collecting seeds /Questions

porsha Fruithurst, AL Jul 03, 2001

Hey everything around here is going to seed . Usually I pick off seed and wait until the end of year and let go to seed but since I found you guys iI love to share . My question is Will the plant die back after going to seed ? Catnip , sage , lavernder ? Please email eixporshaxi@aol.com
thanks Porsha

Post #7716

Quote

Dicentra Philadelphia, PA(Zone 6b) Jul 20, 2001

I'll make a general comment...
When plants are let to go to seed, they start shutting down their growing system since they've done what Mother Nature intended...produce new generations/propagate. That's why most people pinch back their herbs and flowers, ie..coleus, basil, catnip, etc...to keep the plant from flowering and producing seed, therefore getting stringy and just hanging in there. When pinched back, the plants are forced to grow further and again they attempt to produce flowers/seed. I found that I'll pinch back my plants to extend the flowering but I'll let them go to seed towards the end of the season. As another note, I cut back all of my chrysanthemums to 6 inches until mid-July, so they'll bloom in Fall, otherwise they'd flower too early and almost die off now.
Trish

Post #97105

Quote

mikepiper Circleville, OH(Zone 8b) Jul 24, 2001

Hi Porsha

I think it depends on the plants I have several I harvest seeds durning the growing season and they just keep blooming.Mike

Post #99213

Quote

Rainbows_End Liberty, IN Jul 25, 2001

My catnip I let go wild and every year I get seeds and the same plant comes back every year. Tonia

Post #100108

Quote

Baa Jul 26, 2001

One method you could use is to just let one or two of each plant to go to seed while the others are kept deadheaded.