What do the seeds on a Mexican Petunia look like???

I have looked and looked - what do Mexican Petunia seeds look like and when are they ready to harvest??? I see little - I guess 'pods' - after the flowers, but it always seems to be green and I really can't find a seed in there . ..

Anyone know how to harvest these?

Thanks,
Onalee

Are you talking about Ruellia?

I don't have a pic but the pods will turn brown (they do take a while) and you'll have to be quick to pick them or they just burst. The seeds are pretty small. I do have some seeds I can take a pic of if you'd like.

Yes, Ruellia - the common purple ones - -- I have never seen them turn brown - I have lots of plants, but never can seem to find a dry seed pod on them .. .

thanks,
Onalee

I'll check my plant again... there might be a pod or two left to get a pic of. And like I said, once they turn, they burst quick... so maybe you are just missing them and only seeing the green ones.

could be - probably - you'd think with as many as I have there would be some there brown when I look at them! When do you usually check - maybe in the morning before the sun hits them and drys them to burst?

ok I have found the seed pods on the PINK plants I have (((happy dance))), but the purple ones have zero seed pods! I checked my neighbor's and hers have zero seed pods!

My pink and purple are planted in the same area - Are there hybrid purples ones that don't get seeds?

Onalee

Alright!!! Thats great!!!

I don't know about hybrids, I guess it's possible. I have both pink and purple too, but no idea what they are other than ruellia. I got them in a trade a couple years ago and thats all they were labled. At least if/when they do make pods you'll know and be able to spot them.

Very odd - - well, thanks so much Jody for opening my eyes!

I'll try to keep them open now watching for the stubborn pods on the purples . . .

Thanks again!!

Onalee

If you have the common purple mex petunia, they do make seeds--lots of them. But they're quick! One day you'll see a pod and the next day that sucker has burst open and flung the seeds. I have plants coming up 6 ft away from the original plant. Aren't they just beautiful.

The pods are small skinny capsules less than an inch long. They will split open and fling these tiny tan disklike seeds. The seeds are a bit smaller than tomato seeds. There's probably a dozen or more in one pod.

The pods ripen faster on warm, sunny days. You can tell a pod is ready if you go to pick it and gently squeeze it. If it pops open with little pressure, it's ready. If not, try again later in the day. When it will split open, it's ready.

NancyAnn

NancyAnn - thanks for the info - I have found these pods on all my pink bushes, but there is NOT ONE pod, ripe or otherwise on my purple ones. And I now notice that I have new pink plants coming up everywhere - but not one single new purple one . ..

They are growing mixed together, so the conditions are the same - why would one get seed pods and the other not? I bought these originally at walmart long, long ago - actually, both the pink and purple came from the same place - they were marked down items.

Is there a hybrid purple that doesn't make seeds?

Thanks,
Onalee

Many tmes, after they bust open, the open pods remain after the seeds have flown on their way.

I had asked here, and was told cuttings take really easily. So you may wanna propagate that way.

I dont "think" there is a sterile hybrind, but .... there is always a first time?

BTW, did you ever spot any at all?

I got lots of seeds off my pink ones - absolutely NONE from the purple - my neighbor's purple had NONE, another friend I have in TX says her purple had NONE.. . .

They do root easily - but I sell seeds on Ebay and was wanting to sell some of those there - plants are a pain to ship and these cost more to ship as plants than folks could buy them for at Wally World. .

Anyway - thanks for the info!!

Onalee

I am just the opposite. My tall purple has tons and the dwarf purple has lots too but they are hard to find. You have to kind of dig down in the thick of it too find them.

the original plants I bought at wally world on one of those clearance - almost dead - sales. I got the pink and purple at the same time - but these purple do not have seeds. In fact, when I'm looking around my yard at the volunteers - I have ONLY PINK volunteers coming up - never any purple - which tells me they have never had any seeds...

They grow right together - there is no difference in light, water, etc.

I don't understand it . . .

Onalee

Well, than you are darn lucky. I would take divisions and cuttings and I bet people would pay for them. :)

I have the purple one and have successfully taken cuttings of the plant. They are really easy to root up. Here the plant will not make it through the winter and the plant gets too large to take indoors, so we take the cuttings in the fall to root in water and plant them the next spring.

I have seen the tall purple ones, which I love cuz they are a really electric purple
& have seen the dwarf pink called Katie - but IS there a tall pink one?

Yep, I have 'Chi Chi' Pink and 'Chi Chi' Purple. Of course they are entwined because I bought a 'Chi Chi Ruellia that had both.

So the Chi-Chi's are the tall ones?

Yep. Sorry about that. They are a tall cultivar. Mine get about 18 inches tall and reseed like crazy.

The ones I have seen at church seem to be at least five feet tall ???

I wonder if you could collect these seed pods when still slightly unripe and put them in a covered dish while they finish ripening.... that way, when they burst, you'll have the seeds. Probably you could also bag the pods, but that seems a much fussier approach.

Yes, you can pick these seeds and let them burst in a covered dish. You need to wait for the seed pods to turn 100% brown with no green on them, though. You pretty much have to check nearly everyday for ripe pods to pick, otherwise they're gone.

And don't be surprised when you hear all this 'popping' coming from your covered dish! They make quite a racket when they burst! Make sure they're dry when you put them in there, too - no moisture on them or they may mold. I use a styrofoam cup with a vented lid for mine to make sure they can get some air in the cup in case of some moisture in there. If the pods don't burst on their own, in my experience, you've picked them too soon and if you open them 'manually' the seeds are molded or green and no good. After opening quite a few of them when they didn't burst and finding this, I just quit doing that. If they don't open on their own in a few days, just toss them back into the flower bed.

Onalee

I have the tall purple ones...theres always tons of pods and seeds, never have any problem finding them any time of the year. I have seen a "renegade" dwarf purple coming up by my trash cans...was here when I moved in, I brought the talls from my parents place...but I never get around to digging the poor thing up or collecting seeds before it gets mowed over. They're hard to kill.

I recently got a tall white one from a in-person trade, it had lots of flowers last year when I got it, but no pods ever formed. I'll see how it does this year since its planted outdoors. It was in a pot before, but it was still outside when I got it.

If you ever need more mexican petunia plants elsewhere (though, I dont know why you WOULD, considering how rampantly they grow here!) you can just dig them up and toss some roots and stems into the new area. They'll pop up within no time.

Yes, I root them to get more - but my purple do not spread at all - they have never gotten a seed on them! The pink pop up everywhere from the seeds. I don't know if I have some kind of mutation that doesn't get seeds or what .. !!


:-)