Growing Daylilies Together

I am curious as to how other hybridizers lay out their seedling beds. Do you have a special way of organizing your seedlings and why does it work for you? How do you ID the seedlings when you first set them out? What do you use for labels? Do you ID each individual seedling? I'm assuming that the labels should be good for at least 2 years, but some of my 'sunproof & waterproof marker' IDs are already fading after 5 months. Makes me worry about being able to tell what's what next spring.

Great question! Can't wait to hear what others have to say.

I'm a very small backyarder at about 700 seedlings per year but this is what I do:
I plant my seedlings in wide rows about 4-6" between plants and about 1' between rows. I mark each cross with a metal Paw-Paw marker that I've labeled with the cross number followed by an abbreviation of the cross. When I photograph each plant I give it a seedling number and mark it using a plastic knife. I use an industrial sharpie and mark both ends of the knife. I write the full seedling number on the knife including year-cross#-seedling#

If the top part fades in the sun, the part that is in the dirt will still be readable. These last for at least 4 years. Sometimes they get stepped on & broken but usually the part in the ground stays with the seedling. If the cross marker gets taken out, then each of the knife markers will show me where the crosses start/stop in the row.

In some areas my seedlings are interplanted with other perennials in the main beds. In that case I just plant them in groups but mark as I indicated above.

An iris hybrisizer I know marks his crosses using a PVC pipe at the start of each cross. He writes on the PVC with paint pens. He has many more seedlings per year than I do...as in acres. He plants in single file rows.

This is an excellent topic for discussion and I too am interested to hear others share about their experience.

I'm just a small-time hybridizer with very limited growing space so I've adapted to what works best for ME. Like Debra, most of my beds have other perennials inter-mixed with my daylilies so I have some color throughout the whole growing season. I'll focus my comments on the one bed I created just for my daylily seedlings 7 years ago.

I made this raised seedling bed 6' x 18' long; 6" between each seedling, 6" between each row, every third row I left 12" so I could step in and weed when I needed to. This allowed for 243 seedlings. At the end of every 2nd year, I culled what I needed to and moved the rest of the keepers and those that had not bloomed yet to other areas so I could start this bed over again. This is when my seedlings are designated inventory numbers beside the abbreviated cross.

That first year I used the 7-8" white plastic markers and wrote the full cross on them with a black permanent Sharpie pen, one marker at the beginning of each cross. By the end of that summer, many of the labels began to fade to the point of illegibility. Thankfully, I caught these before they faded completely and re-wrote them. Unfortunately, over a dozen ended up laying in the yard somewhere else or disappeared completely. YIKES!

I learned a lot from that first full season (or rather, the squirrels in my neighborhood taught me a lot). I have not used these white plastic markers since that first year, not only because of the written crosses fading, but mostly because of the darned squirrels make a game of pulling them up and carrying them off somewhere. (Becki-0, Squirrels-1) Needless to say, I am on a first name basis with most of the squirrels around here. There is @#!!*&, +^%&!! and %&$!!, well, you get the picture.

Anyway, since that first year, I decided I needed a more productive and fool-proof (or rather squirrel-proof) way of labeling my daylilies. The second season and thereafter, I have used the 11" metal plant markers and the Dymo labeling system (because it was the least expensive I could find). I can push these 11" metal markers twice as far in the ground as I could the plastic ones, they don't break and most importantly, for some reason, the squirrels completely leave them alone. (Becki-1, Squirrels-1)

The plastic labels (I use the white background with black lettering) last for a solid 3 years before any begin to show any signs of fading (at least in MY garden), so I replace the labels every third year, just as a preventative measure.

But for ME, the most important thing I do is to make a hand-drawn map at the end of each season of each of my seedlings bed. Because I move some plants in and out each year (cull the uglies and sub-par, add new purchases)its crucial that I do this.

On these maps, I draw out the shape of the bed and make a small circle where a plant is and give that circle a number. Then I make a corresponding list of the plants and crosses on a sheet of notebook paper that I staple to the back of each map. I slip these into a clear plastic report cover and keep these in a cheap 3 ring notebook that I keep for my seedlings. I double check these every fall and make any necessary changes. This way I have an updated paper copy as a backup just in case my plant markers get moved. (Becki-2, Squirrels-1)

Thanks for your replies. So much of this is 'guess & test', but it's a shame to lose a year's work because you guessed wrong about what kind of pen to use on your labels. I just found a couple threads on page 4 of the 'Hybridizing Corner' that speaks to our questions...'I Need Help-How do you mark your seedlings?' and 'Managing the seedling bed'.
I've read that several people create maps once they've lined out their seedlings. I organized my first year's beds by cross (Belle of Ashwood babies in block 1, Foothills Fantasy babies in block 2, etc.) I used graph paper to map the seedlings as I lined them out, with each 1/4" square representing 1/2' (I used this ratio because I planted my seedlings 6" apart....if you plant yours 1' apart, each square can represent 1'). I indicated on the graph paper which box represented the first seedling of a cross and which was the last. I even put the paths between the blocks on the graph paper to make as accurate a map as possible. THEN...I transferred all that info to an Excel Spreadsheet, adjusting the column width & row height to look like graph paper. You don't have to have OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) to do this, but it helps. So when a label gets moved (in my garden, my cat is the culprit...she thinks that its the biggest litter box she could ever hope for), I can put it back in the right place.
This whole mapping business is going to get confusing when I start culling and moving things around.

