F1 means a first cross breed or first generation, f2 is the second generation and so fourth, the number denotes the generations since the original cross breeding.
Worth noting the F means bred from a male and a female. a female female or self seed is denoted as S.
does that mean that my seeds this summer are f1 because they crossed last summer?...and this years would be f2?.....and how far does it go and why?
Hi rollingalong looks like all is growing well in your garden. If they are first crosses from two or more different strains then yes there classed as f1 and if they inter breed again f2 etc.... Not sure how far it would go but by time you see uniformity in the plants around f8 they would be classed as a strain. Another thing you probably found the first crosses had quite a few wimps and were.nt not very uniform but the decent ones tend to grow like rockets (hybred vigor). Its kind of a trade off to breed to uniformity you will notice the plants becoming stable in what you get every plant the same but the vigor trails away if you keep doing it the genes will stagnat in the end as to when depending on size of your gene pool you started with and they will fail so a cunning breeder would re cross or back breed when they notice this starting to happen to regain health and vigor.
So if you intend to maintain your own strain its worth keeping some of the seeds through the yrs so you can back breed to there great great great great great mums or dads but if you just wanna maintain healthy seeds you would re cross with anything you think is decent enough and there the story of F would start all over again lol
We like pictures. Seems to me if you cross anything with northen lights big bud white widow its a back breed of some description as they seem to be in everything.
