TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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Hey, just wondering when I should cut this off. I read Tamlins description on how to harvest seed. I was just wondering how much of the flower bud needs to turn brown. I don't want to wait too long and get my whole terrarium full of Spatulata
I would say it's about 3/4 ripe. Waiting awhile will net you more seed, but the lower pods might split and sow into other pots. I would wait a week or two yet I think.
Are they all pretty brown when they are ready? Maybe I can cut the bottom two off and leave the rest on there for a week or two. This is in a terrarium, so if they did sow themselves in there......I think the rest of my plants wouldn't have any room.
Ok......I could cut them off individually. I might be beating this to death.....
but how do I know when they are ripe and ready to be cut? Do I have to wait a while after the pod turns brown? This is the first time I have ever let a plant flower.....and I don't want to do it wrong. Thanks!
My problem is after they turn brown and I have dried them in an envelope for a few weeks, I see only a few loose seeds. When I try rolling around the tiny little pods, I just make a little wad of mush and only a small amount of additional seed comes out. My hands aren't THAT big and I consider myself dextrous, but these things are too small to handle.
I end up getting mostly flower parts that I am embarrassed to send out! Everybody else seems to get nice clean packets of seeds. Then I get frustrated and throw the mangled up pods and flower parts into a pot and the plants germinate later on.
some plants have relatively large seeds like byblis, some seeds like most drosera are incredibly small though. i often get packages with dried up petals, stamens, pistils, etc in them. it doesn't bother me a bit.
I meddle around with pods when they are different shades of brown and age. After a while you began to get a sense of when they are fully ripened. Do that long enough and it will come naturally. Yea!
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I end up getting mostly flower parts that I am embarrassed to send out! Everybody else seems to get nice clean packets of seeds.
What I do is gently tap the scape over some white paper. If seeds fall out, it's ripe. If not, I leave it! Do I get sprouts from missed seed? Sure. Those get removed and potted up or mailed out.
i wrap cheese cloth around the whole stalk and tie it with a string. when the seeds fall they get cought in the cheese cloth and i shake the stalk to get any other seeds that got left behind out. this prevents weeds (most of the time anyway...)
So you guys don't actuall cut them off at all? I thought you were supposed to put them in an envelope and let them sit for a week or two after they had turned brown. I did that with two stalks already......I hope I didn't ruin any seed chances with them.
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