EXPERIENCES WITH BREEDING AURICULAS - Autumn 2003 to Spring 2004

EXPERIENCES WITH BREEDING AURICULAS
Page 2
(Autumn 2003 to Spring 2004)

UPDATE - September to December 2003

All but one of the crosses produced seed. This is now stored in an air tight jar in the fridge. Here it will stay until sown in late January 2004 (actually 1st February 2004). First flowering hopefully occurring in Spring 2005.
This lead time means that the only seedlings I can expect to flower this coming spring are the ones I set in January 2003. These are a few self crosses and some stripe crosses, 40 seedlings in all. I therefore kept as many of the unflowered Marion Tiger x Red Self seedling as I had room for. These spent the summer high up sweltering on hanging shelves in one of the shaded greenhouses. Some produced late or autumn trusses, of these only a chestnut brown self was kept. That is until I lost it to root rot. One surprise was a few rough but definitely striped seedlings which demonstrate that striping may not be totally resessive after all.
A blue self cross produced nothing of any quality in Spring 2003 but a couple flowered promisingly in September. I have included a picture of one to show that at least some of the late flowerers have a bit of form!

Marion Tiger x RAS
(Stripe Seedling)
Discarded
An unusual plant that looked a lot better after being left out in the rain! Marion Tiger x RMS

Discarded Watchet x Girl Guide
(Blue Self Seedling)
Kept

Marion Tiger x RAS

Discarded Marion Tiger x RAS
(Rusty Red Self Seedling)
Discarded Marion Tiger x RAS
(Fancy Seedling)
Kept (good paste) From Seed Exchange
(Pink Seedling)
Kept a while
(now discarded)

Marion Tiger x RAS
(Stripe Seedling)
Kept for Raised Tube
(Raised Tube)
Close up of tube

UPDATE - 2004

Some seedlings in flower February 2004 show a little promise as they should carry resessive genes for striping, but not quite good enough to keep. Now and again you get an odd throwback, curious but of no value. Amazing variation from the same G1 cross.

Marion Tiger x RAS Discarded	Marion Tiger x RAS Discarded	Marion Tiger x RMS Worst seedling award?
Marion Tiger x RAS The first red self for some time Discarded	Marion Tiger x RAS Discarded	Marion Tiger x RAS Pretty but petals do not overlap Kept to cross with a variety like High Hopes

Seed was sown on 1st February 2004. This showed signs of germination 5 weeks later when it covered by a thin layer of vermiculite. Seedling emergence in some numbers was noticed 2 weeks later.

CROSSES 2004

Seedlings that were selected for crossing in 2003 were potted on into 3.5 inch pots after seed harvest, to become show sized plants for Spring 2004.

Seedling 6 (I think!) was the first to flower in March 2004. The plant shows excellent vigour and flower power having three strong offsets all of which have three pip trusses. The central rosette has a side truss of six pips that have just started opening and a central truss of at least five small buds. The pips are clean, bright, have good paste and show consistency. (Quality tubes are a must).
Seedling 6 was crossed with a small plant of Border Beauty mainly because they were in flower together and combination of their good points could produce the target red and white stripes. As the cross was made on the 22nd of March conditions were not ideal and the cross may fail, but if you don't try you will never know!

Seedling 6 (Photo - 22 March 2004)
Local name Trafalgar
Border Beauty
Seedling 12 (local name Strand) also seemed to improve on its second flowering. and was a striking pink and white stripe. Its main fault was a too large tube. So it was crossed with (RAS x Marion Tiger) G1 seedlings that were mainly flowering for the first time that had wider paste and smaller tubes.

Seedling 12 (Photo - 10 April 2004)
Local name Strand
G1 fancy - better paste and tube

G1 fancy
better paste and tube
G1 fancy
better paste and tube
G1 fancy
better paste and tube G1 seedling
G1 fancy
better paste and tube
G1 fancy
better paste and tube

Later a further truss on Strand was crossed with a further truss on Trafalgar.

