question about thunbergia grandiflora

Will it set seed? I have a couple flower that have fallen off and it looks like a tiny pod there but not sure, last pods fell off.

Their in the greenhouse.

kathy

Hi Kathy,
I have not seen seed on mine, but when I purchased the white one I posted a pic of the seeds in the database so maybe you will be able to tell by that:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/35054/

Good luck,
Donna

my Th. Battescombi, had seeds, I think,........silly me, didn't save them! E

I've been growing T. grandiflora for years and have yet to see a viable seed. It does make what looks like seed pods, but they have not had any seeds so far.

ok, Thanks all for your information, I do have the battiscombei too, never seen pods on it either, LOL

kathy

I had seeds on mine last year after the ants got done pollinating it. Fist year no ants and no seed pods. When the flower gets done blooming if it has been pollinated it will make this little green point that looks like it is part of the stem area. When that little green point turns brown then your seed is ready to be harvested.

Don't pull the blooms off when they are spent or you lose your chance of getting a seed pod. Found that out the hard way.

The seed pod when ripe you can pull it off and it looks like a little mountain sittign there. I have lost alot of seed by not picking them in time and once they hit the ground even in a pot a never can manage to find them so if ya got pods ya might want to put a piece of pantyhose with a tie twistee around em to catch it.

Well, we have ants, I don't pull my blooms and I don't have any seeds, now I'm jealous! My snail vine had seeds, the ants pollinate them. I saw the little "green mountains" that you're talking about, but when they turned yellow/brown and I picked them, they were empty.

You know what, I have an ant colony in my thunbergia grandiflora, the pest control guy said they wouldn't hurt it, just eat the aphids and such, so I leave them alone. maybe they'll polinate it, LOL I see ants all over the greenhouse, wonder if their pollinating, I have the snail vine, never had seed pods on it yet. they fall off after flowering.

kathy

Ahhhhh Calalily. I never tried to open mine up I just planted the whole thing. That is the seed. That was the way they look.

Kathy.. the ants don't eat aphids. They eat the sticky stuff the aphids leave behind and they will take the aphids into their nests and care for them ovr the winter and bring them back out when the weather warms up. Ants protects aphids as they give them their food source. And if your pest man told ya they ok to be there for ahpid control you need a new pest man.

LOL, He did tell me they eat the honey that the aphids produce, he didn't say they eat the aphids, but he didn't know they protect the stupid things LOL. I would get rid of the pest guy but he loves plants, and has some aloes for me the next time he comes, you think i'm tellin him to scat!!!

kathy

Starlight, I didn't know that was the seed, lol. I will quit ripping them apart and just plant them.

I've planted the "little mountains" numerous time, and never had anything come up.

I've read about others doing it, successfully, but haven't figured out why mine are germinating...

It is so easy, and so much quicker to propagate vegetatively, that frankly, I've stopped bothering trying to get the seeds to work...

If anyone knows the "trick", I'm all ears! lol...

-T

LOL... I can do the seeds, but have never had luck with the cuttings, Seedpicker. How about you do all my cuttings and I do your seeds? ;)

I chill mine in the fridge first, then I take mine and soak them in a small glass about a four ounce size. I have even used lots of those small glass candle holder glasses. They work perfect and are easy to handle.

I soak mine in a solution of 4 ounces water and 1/8th of a capful of hydrigen peroxide and one drop of dish soap. I use the Ajax antibacterial.
I let that mixture soak for 24 hours. Then I dump the water minture and holding the seds in my hand rub them off good under the water to get any left over soap that may be on them off.

Then I soak them for 3 more days in just clear water and I clean the container and hand rinse the seeds off before putting them back in the container. If you don't scrub the container each time, slim ya can't really see builds up.

After that I plant them and just barley cover them and give them lots of heat. Took me about a month before they came up. But up they came! :)

I start all my tropical seeds and hard shelled seeds and even my daylilies in this method.

interesting...I wouldn't have thought they'd need a cold period.
How long do you leave in the fridge?
-T

Seedpicker.... mine was in the fridge part not the freezer for about a month. I don't know for sure if they really need it or not, but I put my seed in the fridge, because the mother plant here goes dormant. I know any seed to include tree seeds in which the mother goes dormant I treat the seeds that way, because the genetic coding for the mother plant is passed into the seed. It was also something I leanred in Hort propagation class.

Could someone give me some pointers on getting lots of blooms? Last year mine did not get any blooms. Maybe too much shade.

These plants are native to tropical India and winter is their normal blooming season. That could explain why Shadowgirl is getting no flowers if she cuts it back to bring it inside in the fall.

I cut mine back in the fall, and cover it over with mulch. Then on another forum anothe rlady suggested to me to give it some fertizer in the spring when it first starts coming up. It helped with the vegatative growth and gave it a good start after the cold. After that I didn't fertilize mine any more with miracle grow but had put some slow release fert with it.

When I first got my plant, It was in a 3 gallon pot and i had left it in there and had it sitting next to one of them outdoor tents you can buy. Mine had gotten morning and evening sun but got the hot afternoon sun and the darn thing cured up the tent pole and all around the metal poles of the tent. It sure looked pretty when it bloomed. :)

Last fall I had moved it too next too the fence and it went wild winding and treadign through it. Mine usually doesn't bloom until Sept and oct and november though.

I do know that if you give it too much fertiziler it wil just continue to vine and vine and not bloom. Found that out with one of my smaller pots. That I feed regularly.

Thank you!