6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
There is a resin in the pods that makes the seeds a bit sticky. Try dumping the pods into a (fine)metal strainer, and rub them until they break up. Then you can turn it all out onto a paper plate or towel and pick the seeds out. I usually press my finger over several and they stick to it, then I brush them into labeled bag or envelope for saving.HTH
Thank you, noinwi. This way is much better than just rubbing them between fingers, or trying to pick each one apart.
I was working on them in the kitchen last night and spotted my little hand-held cheese grater. It turns out that's even better at removing the seed coverings. (It does tend to make the seeds fly around, though.) Then I put everything into the strainer to sift out the ones that still need to be done.
I'd do this even if I didn't want the seeds---it makes the house smell so good.
Thanks again!
They need to be moist and cold for stratification. You can put them in a bag of moist sphagnum and stick them in the fridge. Come spring time pull them out and spray with some water and close the bag back up and put it on the counter til you see spouts. Then pot them up or plant in ground. Our zones aren't far off but depending on the seeds I wouldn't leave them outside where they could freeze solid and burst. If you shed doesn't drop below feezing and stay there for 3-4 days then you should be ok. Or if the seeds were properly dried and not tropicals they should be fine even with a short freeze.
How about sowing them in winter and set them outside in the cold?
Please check out the Winter Sowing FAQ
and also Winter Sowing Forum.
It sounds weird but many people including me swear by it. We have been sowing seeds in winter and have had tremendous success. There is no indoor light setup or expenses. We use recycled containers, some good potting soil, and seeds and off we go.
ItÂs fun and easy. Your winter will never be the same again.
Please check it out.
In response to your question about the tiny brown things growing in your black pot: they look like the fruiting bodies of a type of slime mold, I regret that I've forgotten which one. They're not harmful and shouldn't bother your seedlings at all. In their mobile stage, they were probably living off bacteria and other microorganisms in your compost.
Here is a link that might be useful: Slime mold fruiting bodies
pitimpinai: I transplant the columbine already. I finally cut almost all of the leaves, it does look like sunburn. My friend grew then on shade too. I think they got sunburn from insecticidal soap I made. I've been fighting with whiteflies
from a neighbor plants :( I hate those little things....
Thank you for your help.
bitterwort: Thanks for the link :)
Natalia
Thanks everyone! When I searched "Solanum pseudocapsicum" or "Jerusalem Cherry", it appears exactly what I have. Only one problem, it is poisonous and deadly to animals, so I guess it will have to go, since I have a dog running around the yard that likes pick its own tomatoes, strawberries, and raspberries. A unique plant, but I don't need problems! Paul
Use 2/1 peat moss/perlite or vermiculite. They are cheap and for the most part sterile. I've had great germination rates with the peat/perlite mix. This year I added course sand to the mix and got even better germination and faster growth. I don't know if it was the sand or the seeds but most of the seeds were saved from last year. Mix the compost in after the first set of true leaves appear. Germination is better w/o the rich compost. Seed starting mix has no or very little nutrients.
gemfire, I've tried it, and they did OK, but not as well as in peat pellets. (My compost was fairly fresh, free of recognizable particles, but still pretty chunky, and I did not sterilize it). I think the jiffy pellets work better because they have small particles that the sprouts can easily push through. Not sure why, but they work better for me than regular peat.
Yiorges, excuse me, what? Your very rude response is not called for nor welcome on GW forums.
Kwyet1, I'm just now getting into seed harvesting myself, so I can't offer any expert, definitive answer to your question, but my thought would be to let the flower heads turn brown on the plant, then cut them and give them some time to completely dry out on a paper plate or paper towel - maybe a week? Then shake the seed heads over a sheet of paper or a small paper bag. The seeds should fall right out. Then sow them in the spring in a very fine seed-starting mix. There's a really great website that shows pictures of the seed pods, seeds and seedlings of thousands of plants that might be helpful to you. Also how and when to sow, days for germination, etc.:
http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/
Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, and as a member of GW, I apologize for the above poster's rudeness. Everyone else here is friendly and knowledgable, so hopefully someone else will respond to your question.
Pat
Yes! The'pod' at the base of the dry petal is the seed. However, Zinnia is notorious for produceng sterile seeds and as you must know, the plant produced from seed probably will not look like its parent. A quickie test last week on Zinnia seeds collected the last week in July showed only 16% viability. It's fun to germinate any seeds, tho...
I just sowed the last of my cilantro seeds this past weekend, and they've already sprouted. The first batch was started in April and was fully grown (and eaten!) by mid-May. They grow fast and bolt in the heat, so I decided to do 2 batches with the hot months in-between. I've had success transplanting basil and rosemary from indoor starts.
I'm in Zone 5/6, and started my tomato seedlings in mid April for late May transplant, and believe me, they were more than ready! For basil, started 6 weeks before planting out, and 10 weeks for the rosemary. I think I could've done 12 weeks for the rosemary, as it took longer for it to get established.
Hope this bit of anecdotal info was useful!
To germinate store seed at 40F for 2 months THEN>>>
Lightly cover soil temp 65-70F & takes 14-60 days to germinate
The trees self sow for me by just allowing the seeds to lay outside in the soil over the winter. Next spring, zillions of seedlings all over the place. Let me know if you would like seedlings next spring and I can send you as many as you want. I have already gone through since early spring and pulled this year's seedlings up although there are probably a few still lurking somewhere.