Tropicals & Tender Perennials: seed pods, 1 by bettydee

bettydee wrote:
When the seeds are ripe, the stalk connecting the pod to the branch will turn yellow, then brown. Eventually the whole pod may turn brown. If the pod has been on the plant long enough, the seeds may be ready. It is possible to slice into the pod (Sterilize everything.) to see if the seeds are ripe. Once you have made a slit in the pod, carefully separate the opening and look at the color of the cork (The seeds are covered with a cork.). If the color is a dark brown, the seeds are ripe. Take a look at the photo. The color rendition may be off, that can happen during transfer, but the stalks were yellow and had started to turn brown. The seeds are covered by a dark brown cork. Even though the pod itself was till green, the seeds were ripe.

Don't make the cut very large. Just large enough to take a peek at the corky cover. If the cork is not a dark brown, the seeds are not mature and need to stay on the plant longer. Carefully close the slit you made and hot melt glue or tape the pod closed. If you didn't introduce a pathogen into the pod, it will be fine.