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Garden

Creating hibiscus hybrids

By YVONNE SWANSON
Published June 10, 2006

	[Photo: Yvonne Swanson]
	Use a small brush to remove pollen from the father plant and brush onto the mother plant.
	A net bag covers the pod and will catch seeds if they drop. The pod is labeled with parentage information.
	How the hibiscus stole their hearts Drivers stop and look. Some park and walk around the property. One man even walked right in the front door to ask about the plants for sale.

Tropical hibiscus is one of the easiest plants to cross-pollinate by hand. All you do is take the pollen from one species and brush or rub it onto the stamen (the long anther-looking filament at the center of the blossom) of another species, and you can create an entirely new plant.

Use these simple tips from Fred and Connie Roush of Palm Harbor, who have hybridized hundreds of hibiscus, to create your own plants:

* Using a small paintbrush, gently remove pollen from the stamen of a blossom (the father plant).

* Brush the pollen onto the stamen of another hibiscus (the mother plant). Gently pinch the stamen to make sure the pollen adheres.

* It's important to note the parentage of the cross-pollination. If the mother plant was Versacolor and the father plant was Pride of Hankin, you should record the match as "Versacolor x Pride of Hankin" and note the date.

* The hibiscus blossom, which opens for only a day, will close up and fall from the plant in two to three days, leaving a pod in which seeds will form. Gently remove the green calyx leaves at the base of the pod, keeping it intact on the stem.

* Wrap the pod in a small piece of netting and secure at the stem with a string or bag tie to catch seeds that might drop.

* Seeds can take up to six to eight weeks to mature. The pod will be brown and seeds will look like fuzzy BBs. Plant each seed in a small pot with soil.

* You won't know the color of the blossoms until the plant produces its first flowers. You can end up with a variety.

* Don't forget to name your new creation. You can have your hybrid registered by the American Hibiscus Society. For more information, visit www.americanhibiscus.org.

[Last modified June 9, 2006, 11:18:29]