Re: HYB: white vs brown/tan seeds

This is all so strange - here, seeds turn tan <before> the pods start to
split.  If the pod is mature, that is.

Here, pods that are ripe turn from a dark green to a yellowish or white
shade before starting to split.  I try to harvest them at that time to
make sure I don't overlook them.  In the past, I've usually let them sit
on a window sill until they start to split, but the comments about white
seeds led me to pry open pods that were at least several days away from
splitting on their own.  None have been white.

The pod itself is still very thick and intact at that stage, requiring
cutting into the seams to get them open. .  No outside air getting to
the inside for sure.

The only white seeds I've seen have been in pods that rotted and I
thought some experienced person here had said that they thought if the
seeds were still white when harvested, they usually aren't mature enough
to germinate.

My experience has been that if the seeds have turned tan, they fall out
of the pod without help once the pod is open, but if they are white,
they are still attached to the pod.

Dave where are you located?  Do you know if white mature seeds are
normal for your climate?

More experiments this year - putting a few freshly shelled, plump seeds
straight into the fridge in burrito baggies without soaking.

Dave in somewhere dry said:
<So, this is the first year
                   that I noticed that they were still white when the
pods started to split.
                   I was pretty amazed too!  In most monocots with
dehiscent pods (in fact in
                   most plant fruits) the seeds are ripe some time
before the fruit ripens,
                   and they darken at that time (if they are going to
darken that is).>

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
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