autumn joy propagated

Does anyone know if autumn joy can be propagated from seed?

I wintersowed autumn joy last spring and have several little plants about 3 inches high. Took a long time to germinate,though.

I tried harvesting seed from Autumn Joy, but I couldn't find the seed. I know sedum seed is small, but I suspect our season is too short for the seeds to develop adequately. Is the seed large enough to roll between your fingers?

Weez - I think it's easy to miss the seed if you don't watch em real close. It disperses with the wind if you wait too long.

OK, poppysue. Thanks. Sounds like one of those 'bag the seedhead situations. That's easier said than done in our wet climate!

The ones off my plant is almost like a small piece of grain. They are off the purple autumn joy. Thanks for all of the help.

Pinky, if the seed is not really small, it could very likely be the shell rather than the seed.

Ok I planted the little grains off the plant in a soiless compost and it has now sprouted. Maybe the little pods opened up. LOL I am just glad that they are going. I also have red autumn joy and didnt get any seeds off it. It was just planted in my garden this year. Maybe it was to young to make seed.
thanks weez

This message was edited Nov 19, 2003 10:23 PM

This message was edited Nov 19, 2003 10:26 PM

Good to know, Pinky. I'll be more observant next fall. Maybe our season is too short to collect Autumn Joy seed.

The easiest method of propogating Autumn Joy is by the leaf (or the stem, actually). Just take a leaf or a stem and put it in soil and you have another plant! Why mess with seeds when a leaf or stem will do?

You've got a good point, pins. I propagate other sedums that way, but haven't tried with the Autumn Joy. I'll try it next summer. Does it root better at any particular time of the season?

I was told by another gardener that one could plant autumn Joy is by the leaf. It curled up and died. LOL am not sure if I planted it right, but I tried it with the a stem and is doing great. I started out with 2 tall stalks and used the seed and the stems cut in sections on the purple autumn joy that I was given by a neighbor. All is growing well. Here are my babies and cuttings.

You may not be able to see the new leaves in the picture of the sectioned cutting, but they are making new leaves. Boy, milk jugs does wonders. LOL

Thanks for the picture, pinky. Did you cut the tops off the stems when you stuck them in the soil, or later. I would have thought you'd need some foliage to get them to root.

We took full stalks and cut them in 3 inch sections and stuck them in soiless compost mix. A few weeks later they started to show new leaves. When I first planted them, they only had little nodes on them with the top flowers. I left the seeds attached to the top and then they dried out and I took the seeds and mixed them into the other cuttings. Now all is well. They are growing fine. Weez is this what you was asking? Hope I provided the correct into that you was asking about.

Yes, that was the question... thank you. When you say 'nodes', were they along the stem or part of the flower? It sounds like you rooted them in the fall, since they had seed heads. How did you get them to root before freeze? (I've got a really short season here!)

yes, they were given to me around Nov 13 and I posted my first entry on here and planted it up inside at that time. They are down in my basement growing under a Shop light. Yes the nodes were along the stem. heheh well I think that is what you call them. They were little lumps on the sides of the stalks. Are those nodes? I will get this right soon. LOL I am just so happy that I got them going.

Well, I don't know what you'd call them either, but it's really interesting. I'll have to remember this next year when I decide to give it a try. Thanks!

There is only one 'Autumn Joy' Showy Stonecrop. It is a hybrid Sedum, and if it even sets seed, the offspring won't be 'Autumn Joy'. As pins says, why bother anyway? I've started many of these plants from stem cuttings, in water and starting mix. I have had best luck in spring. All it takes is a pinched tip to get started.

Thanks, Echoes... quite right about hybrids, but this one has been around so long it may come truer from seed... as you say, if it has seeds! I'll have to give stem cuttings a try in the spring.

echoes and weez, I am not sure other than what I was told. I was told it is autumn joy. I am not sure what the difference is. Are you both saying it will come out not looking like the mother plant? It seems to be hardy, but a slow grower...not much bigger than when I took the pic. It is fun even though I am not sure what I will get. :)

This message was edited Dec 5, 2003 9:17 PM

Good question, pinky. I looked up Autumn Joy in the PDB, and there was a comment by Terry that said Autumn Joy is a cross between Sedum spectabiles and Sedum telephium and has been in cultivation since 1955. If Autumn Joy has seeds, as a hybrid, it could revert to its origin or some variation thereof.

As to whether your plant is truly Autumn Joy, it is hard to tell. After having read up a bit more on this type of sedum, I'm wondering if mine is just spectabiles rather than Autumn Joy. The blooms are a bright pink that don't seem to turn dark... but maybe it's our short season. I'll do some more research.

Weez, thanks so much for the information. I can't wait to see the seedlings and cuttings as they progress.