Today, I picked the first ripe pod. Behind is a papertowel roll.
The first havest
The pod after opening
here the seeds
This is the mom
and this is the Dad. Its a cross between the Rubirosa - line.
To me they look quite similar.
What characteristics were you looking for that you choose to cross them?I'm guessing that they each have certain points that you want to lock in.
Is this still part of the line breeding?
Are these stupid questions?
Wow Monika! LOL that is one big ol pod! And looks like a wonderful harvest! Looks like you need help planting those! :o)
That's a WHOPPER! Bet you are happy, should make some real good babies. Wish we could help you grow them!
crestedchick, these are no stupid questions! Stupid questions are the ones, which were not asked! Keep on asking if you feel like it and feel free, to do so!
This cross happened by accident. The parents are related, they are sisters in F1 generation. For that reason, I will not grow the seeds because I have both the parents and grandparents. It was fun to watch the pod grow because it seemed, he would never stop LOL!
This message was edited Nov 16, 2003 5:05 PM
Thank you Monika.....and its still a beautiful cross,how can it go wrong!
Crying here! I would give anything to get a big seedpod like that, my ONE is long and skinny on V. Orange.
Wow! The branch must have been weighed down with a pod that size. Did you have to prop it so it wouldn't break? That's a small watermellon :-)
Its like one of those zuccini....you just gotta see how big it will get!
LOL!
Padre, the branch was strong enough to hold the pod.
That's a whopper for sure!
Since your encouraging questions... I have a zillion! LOl! :o) So why wouldn't you want to grow out the seeds? Is it because the offspring will most likely revert back to their garndparents? I'm curious because I have a pod from a sister cross - Rosamond x Rosabelle. Even if they reverted back ... it'd be fine with me.
I also have another question about seeds. After soaking seeds ... I can't help but notice the clear gel substance that they're coated with after they absorb water. What is that stuff? It seems to happen with fresh seeds & dried seeds. I wonder if it's good... and promotes germination? Or maybe it inhibits germination and should be washed off? ... or maybe it's the seeds built in fungicide? I notice a gel like this forms on seeds from other genera too, like Salvia. I've always wondered what it was and after planting so many brugs seeds lately I thought you might know.
doesn't oregano get it too...thats why you soak the seeds and what makes the seeds stick on the chia pets...LOL
Now that is what I call a SEEDPOD!! Holy cow, that thing is huge. I've never seen anything like it before. Any idea how many seeds it held?
Hey guys, we need those seeds! LOL. To get to the point where you just toss them, must be a great point to be at!
How many seedlings do you grow out every year Monika? How do you have the room? You must toss them as they grow if they do things you do not like. So then maybe how many you start with and end with are much different.
That is one gigantic seedpod!!! Crestedchic took the words right out of my mouth, it looks just like a zucchini that had hid under its leaves. It must have been quite a "BIG" surprise when you found that pod!!! No use of steroids, right?? Just kidding! :~)
Personally, I think the parents are beautiful Brugs. They would have had some gorgeous babies!!
Poppysue, the parents are B xcandida without any other genes as of aurea and versicolor. 75 - 80% of the progeny will be a almost look alike of both parents, a few may revert back to the grandparents aurea and versicolor of which I hav both.
This will be different with your Rosamond x Rosabelle seeds.
They are RK x Ocre. Pink x Golden yellow, besides this, Ocre has suaveolens genes. This cross might have large gene pool, it all depends, how many suaveolens genes both parents have to inherit.
I wash the gel substance off to prevent borytritis in the sowing box. Its the ideal nourishment for this fungus.
We probably pick the pods too early because I noticed. when I forgot pods and they fell off themselves after being ripe and were found later, the outer skin and inner coating has already rotted away, the seeds had none of this gel.
Interesting. I searched around a little on the web, of course I can't find anything about brug seeds but there is a bit about seed coat mucilage with other genera. The say the gel coating on tomato seeds contains germination inhibitors that keep the seeds from sprouting inside the moist fruits. I know tomato seeds should be fermented to break down the these inhibitors. I wonder if the seed coat mucilage on brug seeds might serve the same function? If the pod remains on the plant too long the mucilage might be broken down and destroy any inhibitors that it might contain.... maybe that's why we hear of some seeds sprouting inside the pod?
LOL - curiosity gets the best of me ;o] I have some seeds from last year that I have no intentions of planting. I might experiment with them a little to see if there's any difference in the germination rates with the gel left on or washed off. Maybe I'll see if I can ferment some like they do with tomato seeds.
you go girl!
