Do you collect your own daylily seeds?

15 years ago

Hi everyone

I need some advice.

I was wondering if any of you have success in maturing seeds from your own daylilies. I have some pods on my lilies just starting this week. However, I understand they take 40-60 days to mature. That takes us into frost here in Winnipeg. I would like to try and see if I can grow some over winter, but wonder if it is even possible. Or, should I just buy seed on the LA as I note some of you already do?

Thanks

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Comments (4)

Laurie_z3_MB
15 years ago
I have collected seeds here, outside of Brandon. You just have to hope for a late fall. I have also used 5 gallon pails to cover the seed pods if frost threatens too. You can also try cutting the scape and putting it into water to let the pod mature more, but this will only work if it's a week or two away from maturity.

It is possible, so give it a try. I've posted some pictures of my seedlings on the Gallery, and those are all seeds that I've collected from my garden.

Good luck,
Laurie
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jetred
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Laurie. Sounds like a lot of effort! All my daylilies seem to be pretty late this year. The only one setting seed pods early is Stella D'or and I have enough of her. I guess I will stick to purchasing new daylilies from growers, unless I get lucky this fall.
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Image by: wintersown Hibiscus Seed Capsules Seed saving is a lot of fun and it's easy to do! This is how I do it....and these are general and universal instructions. Mother Nature is pretty easy to figure out if we keep with the idea that SHE needs to keep it simple too. Take a good look at a flower. When the flower fades leave it where it is, do not remove it. Eventually at the base of the flower there will be some swelling. This is where the seeds are forming. Do keep the petals where they are and let them fall naturally...I don't touch it or bother it, I just leave it be. The base of the flower will swell even more and soon you'll notice that the flower stem and the swollen base are turning a papery-brown. This is a very good indication that the seeds are almost fully ripe....in effect the plant has achieved it's goal of reproduction for that flower...it has produced viable seeds and no longer needs to expend energy to keep it alive, so it doesn't sends it's sugars and water up to the stem anymore. That's why it's turning papery-brown. It's no longer being supplied with nutrients and so it's dying back. The drying action will continue and as the swollen pod continues to dry you will see it start to open....some pods will open in a starry design, plants like poppies create a ridge of tiny little circles near the top of the pod....they make themselves into something like a little "salt-shaker" (sorta...but you could imagine it). All flower pods will open in some manner when the seeds are ripe....it's so they can disperse their seeds. When you see that the pods and stems are both brownish in color, AND you notice that the pods are starting to open you can then collect the pods. I place the pods on an open plate or in open bowls in a safe place where they won't be disturbed and let them continue to dry naturally for another week or two. Then I remove the seeds from them. To assure that the seeds are thoroughly dry I let them dry on an open plate for a few more days...I even will stir them every now and then to make sure the bottom layers will get a chance to dry too. Storing the dried seeds is easy. I use paper envelopes. I make my own with my printer, but you could use coin envelopes or even mailing envelopes will do fine too. Label them so you know what's inside. Store them where they'll be away from heat or direct sunlight. I use cardboard file boxes to keep my seeds in and those do just fine. Another good place to keep them is in your dining room drawers. Those are dark places and your dining room is sure to be safe from extreme fluctuations in temperature. Good luck with your seed saving! Trudi
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I want to save my own seeds for Winter Sowing....how do I do it?
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Hibiscus Seed Capsules Seed saving is a lot of fun and it's easy to do! This is how I do it....and these are general and universal instructions. Mother Nature is pretty easy to figure out if we keep with the idea that SHE needs to keep it simple too. Take a good look at a flower. When the flower fades leave it where it is, do not remove it. Eventually at the base of the flower there will be some swelling. This is where the seeds are forming. Do keep the petals where they are and let them fall naturally...I don't touch it or bother it, I just leave it be. The base of the flower will swell even more and soon you'll notice that the flower stem and the swollen base are turning a papery-brown. This is a very good indication that the seeds are almost fully ripe....in effect the plant has achieved it's goal of reproduction for that flower...it has produced viable seeds and no longer needs to expend energy to keep it alive, so it doesn't sends it's sugars and water up to the stem anymore. That's why it's turning papery-brown. It's no longer being supplied with nutrients and so it's dying back. The drying action will continue and as the swollen pod continues to dry you will see it start to open....some pods will open in a starry design, plants like poppies create a ridge of tiny little circles near the top of the pod....they make themselves into something like a little "salt-shaker" (sorta...but you could imagine it.) All flower pods will open in some manner when the seeds are ripe....it's so they can disperse their seeds. When you see that the pods and stems are both brownish in color, AND you notice that the pods are starting to open you can then collect the pods. I place the pods on an open plate or in open bowls in a safe place where they won't be disturbed and let them continue to dry naturally for another week or two. Then I remove the seeds from them. To assure that the seeds are thoroughly dry I let them dry on an open plate for a few more days...I even will stir them every now and then to make sure the bottom layers will get a chance to dry too. Storing the dried seeds is easy. I use paper envelopes. I make my own with my printer, but you could use coin envelopes or even mailing envelopes will do fine too. Label them so you know what's inside. Store them where they'll be away from heat or direct sunlight. I use cardboard file boxes to keep my seeds in and those do just fine. Another good place to keep them is in your dining room drawers. Those are dark places and your dining room is sure to be safe from extreme fluctuations in temperature. Good luck with your seed saving! Trudi
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explorer_mb
15 years ago
sorry this is so late...

jetred... I'm from The Pas... and have successfully set pods and harvested seeds from newly aquired daylilies this last summer... most of those were spidery daylilies...
BUT... I thought, I have all those Stella's over there... what if I crossed them with all of these great spiders?...
Stella is so indestructable... you can't really kill her unless you really try...I have 34 sucessfull crosses of Stella D'oro with great spidery plants... I'm looking for another indestructible daylily for the North... with great looks of course... I can't possibly plant all of these seeds.. would you like to try some of them out? I could give you a mixture of them if you think you have some room... sorry to say.. I didn't have any tags to mark what was what.. so they're only pod parent Stella D'oro X Unknown...although I could send you a list of possible 'Daddies'... :-) I'm just looking for some Prairie hardy daylilies here...

Anyone who wants to try some, let me know..

Rob
0
explorer_mb
15 years ago
sorry this is so late...

jetred... I'm from The Pas... and have successfully set pods and harvested seeds from newly aquired daylilies this last summer... most of those were spidery daylilies...
BUT... I thought, I have all those Stella's over there... what if I crossed them with all of these great spiders?...
Stella is so indestructable... you can't really kill her unless you really try...I have 34 sucessfull crosses of Stella D'oro with great spidery plants... I'm looking for another indestructible daylily for the North... with great looks of course... I can't possibly plant all of these seeds.. would you like to try some of them out? I could give you a mixture of them if you think you have some room... sorry to say.. I didn't have any tags to mark what was what.. so they're only pod parent Stella D'oro X Unknown...although I could send you a list of possible 'Daddies'... :-) I'm just looking for some Prairie hardy daylilies here...

Anyone who wants to try some, let me know..

Rob
0

Do you collect your own daylily seeds?

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Laurie_z3_MB

jetred
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Do you collect your own daylily seeds?

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Laurie_z3_MB

jetredOriginal Author

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jetred
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