in a plot of land. Lining out is literally planting the seedlings in nice neat rows, each tagged to identify the parentage, or if you want to maintain some mystery, a code that will let you keep track of parentage along with development and bloom. I line out in rows, planting the seedling about 6" apart, zig-zagging rows to maximize use of space. While this seems to be quite close quarters, keep in mind that this is just temporary and that two or three years down the road the seedlings will have been thinned out to the top contenders leaving plenty of space for the clumps to develop and be ready to move into permanent locations in the main garden display. Remeber: most of the seedling lined out will be unsuitable for further consideration and need to be removed to allow the best-of-the-best space to grow!