Poppysue, it could explain it. For myself I have not noticed a better or lesser germination rate with or without it, but much problems with mould in the sowing box with it.
Here's a little tidbit from a 'tomato person' and fermentation.Yes,you should ferment tomato seeds to remove the gel coat,but in my experience,the gel won't inhibit germination except while the seed is still inside the fruit.What we do when we remove the gel coat is to get rid of soil borne pathenogens.It helps with controlling tomato diseases...of which there are many.
After the seeds are removed from the fruit and dried,you cannot re-hydrate and ferment.All you'll get are sprouted seeds.There may be a little loss in your germination rate by not fermenting,but as a collector of old heirloom tomatoes,I've brought home seeds that have not been fermented lots of times.They are harder to work with,as they are stuck together and stuck to whatever the person saved them on(paper plate,newspaper,paper towel)But they germinate just fine if they have been reasonanly stored.
I'm guessing that brugs are probably similar,and the gel is no longer of use after the seeds are removed from the pods.But fermenting an already dried seed will not do any good.
Boy, what a pod. :( I never get any
PoppySue and Melody, how do you ferment the seeds?
Kell,put fermentation in the search box...tons of stuff will come up,mostly from the tomato forum.
In a nutshell,you squeeze the pulp of the fruit into a disposable container(cucumbers need to be fermented too)Add a little water if it looks too dry and leave it undisturbed for 5 days during warm weather.
A scum will form on top,but leave it alone.When the 5 days are up,pour off the scum and rinse your seeds till the water runs clear.
Unviable seeds will have stayed at the top,live ones will sink.You may lose a few good seeds,but your germination on the ones that remain will be of a greater percentage.
Pour seeds out and spread in a single layer on something that they won't stick to.I use old china plates and take a paper towel and soak up excess moisture with a corner of it.Put in an out of the way place to dry(fridge top) Tomato seeds should be dry enough to bag up in about 2 weeks.I know brug seeds are much bigger,so can't help with that part.
I do this, when I soak dry seeds before sowing out. After a day, most of the seeds are on the bottom, the ones, still swimming , are removed. I change the water after a day, because of its nice 'fragrance'.
Do you peel your seeds Monika? I've done it both ways and haven't noticed a big difference in germination, maybe a day or two.
How long do you soak the dry seeds for, Monika?
Thanks for the tomato input, Mel. I always thought T seeds would not germinate well without the fermenting process. Tomato seeds are different in that they are incapsulated it a gel sac inside the fruit. Brug seeds have the mucilage in the seed coat and soaking the seeds must draw it out. It prolly doesn't serve any function for brug seeds... maybe it just keeps the seed from drying out after it has absorbed water.
Shirley, usually, I dont peel the seeds. When I pot the seedlings, I check all seeds, which have not germinated. Often, the embryo inside has rotten, but there are also seeds, which are ready to germinate but are unable to break through the cork shell. This happens when the seeds went dry during sowing or ried seeds, and even with soaking, the cork shell stayes hard. I peel these seeds and often they germinate within a week.
Poppysue, I soak them for at least 24 hrs but mostly 48 hrs in lukewarm water. Good seeds sink to the bottom. Before, I sterilized the soil in the Microwave. Its smells horrible. Today, I used boiling water. After 15 Min. the water will be removed and when the soil has cooled off, the seeds are sowed out in it. This way,the spreading of mould is almost reduced to zero but it is important that any attached plant issue has been removed from the seeds.
Wow! That's some pod.
Thanks Melody and Monika! I guess I still need to learn alot! LOL
Sue you sound so knowledgeable. I am always so impressed by you!
Great info guys! Does anyone nearby have a microwave I can use :-) Monica, do you pour the boiling water just over the surface of the soil or through the whole container? Doesn't that turn it all into a bucket of mud? How do you remove the water - evaporation? I'm missing something here.
Lots of great info here. Thanks. Wow that's a huge seedpod Monika
Padre, I need to know that same thing too, Im confrused lol
I use a iron pot. A plastic bucket or pot would melt. I add the soil needed into the pot and pour boiling water over it.
It has to be soaked thoroughly. Then I pour it into a old, but clean cotton kitchen towel and let the water run out until it has the miosture needed for sowing.
You can not do this with garden soil. I use a quality soil which contains much fibres like finely shredded bark and peat moss
Gee Monika, your brug growing is a act of love!
Tell me about it, wow...