obtaining seeds from violet plants

14 years ago

I have one violet that appears to have produced a "seed head" on several blooms. I am experienced with saving seeds and planting them from other flowers; however I have never had an african violet bloom that produced (what appears to be) a seed pod. With the other pods, I waited until the pod dried and tried to look/obtain some tiny seeds. About one week ago, I planted what I thought to be the seeds. I don't think I will have success with these. There is one more seed pod maturing. I would love to be able to grow a few violets from my own seeds.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Featured Answer

bspofford

14 years ago

A week is not enough time to allow germaination for AV seeds. Keep the growing medium damp but not 'wet', put in bright light (not sun), temps that are comfortable for you, and wait. And wait. And wait. Speedy germination is about 3 weeks. I'v had seeds sprout as long as 4 months.

For your seed pod, let it mature and stay on the plant until shrivelled, then remove. If you wish to store it you can put it in an airtight container like a small jar, and keep in the refer for a year.

The seeds are almost like dust they are so tiny.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Barbara

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Comments (8)

nature_lover22
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you! I can be very patient!
kaslkaos
14 years ago
I had the same thing happen, I saved the seed, but haven't tried starting them yet. I think I'll try mine in spring, as I keep a cold house in winter. It's from a named violet hybrid too, so I'd love to see it's progeny.
sewwht
14 years ago
Is a seed pod on an AV really rare, or haven't I looked close enough? About how big is the pod? I'm going to keep a look out for one.
koray
14 years ago
It is winter here in Turkiye actually the same season as Newyork. But i am lucky to propagate from seed. I use a green house made from a plastic shoe box. There is a scanner transparancy adapter :) on it with a timer for obtaining automatic 12 hours of light. High humidity and more. Wait for just 8 days for the seed to open. There are are some pictures of mine for you in my blog. I am propagating from seed and i took macro photographs of them. If you have more questions i will answer. Do not hesitate to ask.

http://evdetarim.blogspot.com/2009/12/african-violet-seed-propagation.html
koray
14 years ago
More photos of my dry and fresh seed and fruit of african violet. I guess i took the best photos of this subject because i could not find better on the net till now.

http://evdetarim.blogspot.com/2009/03/afrika-meneksesi-tohumu-african-violet.html
Christine
14 years ago
Those are great pictures Koray! When I decided to make a cross I couldn't find many photos at all of pods, seeds, and seedling growth stages.

Sewwht, African Violets don't readily self-pollinate. Sometimes they do if the reproductive parts grow into each other. Usually the plants depend on critters (like thrips) for pollination, so if you see pods, check for thrips! It's easy to pollinate flowers yourself. Here's one site with instructions: http://www.grownotes.com/hybridizing-african-violets/

After your seeds mature there are a number of ways to grow them. Below is a link for one photo-illustrated how-to site.

I think it's really exciting to grow from seeds because of the surprise of seeing what the flowers finally look like.

Nature Lover22, please let us know once you see sprouts!

Here is a link that might be useful: Janet's Low-Tech Method for Starting African Violets from Seed
HU-617915867
3 years ago
First you must have a light soil, check with a greenhouse. Then gently spread the tiny, tiny African violet seeds on top of the soil. Do not cover. Gently spray to keep moist and keep in a window with filtered light. Keep them in warm parts of the house. Maybe cover with plastic to keep in moisture. Watch and wait.