Nancy, congrats on your newly members. They are so cute.
marie

never collected obesa seed before (never found a female for my stud) but if its anything like my euphorbia wulfenii they will pop when there ready. i have no idea how to collect the seeds though mabe a paper bag over the top so the seeds dont go every were.

ben

Thanks, Marie and Ben. :)

Any ideas on how to tell when the seeds will pop? I'd hate to miss it, and with my luck, I probably will!

Nancy

A friend of mine has used two different methods to catch the seeds since, as he explained to me, the seeds will get flung quite a distance during pod dehiscence.

One method was to tie a small piece of old pantyhose around the flowering area of the plant. This allows the plant to 'breath' still and prevents the seeds from getting away.

In method two, (which I believe is the only method he uses now) he takes a small "blob" of the fiber fill used for stuffing in things like pillows and stuffed animals, streches it out into a rather wispy 'cloud' and mounds/gently wraps that over and around the pods. Again it allows for good air circulation, and catches the seeds thereby making seed recovery easy. He said he also finds this easier to apply than method one as well as less worrisome with regard to damaging the plant.

The 2nd method I also use. Very easy done with small cotton ball stretched to a flat web and applied around the seedpod.

Jordi

Ripening of seeds takes several weeks and the 'explosion' of the seed pod will happen just after the stigma lobes dry up. To be on the safe side apply the cotton around the seed-pods as soon you see it is 'pregnant'

Jordi

Thanks, Paul and Jordi. I had heard of the pantyhose method and was trying to figure out how exactly I was supposed to secure it on the plant, so I like the second method better as well. :)

Nancy

So, my little girl gave me seeds late last week! Now, what do I do with them?

Do I make up a mix or is pure perlite/pumice preferred?
Should the mix be damp or dry?
Do I need bottom heat?
I have grow lights that they can sit under, so should I start them now or should I wait until next spring?

Any other advice is welcomed and appreciated!

Nancy

My Euphorbia Obesa seeds dry out a bit and get put into packets which get placed in a storage container with the rest of my seed stock until spring. Spring is by far the best time to sow seeds, with obvious exceptions not standing. You can save yourself some energy costs and wait until the weather is better for sowing, that way the seeds benefit from temperature variations and better lighting. This is just my opinion of course. Glad you received some seed. Good luck!
Branden

I loved this discussion, so informative, I learned some new and easier tricks. Thanks, Norma

Dehiscence, great word. Now to remember it.