Seeds

[Alan_b]

A lot of my snowdrops have big fat seed pods and I am wondering what I should do with them.  Of course I understand that snowdrop cultivars will not come true from seed and the seedlings would need to be segregated from their parent to avoid confusion.  However, I have an as yet unnamed virescent elwesii that I really like and I think it would be worth trying to germinate the seeds on the off-chance they produce something similar.  So I am looking for either:

Advice on how (and when) to so snowdrop seeds for best results

or

An experienced grower of snowdrops from seed who might want these to give them a try (in which case I will send them in the post).

[Anthony Darby]

Some them straight away Alan. The often germinate in the autumn of the same year.

[tonyg]

I got seed from G. 'Primrose Warburg' last spring.  Sowed it immediately and got germination in the autumn.  Definitely best sown 'green'.  Never got such good germination from stored seed.

[KentGardener]

I have been wondering too - How would I know when the seed pod is ready? 

Regards

John

[Martin Baxendale]

Seed pods need to start turning yellow before removal from the plant. I take them off at the first signs of yellowing and finish off ripening on a sunny window, to be sure the pods don't split in the garden and ants take the seeds before I notice. I sow immediately in well-drained but humusy compost and keep just moist until the following winter when, if you haven't let the seed pot dry out too much, you should get good germination. Never let the seeds dry before sowing. Dried seed can germinate okay, but can also be very sporadic.

I have a pic to post of another (very late) Gal. ikariae seedling with green tips, but Ivi has left the camera, with the photo on it, at her work. Maybe later today.

[Diane Clement]

When I have removed seed pods, sometimes the seeds are white - is this OK, do they darken after removing?  How do you know when to sow?

[Martin Baxendale]

When I have removed seed pods, sometimes the seeds are white - is this OK, do they darken after removing?  How do you know when to sow?

Provided the pods have turned yellow, the seeds will be ripe, and they're often white - it depends on the species or the genetic makeup of the hybrid; plicatus seeds tend to be much darker, usually a bronze to dark brown colour; most other species tend to be whitish. They make look unripe and fleshy but they're not, so go ahead and sow them. The white 'tail' that you'll see soon shrivels after sowing and they turn into little white or brownish balls in the compost.

If you pick the seed pods when they start to turn yellow, they'll usually split open if left on a sunny windowsill. If they don't, once the pod is fully yellow you can split it with a fingernail. The seeds will be ripe if the pod is fully yellow.

[Diane Clement]

Thanks Martin, I have quite a lot of pods this year, so I will have a go with them.

[Alan_b]

I seem to remeber somebody told me they just buried the seed pod so I tried that with one seed pod last year.  Now I have a little group of seedlings where I think I did this but stupidly I did not make a note or take photographs so I could be completely wrong.  Has anybody else come across this simple technique?  My concern with doing things the proper way that Martin outlines is that I will not manage to keep the compost moist over the summer months. 

[David Pilling]

My concern with doing things the proper way that Martin outlines is that I will not manage to keep the compost moist over the summer months. 

I put many plant pots into plastic bags for the Summer - things like snowdrops, no need to water.

[Martin Baxendale]

I seem to remeber somebody told me they just buried the seed pod so I tried that with one seed pod last year.  Now I have a little group of seedlings where I think I did this but stupidly I did not make a note or take photographs so I could be completely wrong.  Has anybody else come across this simple technique?  My concern with doing things the proper way that Martin outlines is that I will not manage to keep the compost moist over the summer months. 

E.A. Bowles was supposed to have been the first snowdrop grower to recommend this, I think. It does work, but you still have to wait for the capsule to turn yellow, to be sure the seeds are ripe. The theory was that the rotted mush from the capsule helped keep the seeds moist during the Summer. Not sure about that. I think it's more a case of not having the seeds hanging around and drying out. Pushing the pod in the soil straight from the plant ensures it's sown while fresh, that's all.

[Guff]

I don't know much about snowdrops, but if I can get seedlings, anyone can.
I plant the seeds as soon as the pods turn yellow/whitish. The bottom of the pod will be soft when ripe. They will pop out the bottom if set someplace indoors

First picture is from 2006, first spring seedlings popping up, picture taken sometime in early April.

Next two pictures are from today, they are from the same seed lot as the 2006 first spring seedlings. I made four small patches that year. Noticed a couple have two leaves this year, so thats a good sign.

Last picture, these are the snowdrops from which the seeds came. I don't even know what type these are, so if someone could tell me, thanks.

[steve owen]

I know this is a silly question, but if seeds are sown in pots, how do you ensure they don't dry out? Is it possible to rot the seeds with over-watering? If you sow directly into soil, does that too have to be kept regularly watered through the summer?

[Maggi Young]

Seeds in pots are just like any other plant grown in a pot; the pots will need to be overseen to ensure that they are neither too wet nor too dry  and that weeds do not colonise the surface and out-compete the desired occupants.  This is where a cold frame comes into its own by providing a micro-climate for the pots which can greatly reduce the fluctuations in temperature ( if carefully sited!) and allow for closing off/opening up to rain, sun etc as needed to keep the work needed to maintain the pots in prime order. Even just sitting pots on a sand bed will help to keep them regulated more easily than pots left on a hard surface behind the coal-shed and more or less abandoned.... this latter happening more often that would be preferred!

For seeds sown directly into the garden, extra watering should only be necessary in extreme drought but may be required at times in warmer areas.

[Martin Baxendale]

I know this is a silly question, but if seeds are sown in pots, how do you ensure they don't dry out? Is it possible to rot the seeds with over-watering? If you sow directly into soil, does that too have to be kept regularly watered through the summer?

Maggi has pretty much said it all. I use a well-drained but humusy compost for snowdrop seeds, to avoid waterlogging (though I'm not sure they would mind too much being a bit on the wet side - better than bone-dry). What I use is a mix of JI No. 1 with some general purpose peat-free compost (composted bark and green waste) for added humus, plus a little fine composted bark, and pumice git and molar clay granules for added drainage. This gives me a free-draining pot which can have water poured into it without ever becoming waterlogged. I stand the pots on sand in a frame and water whenever the pots dry out. Outside, not under glass, would probably do just as well and involve less watering, but as Maggi says, standing on sand or grit is better than a hard surface for drainage, and you might still need to water in prolonged dry spells. Seed sown in the open ground should be okay but, again as Maggi says, it's a good idea to water in drought conditions.