Expert Dick Sloan gives simple directions for Collecting & Starting Louisiana Iris Seeds

Seeds of Louisiana Irises have a corky layer for flotation, so look large when harvested. The stalks will tend to fall over as time passes, so the pods rest on the ground and the seeds disperse with the fall rains. Remove the pods as they begin to turn brown and begin to split at the end. Planting immediately will produce some seedlings the first fall and also the next spring. If the seeds are allowed to completely dry, they, as with many plants, germinate over a long period, a mechanism to protect the species. Place the seeds in pots and transplant them once they crowd the containers. Normally some will bloom the second spring if they are happy with growth conditions. I place the pots of seedlings in kiddie pools after germination and gradually raise the water levels to just over the tops of the pots as the seedlings grow. Use mosquito dunks. The first fall after germination seedlings can be separated and lined out. The plants grow normally at the margin of, or into, shallow water. Here, my garden is slightly below the surrounding area, so I can flood it periodically when the rains don't cooperate. For the purposes of many growers, all the seedlings will probably be useful. If we are trying to grow "new and improved" selections, many will be discarded.		Iris 'Amber River' (Sloan, 1985)
		Iris 'Edmond Riggs' (Sloan, 2003)