Various crosses were also made with the more unusual G1 seedlings.
G1 Seedling	G1 Seedling	G1 Seedling

And for something completely different a cross was made between Snitched (a Derek Parson's stripe) and a purple self, both lacking paste. The paste having a pale yellow appearance.	Snitched	The Purple Thing
The final cross of this session was a G1 cross selfed because of its striped leaves. The flower being just an average red self.	Striped leaf.	Striped leaf plant.
Two other G1 seedlings are worthy of note. One is similar to Marion Tiger with rounder paste and the other is also striped with larger flowers of rusty red and grey-green. I thought I should try and get something on the show bench. So the newly opening pips will not be used for crossing but left to develop fully, which should make better photos. Of course if they do not make the shows there are likely to be some immature pips for crossing later. In the event neither made the shows. The Marion Tiger look-a-like was kept and the other which refused to flatten was discarded. Neither was used for breeding.

Seedlings On The Showbench 2004

Some success at the shows was achieved with plants I have bred.
The high spot being the Knowle Auricula Show where I won the classes for Four Selfs and Two Fancies which included four varieties (pictured below) of my own raising.

Seedling 13 - Named Fleet Street
With Nankenan won the Class for Two Fancies
Named Coventry Street
After winning cards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd this year.
Has so far been given to one other grower.
I have plenty of it.

Piccadilly
Now an old hand with six 1sts and two 2nds.
Has been given to five other growers.
Seedling 3 - Named Bank Error
Won Best Seedling at Uplands and
a 1st at Knowle.

MORE CROSSES 2004

After the Knowle Auricula Show Fleet Street (having two almost identical trusses) was crossed with Border Beauty and both ways with Warwick.
Star Wars was crossed with Border Beauty and Night and Day. A second plant of Star Wars received some pollen from Fleet Street.
So there should be plenty of seed produced later this year with hopefully some spare for the Seed Exchanges.
Fleet Street

BACK EXPERIENCES WITH BREEDING AURICULAS - Page 1 - The Early Days

NEXT EXPERIENCES WITH BREEDING AURICULAS - Page 3 - Summer 2004

ALSO EXPERIENCES WITH BREEDING AURICULAS - Page 4 - Seedlings 2005

ALSO EXPERIENCES WITH BREEDING AURICULAS - Page 5 - Summer/Autumn 2005

HOME

SHOWS

AURICULAS

PRIMULAS

HUMOUR

DATES

COMMENTS

Seedlings that were selected for crossing in 2003 were potted on into 3.5 inch pots after seed harvest, to become show sized plants for Spring 2004. Seedling 6 (I think!) was the first to flower in March 2004. The plant shows excellent vigour and flower power having three strong offsets all of which have three pip trusses. The central rosette has a side truss of six pips that have just started opening and a central truss of at least five small buds. The pips are clean, bright, have good paste and show consistency. (Quality tubes are a must). Seedling 6 was crossed with a small plant of Border Beauty mainly because they were in flower together and combination of their good points could produce the target red and white stripes. As the cross was made on the 22nd of March conditions were not ideal and the cross may fail, but if you don't try you will never know!
Seedling 6 (Photo - 22 March 2004) Local name Trafalgar	Border Beauty
Seedling 12 (local name Strand) also seemed to improve on its second flowering. and was a striking pink and white stripe. Its main fault was a too large tube. So it was crossed with (RAS x Marion Tiger) G1 seedlings that were mainly flowering for the first time that had wider paste and smaller tubes.
Seedling 12 (Photo - 10 April 2004) Local name Strand	G1 fancy - better paste and tube

G1 fancy better paste and tube	G1 fancy better paste and tube	G1 fancy better paste and tube	G1 fancy better paste and tube	G1 fancy better paste and tube
Later a further truss on Strand was crossed with a further truss on Trafalgar.

Some success at the shows was achieved with plants I have bred. The high spot being the Knowle Auricula Show where I won the classes for Four Selfs and Two Fancies which included four varieties (pictured below) of my own raising.
Seedling 13 - Named Fleet Street With Nankenan won the Class for Two Fancies	Named Coventry Street After winning cards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd this year. Has so far been given to one other grower. I have plenty of it.
Piccadilly Now an old hand with six 1sts and two 2nds. Has been given to five other growers.	Seedling 3 - Named Bank Error Won Best Seedling at Uplands and a 1st at Knowle.