Gaillardia seeds

I hope this doesn't sound dumb, but I've been collecting the seed heads of my gaillardia and I'm not sure what is the seed and what is not. Hopefully, I can explain what I mean. On the head, there is the first layer of what I think are seeds that come off the head, then after that layer is off, there is another layer of what looks like seeds, too. Are both of these seeds or just the outer one? Or just the inner one?

kbaumle.......check out this website....you may be able to find what your looking for. I can tell you from my experience that you must first make sure the seed heads are dry. The seed should fall off very easy. I just pick my seed off of the heads, and I guess in answer to your question, it would be the first layer. The seed resembles little v's and are very delicate....

Good Luck!
http://theseedsite.co.uk/index.html

Yes, they're dry. I remember when I planted them from seed earlier this spring, they were pretty small. I'm guessing it's the first layer, too, but next time you collect seed from them, after the first layer is off, see if you can't pull off the second layer and it looks like there is seed there, too!

Thanks for the link to that site. I was there earlier, looking at a different seed. I've bookmarked it now. Lots of good info there! :-)

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/69/index.html

Here you go! There's a great seed image that should help.

Cool. I've got those. Then after those are out, you can remove even more that are under those, but tighter to the flower head. Does anyone know what I'm referring to?

But melody, that clears it up for me anyway, as to what I need to plant. :-)

I don't think the other things you are talking about are the seeds. I think from the description that they are actually the little 'holders' that the seeds set in. Seeds are usually in one layer only on a flower head. If you look at them with a magnifying glass, there are probably small differences in the two.

On a Blanket Flower, the first layer is very fuzzy, then you get the inner core of the flower head after the first layer is pulled off. That should be a bit darker in color and the little hairs that are present on the first set won't be as obvious. This is chaff and should be discarded.

The only thing that will germinate will be the whitish/gray things with the little tufts. You will be left with a smaller version of the flower head that looks similar to the original...the seeds are just gone now.

Kylee...I'm glad you asked this question! I can't help you with the second layer question...but I'd like to know how those little 'fuzzy' parts of the seeds are supposed to be handled. Are we supposed to try to clean that from the seeds before planting? (OH...and if you have any extras, I'll be happy to take them off your hands. LOL)

~julie~

I was just cleaning them and it occured to me that they look like little shuttlecocks. LOL.

This message was edited Nov 4, 2005 4:24 PM

Ahhhhh, another badminton player, eh? LOL I've thought the same thing about a few kinds of seeds.

~julie~

We used to play ages ago, just for fun. We do still have the net and the racquets and everything, but it's been a long time since we played. Same for croquet. I remember playing that a LOT at my grandma and grandpa's house when I was a kid.

Kylee.......I went out in my garden today and low and behold I still had Gaillardia seed pods, and one flower so I picked it along with the various stages of that flower. Maybe this picture can help you out.

Good Luck

Deann

Thanks, Deann. Yes, that's what mine looks like. I just was wondering if there were also seeds in that part that's left, because they'll come out just like the shuttlecocks do. LOL. But as I was cleaning mine today, I paid really close attention and there aren't any seeds in the second part, although at first glance it looks like there could be.

Deann...you should consider uploading that pic to the Plant files. We can always use more photos of the seed gathering procedures.

~julie~

Julie

I have no clue as to how to do that....don't we have to send to Dave or Terry first for approval??

deann

Deann, I just started working in the plant files. I'm still kind of new to PCs and figured it out pretty quick.
Go to Plant files and type in the plant name in the search field.
When that comes up scroll down and there are places to add comments, pictures and more.
Be sure you are adding info for the correct plant.
The pics take a few days to be accepted.
That pic above would be a nice addition, do you know the cultivar ? (Goblin, Arizona Sun, Fanfare etc.)
Andy P

I wish I knew the cultivar of mine...

Thanks helping out with the information on uploading, AndyP. (I don't usually get back to the computer during the afternoon or evening so I didn't see Deann's note until now.)

Deann...I'm one of those people who have no idea how to use the PF searches because I don't the difference between 'Family,' 'Genus', and 'Species' so I don't where to put what I *do* know. LOL

So I use the *old* Search page. Here's the link I use:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/search.php
When the page opens, I just type in the name of the plant (In this case Gaillardia) and click on 'search'. I usually get a list of several plants that contain the word I've typed in.

With 'Gaillardia' I got a list of 46 search possibilities. MOST of the list have a cultivar listed in the plant file name...but a couple are just general 'catch-all' info with pictures. These entries are the ones I visit first when I'm looking to find the basic information (zone hardiness, sun exposure, moisture tolerance, etc.)...but especially when I'm looking for seed gathering and visual ID of confusing seeds. Sometimes I get lucky and there are great pics of what I'm trying to identify...other times I have to go through a LOT of cultivars before I find pics of the seeds.

I'm adding my .02 worth in that I wish there was an easier way to find seed ID info/pics when time is short. And I guess I'm trying to sway your decision on which entry to upload your photo too. LOL

Thank you again, Deann, for adding your photo here. It really gave me a good idea of what the seeds look like.

~julie~

Here's a tip for learning how to use the PF. Hope this helps. We love additions to the PF and appreciate the concern about doing it correctly......we've all entered something that isn't correct..myself included. That's one of the things about a member run database, but there's nowhere else that you can get so much information about such a wide ranging variety of plant life...we just work to keep it as factual as possible. If you ever see an error, or discover that you've entered an error that isn't caught, there is a button that says' report an error' you can click that and ask for images to be moved and information to be changed.

Now, here's the PF lesson for the day...

Find a plant that you are familiar with...something that you like, and enjoy working with, whether it's roses or lettuce.To start with, select something fairly common. Check for cultivar entries in the PF. Read about the ones that are already there. You have the family and genus name already listed on the other cultivars...so that's handled.

If you have grown one of the cultivars, check off the zip code box and also add a rating and comment. If you have grown a cultivar that isn't listed...just copy the info from an existing entry into the boxes. Get yourself familiar with the names by doing just a few at a time and learning about familiar plants. It's easier to add information to something that you already know about, as opposed to starting cold.

If you are trying to identify a plant that may not be in the PF ,you can Google any of the latin names...or the common name.. and add 'images' to the request if you are hunting something specific. Google will hunt through all of it's images and you can go through them to find something that looks like your plant. chances are, once you have identified it by it's common name, you will be able to google the Latin name and have that info too.

By starting with plants that you have some experience with, you can make navigating the PF easier.

Hope this helps.

HI Melody! Where'd you come from? LOL

Thanks for the info. The new plant search is really hard for me to feel cmofortable with. Hope no one minds that I put my shortcut to what I call the 'general search' in here. :-|

~julie~