Harvesting Columbine Seeds

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Orchidgirl8 Wappingers Falls, NY Jun 30, 2015

Hi everyone -- I am a new member and have a question about harvesting Columbine seeds....A young man who was helping me in my garden mistakenly cut all of the seed pods off of my beautiful Columbine before they were ripe...To be fair, I had mentioned to him that I wanted to harvest them with the intention of spreading them along another section of my garden but I did not want him to cut them off before they were ready....All of the cuttings are still sticky green pods...Is there anything I can do to salvage the seeds and still plant them in the Fall????

Post #10104001
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altagardener Calgary, AB(Zone 3b) Jun 30, 2015

No, not really. Let them dry anyway on the off chance that some are mature enough.

Post #10104087
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Gitagal Baltimore, MD(Zone 7a) Jun 30, 2015

The ripe seedlings will be black.
If all you have is green seeds--they will not grow.

Lets hope this Columbine will return next year--then you can fence it in
so no one damages it.

Once the seed pods turn beige/brown and dry, the tops will open up.
This would be a good time to snip them off into a cup underneath.
Then put them on a plate, let fry some more--and then just spill the seeds out.

You are in a very cold zone--so I don't know if any dropped seeds would germinate
next year on their own. Normally--they are biennial.

You may need to start them indoors--or in a Green House.
Gita

Post #10104094
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altagardener Calgary, AB(Zone 3b) Jun 30, 2015

Columbines are completely hardy in much colder zones than those in question, and are also perennials (not biennials, though some may be short-lived in some conditions). Yes, seeds that drop will germinate on their own.

Post #10104096
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Orchidgirl8 Wappingers Falls, NY Jul 01, 2015

So, am I to understand that if I open up the pods and the seeds are black (even though the pods were green), the seeds are good to plant????.....

Thank you sooo much to all who replied to assist me :-) ....

Post #10104252
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altagardener Calgary, AB(Zone 3b) Jul 01, 2015

Yes, but you might as well throw any seeds collected out in the area where you want them to grow... you never know.

Here are some green pods showing mature seeds:
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nUrn8j0ISc4/maxresdefault.jpg

Post #10104330
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Gitagal Baltimore, MD(Zone 7a) Jul 01, 2015

OK! I stand corrected.....I guess some green pods are close to popping--
or can be squeezed to open up--so the seeds will germinate.

Being in 2 completely different zones may explain the difference.
G.

Post #10104436
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