Re: harvesting hosta seed pods was: hostas blooming
- Subject: Re: [SG] harvesting hosta seed pods was: hostas blooming
- From: P* H*
- Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 03:47:11 EDT
In a message dated 10/21/2001 1:23:13 PM Central Daylight Time,
taeking@ENDLESSHEALTH.COM writes:
> Is Frances William self fertile?
Yes - most Hosta are self fertile (of those that are fertile- not all are)
After 90 days from fertilization your plants should produce 90 plus
percentage germination, seed can also be collected from plants that are 30
days from fertilization but germination rates will be very much reduced.
Here in Minnesota many of the late summer-/fall blooming plants rarely
produce large amounts of good fertile seeds.
Hosta have a large amount of "chaff" or undeveloped seeds in the pods-with
proper cleaning -- germination rates the first year should be in the high
80's from seed collected - excluding those collected with in 30 days of
fertilization.
"Good" seed will have a hard head with black wings- "bad" seed just has the
wings.
If one puts the seed on a hard surface and presses their finger over the seed
you can fell the "good seeds."
Hosta are one of the slower growing perennials with the fast growing types
taking 5 years or so to reach their full size-the slow growing types may take
10 or more years to reach full size.
After the second year you can generally make a selection of those plants
worth keeping for the land scape- what I look for in a general land scape
plants raised from seed is good solid color-dark or shiny -- depending on
what you want. Large leaves with attractive veins and or edges. Thicker
leaves tend to produce better looking plants but are also slower growing.
If you have a good number of Hosta or certain types that produce variegated
offspring-you can keep them as novelty plants to see what they might turn
into-but they rarely make attractive plants in the landscape because the
variegation is unstable.
Paul