I tried to upload the file with the map, but didn't succeed. I think seeing it will make it easier to understand. I'll try again.

Nope. Looks like you can't upload an Excel file, so I saved it as a text file. But the text file doesn't show all the neat little boxes with the cross IDs in them...just looks like jibberish. Sorry.

Brother PTouch label maker works great. No fading or rolling of edges since 2006. If you read about them, they are for outdoors, only the PTouch Brother, unless they have a new one. They still look new. I put these on the metal markers(got them from the LA, don't remember who)I got 300 and they are still in great shape(except for the ones the lawn mower ate!!!)I would advise to get the longer metal markers. they are so much easier to read. These are on my named hybrids only.

SHARPIES WILL NOT WORK!!!! They fade or rub off in just weeks!!

Paint pens from arts department at WalMart have worked great since 2008 on some labels and I use it to write on flags. The flag wears out but the writing is still there.

My seedlings have all been marked with pencils and plastic blinds. Number 2 pencils have been used since 1999 with great success. I still have several since 1999 and they are readable!!!These were my first daylilies(not seedlings) and the lady I bought them from told me to do this. I have used a mechanical(sp??) #9 with dark lead for years as well as the #2 wooden. I use plastic blinds for all seedlings with no problem.

I do not know about beds because my soil doesn't allow this. I use red plastic cups until seedlings need to be potted up.
I can see how beds would be a nightmare if the labels were removed. I can admire ya'lls maps. I think they are a must. I'm sure it's very time consuming but necessary.

We would have Squirrel Stew for years if they took out my labels!!! I could deal with a few, but I'm not generous!!!

My dread one day this Fall when I looked out over my 1500 pots and all those white "Sticks" where standing up to be seen was this. My grand child collecting all those pretty white sticks for her Gemma!!!! I'd DIE!!! So now most have atleast a small hanging label that I use buried under the soil for protection. I ordered these labels from a paper company and I love them. They are key tags. I use them for seed marking. Plastic coated tags that do not fade or mold. They are not very expensive and work great!! I get bright yellow so I can see them. I tried white but I really like the yellow best.

I have read a litte about a PC printer that you can use to make labels. I love this idea but I must get more info first because I know regular labels and my printer will not work. It's something new.

As with all things, these are my opinion and we all have one. so take each thing and mix them up and throw away all that you don't like!!

Blessings to all, Mona

Good Topic I just had a revelation with Mona's idea of using blinds. That is I am going to use one color to start them and one color to end them. Or just go every other one with a different color. I create maps and use signs but I still know some of my crosses are not the right ones. This business can be a data nightmare. So anyways, I will try that. But I have two questions for Mona. First, what size of labels should I buy for that labeler? (I have been looking for one to buy thanks for the tip) next did you say that just a pencil mark will stay on those blinds for years? If so cool. Or maybe that pen from walmart looks good. I personally have been using china markers even to make my crosses because I have lost faith in pens and sharpies.

Tom

Hi Tom,
I'm reading up on some "weather ressistant" address labels. I've found several brands. These labels can be used with a laser printer and some more expensive ones can be used with an ink jet printer. I forsee using these for my seedlings. I'd print out the labels and then stick the label to my plastic blind. This would drastically cut the time that I spend making labels by hand writing with my trusty pencil one label at a time. I write the pod and pollen and all info on both. It takes hours to make these silly things.

I do not use my PTouch by Brother for seedlings because the label tapes are rather expensive for so many labels. I use these PTouch labels for my named Hybrids only. I use the half inch size tapes because I can get two lines one above the other. These fit nicely on the metal plant markers. As I said, mine have been on for 5 years with none damaged yet. I use the Ptouch model 1750 with half inch black on white TZ tape. I bought all of this at my local Sam's Club and they have had the TZ tapes in stock. I haven't checked this year to see if they still have all this. I'm pretty sure WalMart or Office Max would have what you need. If not, Brother has an online site that sells it all.

I'm researching a model of Brother that attaches to my PC. I think if I was getting another one, I'd buy this one. Go to their Website and check them all out before purchasing.

www.brother-usa.com/LabelingSystems/

hello Carole, I line my seedlings in rows numerically.Each year gets the first two numbers and the last no. is the cross .I have used a brother label maker put on a white window blind about 4 1/2 inches
these have lasted for many years. When I select the seedling out of the seedling bed I add a alphabet letter to the reference no. on the end.

I sell the printer and tape on this site. It is the TZ tape, it is the industrial tape that last for years and years. for 30 feet you can make a lot of labels. The printer I use is great because it is connected to the computer and can save templates for each marker I have. Check out the store if you haven't done so.

For my seedlings I use 8 inch plastic sticks that I bought from a nursery wharehouse. I am thinking that the blinds are a much better idea because my markers are brittle and break whenever the wind blows.