Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Alan_b on April 05, 2009, 10:26:58 PM
-
A lot of my snowdrops have big fat seed pods and I am wondering what I should do with them. Of course I understand that snowdrop cultivars will not come true from seed and the seedlings would need to be segregated from their parent to avoid confusion. However, I have an as yet unnamed virescent elwesii that I really like and I think it would be worth trying to germinate the seeds on the off-chance they produce something similar. So I am looking for either:
Advice on how (and when) to so snowdrop seeds for best results
or
An experienced grower of snowdrops from seed who might want these to give them a try (in which case I will send them in the post).
-
Some them straight away Alan. The often germinate in the autumn of the same year.
-
I got seed from G. 'Primrose Warburg' last spring. Sowed it immediately and got germination in the autumn. Definitely best sown 'green'. Never got such good germination from stored seed.
-
I have been wondering too - How would I know when the seed pod is ready?
Regards
John
-
Seed pods need to start turning yellow before removal from the plant. I take them off at the first signs of yellowing and finish off ripening on a sunny window, to be sure the pods don't split in the garden and ants take the seeds before I notice. I sow immediately in well-drained but humusy compost and keep just moist until the following winter when, if you haven't let the seed pot dry out too much, you should get good germination. Never let the seeds dry before sowing. Dried seed can germinate okay, but can also be very sporadic.
I have a pic to post of another (very late) Gal. ikariae seedling with green tips, but Ivi has left the camera, with the photo on it, at her work. Maybe later today.
-
When I have removed seed pods, sometimes the seeds are white - is this OK, do they darken after removing? How do you know when to sow?
-
When I have removed seed pods, sometimes the seeds are white - is this OK, do they darken after removing? How do you know when to sow?
Provided the pods have turned yellow, the seeds will be ripe, and they're often white - it depends on the species or the genetic makeup of the hybrid; plicatus seeds tend to be much darker, usually a bronze to dark brown colour; most other species tend to be whitish. They make look unripe and fleshy but they're not, so go ahead and sow them. The white 'tail' that you'll see soon shrivels after sowing and they turn into little white or brownish balls in the compost.
If you pick the seed pods when they start to turn yellow, they'll usually split open if left on a sunny windowsill. If they don't, once the pod is fully yellow you can split it with a fingernail. The seeds will be ripe if the pod is fully yellow.
-
Thanks Martin, I have quite a lot of pods this year, so I will have a go with them.
-
I seem to remeber somebody told me they just buried the seed pod so I tried that with one seed pod last year. Now I have a little group of seedlings where I think I did this but stupidly I did not make a note or take photographs so I could be completely wrong. Has anybody else come across this simple technique? My concern with doing things the proper way that Martin outlines is that I will not manage to keep the compost moist over the summer months.
-
My concern with doing things the proper way that Martin outlines is that I will not manage to keep the compost moist over the summer months.
I put many plant pots into plastic bags for the Summer - things like snowdrops, no need to water.
-
I seem to remeber somebody told me they just buried the seed pod so I tried that with one seed pod last year. Now I have a little group of seedlings where I think I did this but stupidly I did not make a note or take photographs so I could be completely wrong. Has anybody else come across this simple technique? My concern with doing things the proper way that Martin outlines is that I will not manage to keep the compost moist over the summer months.
E.A. Bowles was supposed to have been the first snowdrop grower to recommend this, I think. It does work, but you still have to wait for the capsule to turn yellow, to be sure the seeds are ripe. The theory was that the rotted mush from the capsule helped keep the seeds moist during the Summer. Not sure about that. I think it's more a case of not having the seeds hanging around and drying out. Pushing the pod in the soil straight from the plant ensures it's sown while fresh, that's all.
-
I don't know much about snowdrops, but if I can get seedlings, anyone can.
I plant the seeds as soon as the pods turn yellow/whitish. The bottom of the pod will be soft when ripe. They will pop out the bottom if set someplace indoors
First picture is from 2006, first spring seedlings popping up, picture taken sometime in early April.
Next two pictures are from today, they are from the same seed lot as the 2006 first spring seedlings. I made four small patches that year. Noticed a couple have two leaves this year, so thats a good sign.
Last picture, these are the snowdrops from which the seeds came. I don't even know what type these are, so if someone could tell me, thanks.
-
I know this is a silly question, but if seeds are sown in pots, how do you ensure they don't dry out? Is it possible to rot the seeds with over-watering? If you sow directly into soil, does that too have to be kept regularly watered through the summer?
-
Seeds in pots are just like any other plant grown in a pot; the pots will need to be overseen to ensure that they are neither too wet nor too dry and that weeds do not colonise the surface and out-compete the desired occupants. This is where a cold frame comes into its own by providing a micro-climate for the pots which can greatly reduce the fluctuations in temperature ( if carefully sited!) and allow for closing off/opening up to rain, sun etc as needed to keep the work needed to maintain the pots in prime order. Even just sitting pots on a sand bed will help to keep them regulated more easily than pots left on a hard surface behind the coal-shed and more or less abandoned.... this latter happening more often that would be preferred! ::)
For seeds sown directly into the garden, extra watering should only be necessary in extreme drought but may be required at times in warmer areas.
-
I know this is a silly question, but if seeds are sown in pots, how do you ensure they don't dry out? Is it possible to rot the seeds with over-watering? If you sow directly into soil, does that too have to be kept regularly watered through the summer?
