When to cut flower scapes

[firewired]

Hey, just wondering when I should cut this off.  I read Tamlins description on how to harvest seed.  I was just wondering how much of the flower bud needs to turn brown.  I don't want to wait too long and get my whole terrarium full of Spatulata

 Thanks.

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

I would say it's about 3/4 ripe. Waiting awhile will net you more seed, but the lower pods might split and sow into other pots. I would wait a week or two yet I think.

 

[firewired]

Are they all pretty brown when they are ready?  Maybe I can cut the bottom two off and leave the rest on there for a week or two. This is in a terrarium, so if they did sow themselves in there......I think the rest of my plants wouldn't have any room.

 

[Jason Wong]

Why don't you cut off individual pods as they ripen? I do!

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

That is a valid option as well, just be sure not to cut the whole scape by accident. That's never happened with me of course.....

 

[firewired]

Ok......I could cut them off individually. I might be beating this to death.....

but how do I know when they are ripe and ready to be cut? Do I have to wait a while after the pod turns brown? This is the first time I have ever let a plant flower.....and I don't want to do it wrong. Thanks!

 

[jaje61]

My problem is after they turn brown and I have dried them in an envelope for a few weeks, I see only a few loose seeds. When I try rolling around the tiny little pods, I just make a little wad of mush and only a small amount of additional seed comes out. My hands aren't THAT big and I consider myself dextrous, but these things are too small to handle.

I end up getting mostly flower parts that I am embarrassed to send out! Everybody else seems to get nice clean packets of seeds. Then I get frustrated and throw the mangled up pods and flower parts into a pot and the plants germinate later on.

Maybe I'm not letting them dry out enough?

 

[Clint]

some plants have relatively large seeds like byblis, some seeds like most drosera are incredibly small though. i often get packages with dried up petals, stamens, pistils, etc in them. it doesn't bother me a bit.

 

[Jason Wong]

I meddle around with pods when they are different shades of brown and age. After a while you began to get a sense of when they are fully ripened. Do that long enough and it will come naturally. Yea!

Quote[/b] ]I end up getting mostly flower parts that I am embarrassed to send out! Everybody else seems to get nice clean packets of seeds.

I so know what you are getting at here...

Oops, not ripe again. $#%&*^#$%...

 

[peter]

I just make sure that when the pods turn brown I tap on the stalk and the seeds fall on to paper themselves when ready.

 

[schloaty]

What I do is gently tap the scape over some white paper. If seeds fall out, it's ripe. If not, I leave it! Do I get sprouts from missed seed? Sure. Those get removed and potted up or mailed out.

 

[Clint]

i wrap cheese cloth around the whole stalk and tie it with a string. when the seeds fall they get cought in the cheese cloth and i shake the stalk to get any other seeds that got left behind out. this prevents weeds (most of the time anyway...)

 

[firewired]

So you guys don't actuall cut them off at all? I thought you were supposed to put them in an envelope and let them sit for a week or two after they had turned brown. I did that with two stalks already......I hope I didn't ruin any seed chances with them.

 

[Clint]

you can, but i cut them off after all the seeds have fallen in the cheesecloth.

by the way, i use 2 layers of cheesecloth.

 

[firewired]

What's a cheesecloth?

 

[Clint]

cheese cloth is cloth used for covering cheese. it's really fine, you can see through it.

 

[firewired]

Hmmm.........ok, I've never heard of that, but I will try it will something similar. Here, the "cheese cloth" is a cardboard box that says Velveeta