When are the seed pods ready to be taken of the plant? If I brake them of the plant while green, will they still be ok?
seed pods
When the seeds are ripe, the stalk connecting the pod to the branch will turn yellow, then brown. Eventually the whole pod may turn brown. If the pod has been on the plant long enough, the seeds may be ready. It is possible to slice into the pod (Sterilize everything.) to see if the seeds are ripe. Once you have made a slit in the pod, carefully separate the opening and look at the color of the cork (The seeds are covered with a cork.). If the color is a dark brown, the seeds are ripe. Take a look at the photo. The color rendition may be off, that can happen during transfer, but the stalks were yellow and had started to turn brown. The seeds are covered by a dark brown cork. Even though the pod itself was till green, the seeds were ripe.
Don't make the cut very large. Just large enough to take a peek at the corky cover. If the cork is not a dark brown, the seeds are not mature and need to stay on the plant longer. Carefully close the slit you made and hot melt glue or tape the pod closed. If you didn't introduce a pathogen into the pod, it will be fine.
Thank you Bettydee for the photo of the brug seeds. If and when I ever get to that stage I'll know what to look for. Need all the info I can get.
Bettydee thank you so much.........I will check the seed pods in the morning
I think I read somewhere pods can take 3-5 months to ripen for successful germination... is that about right?
Had to take my trumpets out of whisky barrels and put them into pots. It is getting really cold, so in case of a frost warning I can take them in fast. Hopefully my seed pods will make it since I had to chop off some ruts so they could fit into the pots.They are still green , but some seed pods are really huge.
Skylon, here's a pic of the blue plastic tubs I use for brug pots... not real pretty, but I have spray painted red ones before, with Krylon, specifically for plastic... the handles have help up for over 7 years, as we lug them in and out with the seasons... that way no transplant shock or digging and repotting.. they are around $7 ea. (years ago they were $5) at any box store.. (I put other plants in them, too)
Thank you AuntB, but I didn't see anything like that in CANADA. I could look for them in the US.
Could you please tell me which stores.
Thank you
Maryanne
You might find them in farm suppy stores. Also walmart or menards.
We have Dollar General stores here that have them too. Lowe's, Home Depot, might try hardware stores, too. They may not be elegant or even pretty, but it's about whats IN the pot for me.. and functionality.. I'm amazed the handles have held up for years, only have 1 pot that the handle broke on. (love your DG name Crazy4brugs)
Tank you sooo much,,,,,,,,for sure will look for them
AuntB I have a couple of those big plastic tubs and never thought about using them as plants until I've seen some of your posts. They are pretty faded from the sun and again never thought about painting them. At one time our 99 cent store got a few of them in, but they went so fast and I didn't get in on the bargain.
Getting some brug cuttings soon and looking forward to these babies.
Pegi
You'll probably be buying more then, they are the big 25 gallon ones and I think they will take over a cu ft of potting soil, each.. keep potting the young plants up to a little big bigger pot so they have a nice dense rootball, I do that until I have them in a 3-gal or so nursery pot and then they get their permanent home in the tub. One brug per tub...be sure to drill some holes for drainage or the roots will rot.. I saw over there you are getting a "Dollie box"...Congrats! I'm still on cloud nine with the box I received. But you are in zone 10 - they are less work if yu can keep them in the ground.. but potted ones are fun too.
Yes, a Dollie box, so anxious to see if my gardening skills have improved. I think I am going to need more space if, somday, I put them in the ground. I think I should get rid of DH's junk and put plants all over. I need to read up on rooting the brugs so I don't make a mistake like I did with the first ones. Have to set up a nursery for my new babies. All your information really helps. Thanks to all of you
I have 3 of them. I use them for water gardens.
Alot cheaper than flower pots!
(tks Aunt B)
Great idea using them for water gardens.. I bought a 1/2 whiskey barrel about 4 years ago, at K-mart for $8, drilled holes in the bottom and let it sit all winter...in spring I decided to make a water garden and paid around $20 for a deep preform liner.. just didn't make sense to me, should have been the other way around.. lol
Those big pots were on sale at menards in the spring for 5 bucks. Bonnie I have a barrel water garden too. same liner.
Lav... do you have an old oval stocktank water garden, too? I used to get tubs for $5 at DG, but now they are $7, still an inexpensive BIG pot.
no wish I did though. I will dmail you so we don't yack on someone elses thread.