I have a couple of plants that are forming seedpods with special crosses that I don't want to chance losing the pods off of them. I need to bring these into the house till the pods mature. Luckily they are on smaller plants except for the Dbl. White and I will make room for her.
Question 1: Should I strip most of the leaves off before bringing in?
2: Can some be put into a basement with little light to go dormant with seed pods? Will the pods still mature?
3: Can a Y branch with a pod attached be cut off and put in water or soil to keep the pod growing? Don't have enough time to air layer.
I'll probably be driving you all crazy with questions but it's been my first year trying my hand at pollinating and don't want to lose my pods.
Need advice
Snow, dont strip the leaves. Its better, they fall off by themselves. The seed pods will continue to grow with light and if the temperatures are not too cold. But you cannot cut off a Y with a seed pod. If it stays on, it will not grow anymore. The branch with the pod has to stay on the plant. These are my experiences, all my seed pods have to grow and ripen out in the winterquarter.
Snow,
I'll have to pass on most of your questions since mine go into a greenhouse when I bring them in for the winter. I have however rooted a cutting with a pod on it in water and the pod did mature....just make sure you cut the stem long enough so the pod won't drag the table once it's rooted and planted in a container.
Really good questions snow!
I didn't know any better last summer and left the pods on the plants until I knew there was a big frost coming. I cut below the pod and removed all the branch from 6in. above the pod. I stuck it in a pot of dirt(potting soil) and set it on a heat mat. It finished maturing. This worked with Charles Grimaldi, but not FP. I did it with Sunray, the seeds matured, but the pod didn't grow any more; JP, the pod rotted.
Thanks all. I guess there will be a few plants growing in my sunroom for awhile along with all the cuttings I will be starting for next year.There is two of them that won't fit so I'll try the other method with those.