Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Seedy Subjects! => Grow From Seed => Topic started by: robg on October 26, 2009, 11:28:57 AM

Title: Getting seed to ripen
Post by: robg on October 26, 2009, 11:28:57 AM

Getting viable seed from your own plants and growing it on is a real satisfaction.  I've two house plants which I can perfectly well get from other sources but then there is the challenge ... the trouble is that they are now going over and the seed pods haven't fully ripened.

One is ipomeia tricolor - half a dozen seed heads, one possibly darkening now.  The other plant is gloriosa rothschildiana which has a magnificent seed pod but it remains hard and green.

Any suggestions ?

Rob

Title: Re: Getting seed to ripen
Post by: cohan on October 26, 2009, 05:14:58 PM

as long as the plant is in conditions where its still growing, then its probably just a matter of time;
i've been learning a lot about seeds, collecting in the wild this year, and everything has its own timetable--there are spring flowers that dont ripen seeds til late autumn, and autumn flowers that ripen almost immediately..
tender plants no doubt have even more options...

Title: Re: Getting seed to ripen
Post by: Maggi Young on October 26, 2009, 05:35:32 PM

I would be inclined to think that if the parent plant is dying back naturally, then the chances are that  viable seed has not been set.
Usually a plant which has set good seed will grow on long enough to ripen that seed.
In spite of appearances, an otherwise fat, promising looking seed pod may not really have any good seed in, and so the plant is happy just to shut down.

Title: Re: Getting seed to ripen
Post by: Diane Whitehead on October 27, 2009, 02:31:40 AM

But then you get the flowers that will produce good seeds when
they have been chopped off and thrown in the compost - like a lot
of weeds.

There are desirable flowers that do the same, though.  Now, let me
try to remember what has done that for me.

Yes, now I remember two:  Nerine and Pacific Coast Iris

Title: Re: Getting seed to ripen
Post by: cohan on October 28, 2009, 07:53:50 PM

Quote from: Diane Whitehead on October 27, 2009, 02:31:40 AM

But then you get the flowers that will produce good seeds when
they have been chopped off and thrown in the compost - like a lot
of weeds.

There are desirable flowers that do the same, though.  Now, let me
try to remember what has done that for me.

Yes, now I remember two:  Nerine and Pacific Coast Iris

i have had some composites seem to do this--that is from failed cuttings, actually;whether the seed germinates remains to be seen in the spring..