dianthus seeds

I'm having trouble getting my plants to polinate. I open up the dried pods to find nothing that look like seeds to me. Any ideas. Mike.

What type of dianthus is it, Mike?

Weez, I really don't know. But I'll send you pic later. Sorry it took so long to reply, been kind of busy here lately. Thanks in advance. Mike

Mike, some of the hybrid Dianthus chinensis don't seem to put out much seed, whereas some of the perennial & biennial varieties put out copeous seeds.

Weez, Here's a pic of the dianthus I've got. They must not seed much. Thanks Mike

Yes, those look like D. chinensis to me. I believe they are a mix of D. barbatus (sweet william) and D. superbus (fringed pink), and they are considered a short-lived perennial. I, too, have found they don't produce much seed, compared to the barbatus. Most nurseries sell them as annuals, and I believe they behave that way in many climates. Here they usually winter over for a year or two.

I collected seed from D. chinensis in the beds around town, and only got three or so seeds per head, while my sweet william are loaded with seed. I think that the closer to species you are the more copious the seed output.

Thanks Weez, I thought these boogers were a pain in the but anyway. Their HISTORY!!!!!. See ya.

rb250, in our wet climate here in Seward, Alaska, I've found a way to produce more seed from dianthus... When the flowers turn brown and are finished I carefully pull them from the calyx. When left on, the rain and even dew dampness, wicks down the spent petals and wicks the moisture into the center rotting the developing seeds. ... The other Carol

How come you haven't mentioned this to me before, Ceeads. I've got to get on DG to hear all your seed snatchin' secrets! LOL!

Just chiming in to seek advice on dianthus seeds.

I've just harvested from 2 pink plants in the perennial class (sorry, don't know their name) but I love the little pink flowers atop the short but thick mint green "grass-like" foliage.

Now what's the proper step? Since the plant was at a stage where it was dropping seeds I collected a few pods and sprinkled a few seeds around the bases of my roses in hopes they germinate there (probably not likely with my luck)

I have set asude a small bowl full of pods on my kitchen counter waiting your instructions. :-)

D

I would leave the pods to the open air until they are brown and dry. Shake out the seeds into a bowl and leave open again for several more days before storing. If collected at maturity, they should store well for several years at an even, cool temp.

If your plants are D. chinensis, the original plants may perform as an annual in your zone. Here they often live over and behave as a short lived perennial or a biennial. Our climate is moderate. I believe D. chinensis is a mix of D. barbarus (sweet william) and one of the perennial types, so it's life expectancy isn't all that clear-cut. Your description of flowers among the foliage makes me think that your Dianthus is chinensis, but I'm only guessing.

Thank you for the tips.

Seed heads were brown when I clipped them off. Some had opened to the point they were dropping seeds...so I figured it was time to collect.

I don't know if I can copy a picture from my diary over to here, but this is a perennial. It was planted late in 2004. Overwintered to this year when it bloomed and set seeds. We'll just have to see if it survives this coming winter.

I tried to copy a picture of my dianthus from my diary onto my pictures (here at work) and now to here:

The copyright is enlarged but I think you can see the plant OK for the purpose of identification. Hope so anyhoo.

Nope. Guess not. I'll have to do this from home where I have the original picture.

This message was edited Jul 29, 2005 7:50 AM

It sounds like you are doing all the right things collecting seed and spreading them. I look forward to seeing your pic.

It's been 3 years, but I know a couple of you are still around. I would like to collect seeds from my Dianthus Desmond and Dianthus Inchmerry, but I can't even find a pod. Or I'm not sure I can. When the flower dries up, there's a soft brown "container" left that might contain seeds, but if it does they're almost microscopic.

What does a dianthus pod look like?

What does a dianthus seed look like?

TIA
LAS

Yes, some of us are still around. Ceeads passed away this spring, so it was nice to see her post again. I had forgotten her wise words on collecting dianthus seed. She was an excellent seed collector.

The seed heads will develop quite a while after the flowers die off. They'll start as a long green bud-like swelling along the stem where the flower was. Later, this will turn brown and begin to peel back at the top like a serated trumpet. The seeds inside are usually black, but sometimes brownish, and they are generally rather flat. The amount of seed will depend on pollination and the variety. Some pinks put on copious amounts of seed and others don't.

It is possible that your pinks will not put out seed if they are hybrid cultivars. Some are infertile.

Thanks! It's very possible I just haven't waited long enough. Perhaps the Desmond is infertile, but I think the Inchmerry is a very old dianthus. That would suggest it's fertile, right?

LAS

Yes, older varieties are more likely to produce seed and come back true from seed, I should think. However, that doesn't mean they will put out copious amounts of seed, so you may only get a few per head. I just looked up Inchmery in the Plantfiles, and I see that berrygirl posted a comment. Here's her homepage if you'd like to d-mail her to see if she has collected seeds from hers: http://davesgarden.com/members/berrygirl/

It was nice to see a post from Carol. She's still passing on her considerable gardening knowledge! Didn't know that about my dianthus!

And weez, I told someone on another thread to ask you about your seed storage system. I saw pics of it on the 'Journey' thread and was very impressed with both the organization as well as the breadth of the collection. I hope you don't mind.

No problem at all!