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justjoy_gw

Impatien seed harvesting

justjoy
18 years ago

I'm new to impatiens but have fallen in love with their gorgeous variety. I'm just having a problem with harvesting the seeds of one variety and unfortunately I don't know it's proper name. It's a simple five petaled pink flower with what looks to be a green seed in the middle of the petals. As the petals fall away all that's left is the green seedlike part and the stem. What I'm trying to find out is if infact this really is a seed or not. I've attempted to harvest and immediately plant them but haven't have any luck. I've also tried to dry them before planting but they just disintegrate. I have however, to my great delight, found several baby impatiens cropping up around my original plant. so I know there's hope. Thank you so much for any help you can offer =0)

Comments (11)

  • periwinkle_MD
    18 years ago

    Hello JustJoy,

    I, like you, attempted to harvest seeds from my impatients last year. I live in Washington, D.C. and spring is in the air for us now. I planted my seeds and to my joy they are now little seedlings. Mind you, I have to wait for a long time (30 days at least) for them to germinate - a lot of patience were called for. I nearly gave up hope! I guess their namesake is meant to be for us. Anyway, back to your question...

    The greenlike pod is not the seed. It is the container of the seeds. Inside the pod, there are many tiny black seeds. You pop the pods with your fingers so that you may collect the seeds but please do this in an evelope so that the seeds won't fly everywhere. I guess you are saving them for your next summer. According to Mr. Impatient and some posts, you may have to freeze them. I did not but kept my seeds in a dry place.

    Hope the above helps. Best of luck!

    Periwinkle

  • MrImpatiens
    18 years ago

    Periwinkle is right about the seed pods but, you have to wait for them to mature. They should grow to look like little footballs. When they are ready to harvest, they should look somewhat translucent. Becareful because they will explode that is where they get their name. With the bedding type you dont need to put them in the fridge.

  • gardenlove
    18 years ago

    Hello!..Will Impatiens re-seed themselves fairly easily if seed pods are allowed to ripen on the plants in the garden?..I am in Zone 5...or should I collect seed and store it for planting in spring?...I was hopeing they were as persistant in the garden as the johnny jump ups and violas!!..haha..wishful thinking I bet..I am new to Impatiens...thanks!...GardenLove

  • MrImpatiens
    18 years ago

    You will need to collect seeds for next year.

  • spunky_MA_z6
    18 years ago

    Are there any special instructions for new guinea impatiens? I have harmony magenta and would love to keep it going.

  • MrImpatiens
    18 years ago

    Cuttings are the best way for New Guineas. I've never collected or seen seeds on them.

  • gransfun
    15 years ago

    Uh Oh!
    I may have just screwed up!
    I was out collecting seeds from my other usual varieties: Cockscomb, Gomphrena, Periwinkles, etc. Being new to Impatiens, I didn't know what to do. I inspected the plant, assumed the seed was in the center of the bloom, and picked almost every bloom off the one plant!
    Can I dry them, now, or was it too early to pick them? ( It's Dec. 5th. We've had one freeze so far.)
    I was hoping to save some of these, since it was planted by the grandchildren!

  • tom8olvr
    15 years ago

    I've illustrated seed collecting for Impatiens.

    Wait until the pod is big and almost transparent:
    {{gwi:17364}}
    {{gwi:17365}}

    Pop the pod,
    {{gwi:17366}}
    the seeds that are immature will be white. The
    ones that are ready will be brown.
    {{gwi:17367}}
    {{gwi:17369}}
    {{gwi:17373}}
    {{gwi:17371}}
    I have gotten a seed pod off New Guineas. It had about 3
    seeds in it, and I was quite taken with it! :)

    This is the only re-seeding I've ever gotten in Z5...
    {{gwi:722}}
    {{gwi:720}}
    {{gwi:7459}}

  • e36yellowm3
    15 years ago

    Nice pictures tomato lover! I always look for that bit of brown coloring in the seed pod to know when they're ripe. It takes awhile to get the hang of when to harvest. If you see white seeds in the pod you'll know you didn't wait long enough! Here in zone 7 I get a lot of reseeding by accident but I usually collect seeds for the next year so I'm sure I can grow them where I want them rather than where they decide to grow!

  • newyorkgrower
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the pictures. I have seen these little curly things and had no idea what the heck they were LOL... So they do not reseed themselves? I live in zone 4.

    I know this post started some time ago but I hope someone is looking and can give an answer. It is Oct. here and I saved about 40, 48 cell packs from a local store that threw them out as they were all dried up and not saleable.

    I took then from the sales person who gave permission, watered them and thought if anything I could reuse the containers. To my suprise I have hundreds of plants and I want to take them all inside this winder into a all weather room. Do you think they will make it?

    They are lovely and I hate to see these little guys die.

    Thanks

    Nancy.

  • soinspired
    13 years ago

    Hi, Nancy! I think they would more than likely survive. However, I would keep them in somewhat a cooler area. They will get messy and more than likely you'll need to repot them to bigger containers. Good luck!

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