Question
Sept. 9th, 2012
I have a number of pods and they are fairly brown.  Should I cut off the whole pod and bring it inside to pop open on paper?    We had a freeze the other day. Should I just put them in a baggie and keep them in the refrigerator for 7 months.  The outside ones do that-and of course it gets down to -30 to -45, but averages about 0 to -20 over the winter.
My iris winter over well and have beautiful flowers.  (about 6 plants)
I will not be able to 'plant' any seeds for about 7 months.
The snow starts leaving in late March.
I hate to waste the seeds.  
Our winters are longer than what I've read from other people.
I'd appreciate any advice on care, storage and planting in spring (or early winter?).
thank you..

Answer
Hi Nelda,
Thanx for your question.  You can harvest the dry seed pods when they begin to split open.  If they're completely brown, wait for the end to start coming apart.  Take the pods and open them up over a paper plate and allow the seeds to fall out. You can store the seeds in a plastic baggie or a glass jar.  Keep the seed, cool, dry and dark.  You can start them indoors in January but most iris seed requires a cold period in order to break dormancy.  That means the seed needs to be in a damp, cold environment for 60-90 days and then returned to a damp, warm environment.   This breaks a natural dormancy imposed by hormones to keep the seed from germinating in the wrong season (winter) which would result in the death of the seedling.  What happens is, the hormones are triggered to keep the seed dormant while the environment is cold.  But, it requires a certain amount of days.  Once that time period has been met, the seed will produce hormones that trigger the growth of the embryo, once sustained warmer periods have been achieved and the seed germinates.  You can reproduce this by placing the seed in a damp paper cloth and sealing it in a plastic baggie and leaving it in the fridge for 2 or 3 months and then plant the seed in pots and keep them warm and damp.  Germination usually occurs within the first month but it can be erratic and occur over a few months.  The seedlings will look like grass at first but are quickly identifiable as baby iris plants after a few weeks.  You will then want to take the seedlings out doors after the last frost and place them in the shade for about ten days to acclimate them to the outdoors and then plant in full sun.  It will take two sometimes three years for blooming.  I hope this helps.
Tom