skip to main content

Question about echinacea seeds.

16 years ago

I found a ton of seed heads from last fall, that I never did get to. Question is with the echinacea, I know the small light brown cone shaped part are the seeds. But, can't seem to get at them, without all of the prickly dark parts of the seed head. Am I doing something wrong? and how would you separate this if needed?

Thanks, Pearl

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

bakemom_gw
16 years ago
Thick gardening gloves and a butter knife to loosen the spikes so the dandruff seed can fall out. I would wonder though if the seed heads are mature enough. Seems to me that when they are ready, the seeds fall out when tapped against the side of a seed bowl.
roflol
16 years ago
My trick for the echinacea is to hold the stem just below the head in one hand, and use flat-nose pliers to pull out the spikes with the other - after the first plier-full, the spikes come out in chunks. You end up with a bare cone on a stem (that might make a cute craft as a witch's hat but is otherwise useless), and a bowl of spikes and seeds which you now have the fun of separating (if you're into that). ;-)

The seeds are sort of shield-shaped wee little nuggets that have been lodged between the spikes. As yours are from last fall they should surely be mature enough, if there are still seeds in there. Just hope you got the seed heads before the seeds fell out... I've "missed the boat" more than once myself and ended up with a nice prickly head of nothing much. (But I'm sure the finches enjoyed the seeds, and I've found several seedlings in odd places where the finches were sloppy with their snack.) lol. ;-)

Anyway, that's how I do it. I'd be interested in hearing about an easy way of separating the pulled spikes from the seeds.

Best wishes on your harvest, Pearl! :-)
Related Discussions
Growing Ruby Star and other Echinacea From Seed
Q
Comments (1)
Hi Linda! Well, I can tell you about my (limited) experience sowing Ech seed. I'm a first-time winter sower - never really did any seeds before this year, other than morning glories. I sowed a lot of Echinacea seeds because I really wanted to make sure I'd have plenty. Well, I had PLENTY (as you know - some are coming to you! LOL). I think every single seed I sowed germinated. Even the four seeds I found on my Green Jewel and sowed just for grins - all four came up. So, given your experience of no germination when sowing in spring or summer, maybe it's true that they need stratification. But maybe the Purpurea varieties will do it without? Sorry I'm not more help. Just wanted to share my experience in the hope that it may be helpful in some way. :)
...See More
Question about Echinacea 'Sunrise'
Q
Comments (13)
Pat - I saw someone's "Harvest Moon" recently and it looked great last year. This year the petals are either quilled or have petals missing, etc. The plant is half as tall as it was the first year. "Sunrise" starts out a real light yellow, but fades to a dirty white color. There isn't one that exactly matches that color yet, but like I said...it doesn't keep that color long at all. There is a new one at Terra Nova called "Maui Sunshine." It might be a good one to try. It starts out a brighter yellow, but when the bloom fades, it would probably get close to that light yellow color. Here is a link that might be useful: Maui Sunshine
...See More
earliest blooming coneflower, and a question about seed
Q
Comments (4)
Of all the seed strains and misc Echinacea I am growing, the earliest bloomers this year were Pow Wow Wild Berry and Primadonna White. However, now many other Echs are coming along. Echinacea cross-pollinates a lot so the seedlings of your light pink plant probably will not seed true, but you might get something similar. The seedlings I've gotten from assorted hybrids (like Summer Sky and Sunrise) did not seed true, and generally get quite a bit a variation in the seedlings that reseed in the gardens. The seedlings I get from the seed strains bought at Swallowtail seem to seed true and I assume they are developed for more consistent results. I like that because I can plant them where they're shown off to their best, hopefully. Right now I've got 3 or 4 Echinacea 'Primadonna White' seedlings (3rd year "seedlings" that is), in the front of a bed where they are taller than the perennials behind them. They ended up being taller than expected, so I'll move and replace them with the new 'Baby Swan' seedlings, which are supposed to be a short white at This post was edited by terrene on Mon, Jul 8, 13 at 21:11
...See More
Question about echinacea(sp?)
Q
Comments (6)
The first year double decker (also called doppelganger) came out I tried to get plants and/or seeds. I found seeds from a USA source. They warned that they might not develop the unique flowers until the second year, this was true, well actually they didn't bloom the first year because I probably started them too late. In waiting for them to bloom the second year I was a bit skeptical, wondering if the seedlings would even resemble the parent plant they came from and have the double decker flowers. One thing though, in some cases only a percentage of the seedlings will have the trait or characteristic of the parent plant. Others might be just the plain or something unique. One of my double decker really has alot of double decker blooms. Another has a few of them but one of them just appeared to be a regular coneflower. One type of echinacea that doesn't come true from seed is razzmatazz. It's a fully double pom pom looking one. It's not available by seed. You have to buy a plant from the nursery that's been created either by cutting, or root division. I find that echinacea in general self-sows in the garden. Not enough to be a problem, but I notice a few seedlings here and there. Anyways, it will be interesting to see if any seedlings have the double decker flowers, or who knows, they might be a combination of a few different types of echinacea. Glen
...See More
northerner_on
16 years ago
Pearlygates, save your fingers!! These instructions saved mine!!

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seedsave/2002092247016922.html

Northerner.
pearlygates
Original Author
16 years ago
My fingers thank you!

Related Stories

Houzz Interview: Miss Mustard Seed’s Charming Pennsylvania Home

GARDENING GUIDES How to Plant a New Lawn From Seed

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Choose from more grass varieties and save money over sod by starting your lawn from seed

CONTAINER GARDENS 8 Easy Container Plants to Grow From Seed

Get beautiful blooms and herbs in summer by starting these choice garden picks from seed in spring

GARDENING GUIDES Seeds or Seedlings? How to Get Your Garden Started

By Abundant City

Growing delicious herbs and vegetables starts with knowing your goals and when you want to plant

GARDENING GUIDES No-Regret Plants: 5 Questions Smart Shoppers Ask

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Quit wasting money and time at the garden center. This checklist will ensure that the plants you're eyeing will stick around in your yard

KITCHEN DESIGN 9 Questions to Ask When Planning a Kitchen Pantry

By Susan Redman

Avoid blunders and get the storage space and layout you need by asking these questions before you begin

WORKING WITH PROS What Do Landscape Architects Do?

By Falon Mihalic

There are many misconceptions about what landscape architects do. Learn what they bring to a project

WORKING WITH PROS 10 Things Decorators Want You to Know About What They Do

By Laura Gaskill

They do more than pick pretty colors. Here's what decorators can do for you — and how you can help them

PAINTING What to Know About Milk Paint and Chalk Paint — and How to Use Them

By Karen Egly-Thompson

Learn the pros, cons, cost and more for these two easy-to-use paints that are great for giving furniture a vintage look

PETS So You're Thinking About Getting a Dog

By Alison Hodgson

Prepare yourself for the realities of training, cost and the impact that lovable pooch might have on your house

Sponsored