Midsummer hybridizing?

[sdjames]

For some reason three of my sarracenias have decided to flower in midsummer: S. alata, 'W.C.' and 'Super Green Giant.' The blooms opened within three days of each other and I saw at least two interesting potential hybrids among them. I made the crosses this afternoon but now I'm wondering do these midsummer crosses have a chance of producing mature seed?

Anything looking like winter here (San Diego) is months away, but I've never tried making crosses this late. These bloomed on stems that were almost the normal length instead of the little stubs that they sometimes put out when flowering in the fall.

 

[sarracenia]

that's a tough call. i would think the plants would start entering dormancy before the pods ripened. that being said, i don't think it's going to hurt the plants much to leave them on and see what happens. at the worst, i think, it might affect next year's flowers, but that's just a guess.

also, i thought i read somewhere once that the seeds ripen before the capsule does, and you can harvest the seeds even while the capsule is still green, with the caveat that you should plant the seeds immediately. then again, i could totally be thinking of something else too.

if it were me, and I was in San Diego and not WI, I would leave 'em on and harvest once dormancy sets in and sow right away. I always get flowers this time of year too, but I snip them off, since the first frosts could be as little as 2 months away.

 

[sdjames]

Thanks for the quick response! Yeah, I guess it can't hurt trying. Both of the plants I crossed are big multi-crown plants so I figured it probably wouldn't set them back much. I've already collected six batches of seed from crosses made as early as March, so this will definitely be a test.

 

[lance]

I live 4 hours north of San Diego and my mature sarrs still haven't flowered this year. It has been one of the coldest summers I've ever seen in California so this must be the problem to this.:-( Still, if your sarracenia just flowered then mine can't be too far away from putting out shoots (considering that the summer weather just kicked in)

 

[Alexis]

I've had viable seed produced in December and January from late pollinated flowers.

 

[Wire Man]

They'll be fine. The seeds ripen and then wait in the seed pods until cooler weather hits.

 

[sdjames]

I live 4 hours north of San Diego and my mature sarrs still haven't flowered this year. It has been one of the coldest summers I've ever seen in California so this must be the problem to this.:-( Still, if your sarracenia just flowered then mine can't be too far away from putting out shoots (considering that the summer weather just kicked in)

I've been reading some of the garden blogs from the Central Coast north and they're grousing about May Gray and June Gloom hanging around into August. It sounds like you're finally warming up where you are. I hope you get some blooms this season. Last year was we got the frigid spring and summer ourselves, but the main sarracenia bloom was only pushed back 2-3 weeks.

And Alexis and Wire Man, thanks for giving me hope!