You can plant them in the ground, but will your dogs get to them? If so, can you fence them or cover with chicken wire for protection? If not, replant in a larger pot, plastic to prevent such rapid evaporation, let them get a little larger, plant in ground, and protect with stakes.
Bob

Thanks for the reply, Bob. I have a dog-safe area where I can put them in the ground. I was just worried that a transplant in such a tender state would be the death of them. They are intended for the ground any way. Last weekend, I gave them a good watering with a 10-10-10 fertilizer and put them in my "Rubbermaid greenhouse" (it's actually just a semi-clear storage box with a flap-top lid that I use to sprout seeds). The seedlings haven't all uncurled, but they've 'greened-up' a bit in just a couple days. Maybe this weekend, I'll feel they're healthy enough (and I'll feel brave enough) to put the little guys in the ground. And if that doesn't work and I lose them, ah well, what's another 6 months of germinating new ones anyway, right? :) Sigh.

I'm curious -- what's a "butterfly iris"?

Joe

Butterfly iris = African iris = Fortnight lily. Dietes or Moraea.

Bob

It's a newly aquired common name. I noticed the appellation at Armstrong's yesterday. Specifically applied to D. iridioides or grandiflora (a pox on all plant taxonomists, I still can't distinguish between the two easily).

I would lean toward an in place planting since it's likely to be less stressful (the soil will retain moisture longer and stay cooler than a pot) though these are not easy to kill through neglect. I've never bothered to grow them from seed, mine came from a clump that had been pulled out of the ground and left in the hot, baking sun for two weeks (July).

Ryan

My mistake, the common name is older than I thought and evidently applied to all of the evergreen species within the Moraea-Dietes group.

Ryan

Hmmm....am surprized you would bother to try to raise a Morea lily from seed. The plants are practically as readily available in Calif. gardens as the agapanthus is. Can't think of a soul who would not give you many divisions (any time of year) from their plants. They grow like weeds.

On applying fertilizer to a not-so-robust sprouted seed: Never a good idea to do that.

"am surprized you would bother to try to raise a Morea lily from seed."

Yeah, I suppose there's no accounting for how folks choose to waste time on their hobbies. :) Guess I'm just one of those nostalgic types who will choose sentimental value over practicality. For example, I'll start a tree by rooting a cutting if it came from the house I grew up in. I once sprouted cherry seedlings from fruit eaten in a work meeting, and gifted my team with some of the plants potted into decorative containers. In the case of the iris seedlings, the seeds were collected (with permission) while on a walk with a friend. Of course it's easier to start plants from free divisions or to buy from a nursery, but there's something to be said about doing something difficult just to see if you can, and then passing on a meaningful gift of your labors to loved ones.

Thanks to everyone who posted their advice and knowledge on this thread. The little plants seem to be doing well at this time (new growth!)and I think they're gonna be just fine.

One of the aforementioned butterly iris plants is finally blooming! I'll post a photo of it in full bloom in about a week or so. I also talk at length about this first bloom in another post in the Favorites forum here.

Here is a link that might be useful: The first butterfly iris flower buds from seed