The Ultimate Guide to How to Cross Pollinate Daylilies

Daylilies are a gardener’s delight, offering vibrant colors, diverse shapes, and a long blooming season. But did you know that you can create your own unique daylily varieties by cross-pollinating? This process, known as how to cross pollinate daylilies, is not only fascinating but also rewarding, allowing you to develop your own signature blooms. Let’s delve into the world of daylily breeding and learn how to create your own dazzling hybrids.

Understanding the Basics of Daylily Reproduction

Daylilies reproduce through both sexual and asexual methods. Asexual reproduction occurs when a plant produces a new individual from a part of itself, like a rhizome. This results in a clone of the parent plant, ensuring identical offspring. However, for creating new varieties, we need to focus on sexual reproduction, which involves the fusion of male and female gametes.

The Anatomy of a Daylily Flower

To understand how to cross pollinate daylilies, we need to familiarize ourselves with the flower’s structure. The daylily flower has both male and female reproductive parts:

• Stamens: The male reproductive organs, consisting of the anther (which produces pollen) and filament (which supports the anther).
• Pistil: The female reproductive organ, consisting of the stigma (where pollen is received), style (which connects the stigma to the ovary), and ovary (where the seeds develop).

The Process of Cross-Pollination

Cross-pollination involves transferring pollen from the anther of one daylily flower to the stigma of another. This process requires a bit of patience and gentle handling. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Choose Your Parents: Select two daylilies with desirable traits you wish to combine. Consider factors like color, form, size, and bloom time.
2. Identify the Pollen Donor: Choose the daylily flower you want to use as the pollen source. Look for a flower that is fully open and has fresh pollen on its anthers.
3. Collect the Pollen: Gently brush the anther of the pollen donor with a small brush or cotton swab. The pollen will adhere to the brush.
4. Prepare the Recipient Flower: Choose a daylily flower that has not yet been pollinated. Look for a flower that has a receptive stigma, which is often sticky and moist.
5. Transfer the Pollen: Carefully brush the collected pollen onto the stigma of the recipient flower.
6. Mark the Flower: To keep track of your crosses, mark the recipient flower with a ribbon or tag. Note the date of pollination and the names of the parent daylilies.
7. Monitor the Seeds: If successful, the ovary of the recipient flower will swell and develop seed pods. These pods will mature in a few months, yielding seeds for propagation.

Tips for Successful Daylily Cross-Pollination

• Timing is Key: The best time to cross-pollinate is in the morning, when the stigma is most receptive and the pollen is fresh.
• Avoid Self-Pollination: Daylilies can self-pollinate, so it’s crucial to remove the anthers from the recipient flower before transferring pollen. This ensures that you are introducing pollen from a different plant.
• Handle with Care: Be gentle when handling the flowers to avoid damaging the delicate stigma or anthers.
• Experiment: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations of daylilies. You might be surprised by the beautiful results!

The Rewards of Daylily Breeding

Cross-pollinating daylilies can be a rewarding experience, allowing you to create unique and beautiful hybrids. Here are some of the benefits:

• Unique Blooms: By combining the traits of different daylilies, you can create flowers with unique colors, patterns, and forms.
• Increased Diversity: Breeding new daylily varieties adds to the diversity of this beloved genus.
• Personal Satisfaction: There’s a great sense of satisfaction in creating your own new plant varieties.

Beyond the Basics: Daylily Breeding Techniques

While the basic cross-pollination process is relatively straightforward, experienced breeders often employ advanced techniques to improve their chances of success and enhance the traits of their hybrids.

• Selective Breeding: This involves carefully choosing parent plants with specific desirable traits and repeatedly crossing them over multiple generations to enhance those traits.
• Backcrossing: This technique involves crossing a hybrid back to one of its parents to introduce a specific trait from that parent.
• Tetraploid Breeding: Tetraploid daylilies have double the number of chromosomes, resulting in larger flowers and more vigorous growth. Breeders often use tetraploid daylilies to create new varieties with enhanced characteristics.

The Journey of a Daylily Hybrid

Once you’ve successfully cross-pollinated your daylilies and obtained seeds, the journey to a new variety continues.

• Germination: Sow the seeds in a well-drained seed starting mix and keep them moist.
• Growth and Development: The seedlings will take a few years to mature and produce their first blooms.
• Evaluation: Carefully evaluate the blooms of the new hybrids, noting their characteristics and comparing them to the parent plants.
• Selection and Propagation: Select the most promising hybrids and propagate them through division or tissue culture to create new plants.

A Final Word: The Joy of Daylily Breeding

Daylily breeding is a captivating journey that combines horticultural skills, creative vision, and a touch of patience. By understanding the basics of how to cross pollinate daylilies and utilizing various techniques, you can create your own stunning and unique daylily hybrids, adding your own personal touch to this beloved flower.

Common Questions and Answers

1. How long does it take for a daylily hybrid to bloom?

It typically takes 2-3 years for a daylily hybrid to bloom for the first time.

2. Can I cross-pollinate daylilies from different species?

While it’s possible to cross-pollinate different daylily species, the resulting hybrids may be sterile or have unpredictable traits.

3. What are the best daylilies for beginners to cross-pollinate?

Daylilies with simple, open flowers are easier to work with for beginners. Look for cultivars with distinct colors and forms.

4. Where can I learn more about daylily breeding?

The American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) is a great resource for daylily enthusiasts, offering information, resources, and support for breeders.

5. Are there any special tools needed for cross-pollination?

While not essential, a small brush or cotton swab can be helpful for transferring pollen. A magnifying glass can also be useful for examining the flower parts.