Hibiscus Seeds - know how?

what do I look for?

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/28166/

What does a person need to do to the seeds to start them..nick or soak overnight? I have hardy hibiscus that give lots of seeds but have been unlucky as to getting any of them to start.

Wait till the seeds pods begin to open...I find native hibiscus (such as Texas Star) to be really easy to germinate...nothing special needed.

Definitly that nick and soak overnight helps, at least here in Canada.

Thanks for that link Robin. I hope to be able to afford one next week at Maggies Herbs. Have you ever eaten any? How did you fix them?
sidney

sugarweed,

I can send you some seeds if you'd like. I have way too many right now. Just that I didn't know that my browser - Firefox - (which is totally free) could blow up text in a most wonderful way. So I've barely been able to read or reply to anything for at least 2 &1/2 weeks; do to a very bad eye infection in both eyes; which was the result of a bug bite on the bridge of my nose. It even caused me to have bleeding in both eyes!

I like them in salads; both leaves and petals. You can put them ontop of anything to make a pretty garnish - eg: soup, salad, meal presentation, or for a vegetarian dish. The possibilities are unlimited to the imagination. I even used some for my daughter's 21st birthday cupcakes a few years ago as a garnish because she wanted to to keep up the party season, with the summer decor - June 28th; and no calories too.

The nick and soak overnight definetly helps. But should you find the seeds too hard to grip onto; soak as is in 1 cup of hot sink water with a teaspoon of peroxide overnight. The peroxide acts as a germicide as well as a discentfectant.

*~ Robin

Thanks for the germination tips -- I will nick & soak next year! I sowed a whole flat of various hibiscus and got only 2 scrawny seedlings... :-( Well, that's why I didn't sow every seed I had, LOL!

Robin,

Could I possibly get a few seeds for a SASBE. I had no idea these were edible and it might be fun to have a few since my daughter-in-law is a vegetarian. Also, my daughter does a little catering and it would make pretty garnishes.

I'm a new gardener - but smart enough to save my old yella hisbiscus seeds - now that I have them - how do I save them? Do I need to plant them indoors now for the spring - I'm in zone 5, unfortunately. Any help would be appreciated. I have so many questions.

This message was edited Oct 1, 2005 11:53 AM

rose
Are your yellow seeds hardy or tropical hibiscus? I'd love to trade you some other colors for your yellow if you'd like. I have several colors of Giant Hardy hibiscus, maroon, red, pink, white, white with pink centers and maybe others. I didn't list the others as many of them won't produce seeds for some reason.
We've never nicked our seeds, just soak them for 24-48 hours and plant them indoors in late winter. I move them outdoors as soon after the last frost as possible. They're always tiny and planted in those tiny flat dividers full of soil. They don't get very big the 1st year but will bloom and be well established enough to come back year after year. We have quite a few that just pop up from seds that hit the ground before we could collect them. I think we're in the same zone so your results should be similar to mine.
Please let me know if you'd like to swap seeds, I'm always game for trading all kinds of plants/seeds.
Good luck, JD

JD - They are hardy - I'd like to send you some if you like - just tell me how so I don't ruin them. Also, do you have pictures - I planted a dark red last year - but I killed it by mistake I didn't think it would come up - & dig right on top of it. I cried. I also have lots and lots of seeds of Hollyhocks - it's has dark red flowers - same shape as morning glory - but the color is so red it's black. If you need some let me know - I'm new at this I will have pictures available next time.

This message was edited Oct 2, 2005 9:30 AM

This message was edited Oct 2, 2005 9:34 AM

Rose,

Check you D-mail.

~* Robin