Maggi has pretty much said it all. I use a well-drained but humusy compost for snowdrop seeds, to avoid waterlogging (though I'm not sure they would mind too much being a bit on the wet side - better than bone-dry). What I use is a mix of JI No. 1 with some general purpose peat-free compost (composted bark and green waste) for added humus, plus a little fine composted bark, and pumice git and molar clay granules for added drainage. This gives me a free-draining pot which can have water poured into it without ever becoming waterlogged. I stand the pots on sand in a frame and water whenever the pots dry out. Outside, not under glass, would probably do just as well and involve less watering, but as Maggi says, standing on sand or grit is better than a hard surface for drainage, and you might still need to water in prolonged dry spells. Seed sown in the open ground should be okay but, again as Maggi says, it's a good idea to water in drought conditions.
-
Thanks guys.
-
Hello folks, I live in Ireland and found a small patch of snowdrops in my garden in early spring which I was delighted with. I am hoping to move them as they are quite hidden.
I have two questions really. Is it ok to move them now? And I saw that they were laden down with seed pods so I picked them thinking that was the thing to do until I found this site and realise that I probably should have left them till they yellowed. They are quite green, picture attached.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Natacha
-
Welcome, Natacha!
Since the pods are already cut off, I can't see the harm in leaving them somewhere warm and dry to see what happens to them. They do look nice and fat so there may be enough mourishment in the pod to allow the seeds to ripen, even offthe plant. If , in a week or so, the pods yellow a bit and look willing to open, then I would sow the seed and cross my fingers.
I'm in Aberdeen, Scotland and even our earlier snowdrops are not quite so far advanced with their seed pods as yours, so I think that you maybe could lift, divide and replant yours now, but the "real" galanthophiles will surely pop up any time with their expert advice ..... l 'et's see what they say....... ::)
-
Thanks Maggi for that. These bloomed in mid Feb, this pic of my little woman sniffing snowdrops and the clump of snowdrops too. Don't know if mid Feb is early or not myself!
Natacha
-
I am NOT an expert when it comes to growing snowdrops from seed but this is my opinion. If you leave the seeds on the windowsill to ripen they will ripen but they will also tend to dehydrate so you would need to keep a careful watch on them if you are to sow them at the right time. I think you might as well bury the seed pods in some moist earth where you want them to germinate, about a cm below the surface, and let nature take its course.
Yes, it is okay to move your snowdrops now, whilst they still have leaves and you can see where they are. Try to lift the entire clump with a fork or a spade and go deep in case the bulbs are deeper than you imagine. Then carefully prise the bulbs apart. You can replace some in the original location if you wish.
-
Cute little snowdrop sniffer you have there, Natacha........ she must be a girl after my own heart.... the nose is always first to the flower..... scent is so important :D
-
Thanks Alan, I will try that so. Just had a look and there are a few smaller pods left on the plant, a couple of which are gone yellowish but they are less juicy looking, so to speak. Will try these also and label the different ones as a little experiment to see how they differ, if at all.
Thanks for your time in reading my post folks.
N
-
....there are a few smaller pods left on the plant, a couple of which are gone yellowish but they are less juicy looking, so to speak. Will try these also and label the different ones as a little experiment to see how they differ, if at all.
Hi Natacha
I too have some of these smaller yellowing pods - my guess is that the ones here have aborted and will not contain any seed. :(
Regards
John
-
Your snowdrops look to me to be Galanthus nivalis, the most common UK snowdrop species. A very expert snowdrop grower I know says in his lectures that the Galanthus nivalis grown in the UK does not set fertile seed if self-pollinated. Hopefully this does not apply to Ireland. Anyway, I await your results with interest. In my own garden I have several different Galanthus species so if anything sets seed I never know if it is self-pollinated or cross pollinated.
-
A thought prompted by another thread:
If one was to send seeds to the Southern Hemisphere could they be germinated six months earlier than in the Northern Hemisphere? Do regulations allow you to send seeds to, say, Australia?
-
Alan,
As long as the species is on our permitted list, seed is fine to come into Australia. There are a lot of species listed in our Quarantine database, so the majority shouldn't be a problem. As long as seed from any hybrid has it's species derivation on there (i.e if it is a named hybrid of an elwesii type then I would write it as Galanthus elwesii 'NAME') then there shouldn't be any problem. I have received seed of Galanthus in the past without any problem. For many of the newer named cultivars they'll never get to Aus, so growing from seed is well worthwhile for us to try for some new stuff here, and maybe be lcuky and get something as nice as the parent. ;D
That info a help?
-
Alan,
Also make sure there is no plant material apart from seeds. Package in new paper or plastic zip-lock bags with the full botanical name.
-
Paul , you have to blame me if I forgot any Galanthus species that do not appear on
the Quarantine Database { AQIS ICON of permitted plants ]-as Bio -Security
Australia asked me and a few others to summit lists of certain genera -of those plants
already growing in australian collections . also did Iris , Colchicum , Lilium , Gentiana and a few other genera . So anything that is not on the list ,willnot be allowed into Australia as seed .One can do a weed assessment , which is labourious, and takes many months to be approved if at all .
-
Otto,
I too worked on a list of the oncos and regelias - don't know if it was used or not.
Also did one on Rosa too - but this was not as complete as the Iris list