Here are some pictures to illustrate the Green Horn success. :)
I didn't want to cut off the seed capsules, so I used a needle stuck on a pencil to dig out the seeds. It was easier than I thought because the lesliei seeds are quite big.
Anyway, don't forget to click on pics to enlarge~
Hi Rika,
ReplyDeleteare those seed capsules from 2010 flowers? You already harvested the seeds?
I have seed capsules, too and I was curious already but thought it was way too early to harvest.
Last time I harvested seeds in the summer. But last year I didn't know that my Lithops had seed capsules at all and only found them in the summer. I puzzled a bit over why they looked so different from all the pictures and not as green as they should be. They were light brown and not at all firm. Maybe the capsules had just dried out by then. But the seeds inside were still okay and stored safely.
I took out the seeds, dried them and put them away for the coming Spring. Because I read somewhere that very fresh seeds don't germinate as well as older ones.
What are you gonna do? Are you going to sow these right away this Spring?
Congratulations!!! :)
ReplyDeletethank you Phyllobolus! :) to see the seed capsules in action is amazing!
ReplyDeletei'm really glad about the lesliei, but i didn't have that much luck with salicolas, i think.
Hello Petra!
ReplyDeletelong time no see :)
yes, the seed capsules are from this year's flowers: http://lithops-stories.blogspot.com/2010/09/three-stages-of-flower.html
i didn't quite know when they're ready, but considering that, for instance, the new Francois Hoes seed catalogue is out normally in february, i thoght they should be ripe now. Since i did have 4 large capsules, i got one of them wet to see if it opens, and it did. also the seeds are already detached and ripe-looking. i think if the seeds weren't ripe, the seed capsule wouldn't open. this should be an indicator :)
and oh yes, the seed capsules are dry. there are no _green_ capsules left by now here. it's normal that you found yours dry and brown in summer~
about when to sow, i read in S. Hammers book that it doesn't matter, so.. i tried both, fresh and older, and didn't see any difference..
i will probably sow some of these sometime soon, mainly because their parents were grown by Y. Shimada, and I don't want to lose them, but they are way too many to sow them all (around 370 seeds in every capsule). they will be stored for now :)
oh, and i will definitely sow the ventergreens this spring!