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Re: Impatient Seeds

On Monday, March 31, 1997 10:23 AM, Michael Smith (Michael & Coreen Smith,
271 Smith Rd, Waterville, Sunbury Co, NB, E2V 3V6, Canada) asked about
impatiens seed saving.

This is a self-pollinated species.  Crossing out does occur, but at a low
enough rate that you can save seed pretty easily and have it be
true-to-type.  A little bit of physical isolation should be all that you
need.  Grow them in pots, and keep the pots separated.

Getting the seed can be tricky, however.  The pods are explosive, much in
the manner of jewelweed, or touch-me-not.  When the pods are ripe, they are
touch-sensitive, and will shoot out the seeds when touched.  Commercially,
the seed parent is grown in tiered, raised beds (the cross section is
rather like a Mayan tiered pyramid) covered in polyethylene sheeting.  The
individual plants are planted through the poly.  The poly is allowed to
drape at the bottom of the bench to form a trough, and separate poly sheets
are hung along the side of the bench.  The pods explode, the seeds hit the
poly sheeting, and collect in the poly lined trough at the bottom of the
bench.  It's an ingenious system, developed by Dr. Claude Hope, Linda
Vista, S.A., the originator of F1 hybrid Impatiens wallerana.  Similar
systems are used by anyone producing commercial hybrid impatiens seed.

If you are simply saving seed for your own use, touch the pods and catch
the seeds in your hand, or in a container.

Be forewarned, however, that a number of commercial lines are produced on
pollen-sterile seed parents.  The F1 hybrid may not produce fertile pollen,
either, and therefore, may not produce seed unless cross-pollinated.  The
o.p. 'Baby' series is fertile in both directions, and is of good quality. 
As I recall, Stokes still carries 'Baby'.
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