Dodecatheon jeffreyi

[drtd]

Mine is setting seed right now. When should I harvest? The pods are pretty swollen, but still pretty green. Should I try and catch it at the right time, or bag them?



-Danny

[Gene Mirro]

They take a month or two before the pods turn brown.  Then some more time before they open on top and disperse the seed.  Not all the pods will ripen at the same time.  I would wait until the pod browns and opens, and then cut the stem with an electrical wire cutter.  Be careful not to spill the seeds.  If the plants are outside when the pod opens, you will lose a lot of seed on a windy day.  If you have some porous material like cotton fabric or crop cover, you can try to rig up a bag, maybe with a tie wrap to hold it onto the stem.

A big pod may have a lot of seed, or no seed.  It's completely unpredictable.

[drtd]

Thanks for the reply! I have some reusable tea bags that work perfectly for saving seeds right on the plant.

-Danny

[Robert]

Mine is setting seed right now. When should I harvest? The pods are pretty swollen, but still pretty green. Should I try and catch it at the right time, or bag them?



-Danny

Danny,

As a farmer, I have been saving seed for years. I generally bag seed of this sort. Here in the U.S.A. one can buy cotton tobacco bags with a draw string. They are great for saving seed, controlled pollinization, etc. and they are washable thus reusable.

[Gene Mirro]

By the way Danny, I don't think that's jeffreyi.  Jeffreyi has long slender leaves, and blooms late.  It might be a hendersoni, which blooms very early and usually has spoon-shaped leaves that lie sort of flat on the ground.
https://namethatplant.wordpress.com/tag/dodecatheon-hendersonii/

[drtd]

I was kinda thinking that too after looking it up. Not surprised that it was mislabeled when I got it. Thanks! I'll update the tag.

[drtd]

One more thing, do you think that I should wait until it drops its seeds to divide and re-pot? It's pretty crammed into its little pot.

[Robert]

Danny,

I'm not sure from the photograph that your plants is D. hendersoni. Low elevation forms of D. hendersoni grow by the thousands on our farm and your plant does not look like them at all, even without flowers. It could be one of the higher elevation forms, but then it still does not look right.

If it turns out to be one of the California native, summer dormant species - I divide mine in the winter time when the new growth starts with excellent results. Also, the California, summer dormant types need to go dry during the late spring, summer, and early autumn. If it does not rain, I start watering mine 1 November. New growth may not start until late December, sometimes early January.

If your plant is one of the summer dormant types the leaves should be starting to yellow, even with set seed. Another reason to believe it might be some other species.

I've been long winded!    Danny, it is a well grown plant, Good work!

[drtd]

Thanks again! Its nice to give it the correct name. Being a California native, and myself living in Oregon, I may have an opportunity to go see this species (amongst others) in situ.

[Lesley Cox]

I agree with the above posts re seed collection but would add that if your dog has gone after a rabbit across the area and smashed down the seed stem while still very green, it's still worth while gathering it up and part drying it off then sowing the seed even if unripe because like many Primulaceae, it germinates well from green seed.

[drtd]

So I have allowed the seeds to drop naturally into a mesh bag covering the seed pods. Should I store the seeds until Autumn for outdoor sowing in a cold frame, or should I sow then now while they are fresh and force them in the fridge?

[Gene Mirro]

My standard method is to dry them indoors for three weeks, then store them in a sealed container in the freezer until Fall.  Then sow them and cover lightly with potting mix.  Expose to cool temps (55 -65F) for a couple of weeks, and then expose to winter temps for several months. 

However, it would be interesting to try Lesley's immediate sowing method.  And report back on the results.  Also, if they are one of the California shooting stars, they may not need a long chilling period.  D. jeffreyi is a plant of high mountain meadows, so it will likely need cold.  But I don't think you have D. jeffreyi.

[drtd]

Thanks again Gene! I managed enough seed to try both methods and have a little left over for insurance I'll let you know how it goes!