seed collecting

15 years ago

Today I did a little seed roundup (IN MO)

Partridge Pea (some had already ejected, some were still green)

Wild Senna (some were fully brown, others still a little green) I read somewhere that these can be collected while still slightly green. I tried a couple that way as a test. I'll see which gets better germination in the spring I guess.

Grey Headed Coneflower: These things just shattered when I tried to pick up a seedhead, so I assume they were def. ready to go.

Rough Leaved Dogwood: Only one dried out berry left on the entire shrub.

Aster*: I think New England but I am not positive on the ID. Some of the seed heads were fluffing out but the seeds were still kind of white. I decided not to collect any because I think the seeds should be browner?

Indigo: There is nothing but the seed pods left on the plant, so I didn't bother looking up the ID process. I collected a seed pod and I'll just try to grow it out and see what it is.

Milkweeds* Most of the milkweeds have either already dispersed seeds or just have a few left clinging to the pods. I managed to get a few remaining seeds for some pods that were spliting open.

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Comments (2)

rootwad
14 years ago
Midwesterner, I saw your post today and wonder if you had luck germinating your seeds? Seed collecting is not only fascinating but can be rather addictive. I have been collecting seeds for 25 years now and thoroughly enjoy it.

Partridge Pea needs to be collected as the pods ripen. It is an annual that readily reseeds itself. I've collected Wild Senna on two occasions and haven't had luck with propagation. The Grey Headed Coneflower was definitely ready and responds well to seeding. The New England Aster seeds were ready, they remain light colored when ripe. Wild White Indigo has a large seed pod but the seeds, which are sticky and attached to a spine inside the pod are small and I've found it hard to beat the bugs to them. Milkweeds need to be watched in order to collect their seeds when ripe.

I've never tried to collect Rough Dogwood and I've always done large areas on bare ground with my seeding so haven't much experience in propagating seeds in pots. I wonder how long you've been collecting seeds and what you have collected so far this season?

RW
seamommy
14 years ago
I am also an avid seed collector. Until this year I always collected larkspur because I had so much of it. This year however it got some kind of squishy red bugs on them and many never got large enough to bloom. I let all of the seeds fall on the ground.

My gerbera daisies did so well last year from the few seeds that I saved that I have started collecting already. I will start the seed flats for them earlier this time since they seem to take a long time from germination to flower.

The first time I collected cilantro I was thrilled to have so much seed. It's such a prolific seeder though that I am beginning to see it almost as a noxious weed.

Big surprise to me was the native Texas redbud. I think every tree makes a million seeds and every one of them germinated. Same with the Texas star hibiscus. Ditto for the cleome.

Cheryl