Seeds

I need to clarify a statement I made in this column last month. I reported that I cut the branches (with seed pods attached) of the orange/red/yellow Pride of Barbados and discarded the branches where I might like a volunteer plant. I also said that I had volunteer Pride of Barbados plants from those seeds. A reader asked me a question that made me realize that I had neglected to note that the seeds had matured on the plant before I successfully got volunteers.

Here is how it works. The flowers are visited by various pollinators. I have seen several different kinds of butterflies, bees and flies visit my Pride of Barbados. Then the GREEN seed pods that are usually about 4 inches long are formed where the flower was located. After about 2 or 3 weeks these seed pods mature and turn brown. If left on the plant these seed pods will open. The Pride of Barbados seeds are fascinating the way they TWIST open. Then you know the seeds are truly mature. These are the branches with seeds that I cut and sometimes get volunteer plants from.

This is true for other seeds that you want to collect for propagation purposes. You are probably familiar with the concept of letting the wildflowers go to seed before you mow if you want flowers the next year. Bluebonnets, for example, form the characteristic fuzzy seed pods after they bloom and are pollinated. But those fuzzy pods are not yet mature. You have to wait until they turn brown and twist open before you can successfully get new plants.

Fall is the best time to plant wildflower seeds. I wait for the rains to come. Yes, Mother Nature plants hers much earlier, but many of her seeds germinate but die as seedlings if we get a long dry spell like we had this summer. We are increasing our chances of success by planting in the fall after the rains come. Happy planting!

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist