Balloon Flower - How to Save Seeds?

How do I save the seeds from my Balloon Flower - The part where the seeds are never seems to get brown - Am I looking in the wrong place or just not giving it enough time?

I'm waiting anxiously for a reply to this too, as I have some new balloon flower plants that I just got that have little seed looking things on them, but they are still green.

Maybe one of the seed saving pros will come along and rescue us...LOL!

~Sunny

I hope so, I really want to save seed from this, but the part under the flower just doesn't want to turn brown and I don't have any idea what to do!

The pod keeps its green color.

At this time of the season I take a lower pod and open it.
If the seeds are completely black, then they are ripe.

There should be a lot of seeds in each pod, so carefully
search all of the crevices in the pod for seeds.

I collect the pods once the blossoms shrivel up, then I place them in an open container to dry. Once dried, you can cut the top of the pod off, & a gentle squeeze will release the seeds. I don't know if they require stratification, but my seeds are stored in an unheated garage for the winter. Surface sow, or cover with a thin layer of peat moss to germinate.
I have grown Balloons from seed for years - they germinate well. By the way - if you cut back the plant to collect the pods, it usually creates a second flush of blossoms. This is a very carefree & rewarding flower!
Julie

Thank you SO much!!!

Thank you Julie and taramark. I will check mine again today. I need to find out what the plant looks like prior to bloom so I make sure I'm not snipping off pre-blooms instead.

So much to learn, so many people here to help out. DG is just an awesome place with terrific people!

Happy gardening,

~Sunny

The blossoms look just like little balloons before they open up! They are soft & poofy. Once the blossom is finished, the pod will be hard, with some of the dead flower still on the end of the pod. Not all of the pods will have viable seeds - some pods will rot, & the seeds within are thin & mushy. I know that leaving the pod on the plant for a while seems to help... But there will be no shortage of seeds with this plant!
Julie

Yippee! I have seeds :) And you are right JRush, there's a ton of them in there. They are kind of small, and brown. Look kind of like sesame seeds, but smaller :)

I sure got my money's worth on these plants - I got them for a dollar this weekend at Lowe's, and now I have about 50 seeds to boot. Plus more seed pods.

I'm loving this seed saving thing. But I must find a place to do it...the dinner table is getting kind of messy...LOL.

Thanks to all for your helpfulness :)

~Sunny

This year I see many seeds with transparent edges.

Does anyone know what causes this?

Thank you.

I was wondering the same thing - some of my pods still had green seeds put the one I left on the plant and let it swell for about a week gave me the brown seeds and a few seeds that still had the transparent edges around them. I'm not sure if they are viable or not?? Anyone know?

JRush, I finally got to see a bloom from start to finish - these are adorable little plants - fast becoming one of my favorites. Especially with their seed production! I noticed that if I let the seed pod get dry, the seeds practically fall out of the top when you tip it over.

Michelle, I checked my seeds for the transparent edges and only saw a few (must get better lighting or stronger contacts..!) They feel a little less substantial than the other seeds to me as well.

~Sunny

The germination rate for Balloons is high, so don't fret the weak looking seeds. A tip: I made the mistake of sowing the seeds too thickly. They were so crowded that a mildew easily set in. (I am not one to thin my seedlings - it somehow seems like murder to me!) They are not strong enough to be moved at that stage, so give the seeds some room to sprout. Or thin them, if you have the courage!

How long do they take to germinate JR? I didn't know if I could grow some now and overwinter in the house, or if they would last the winter here. I think the lowest it's gotten during my two years back and forth is 18 degrees during the ice storm in 2004. Otherwise it seems a mellow winter. Whaddya think?

~Sunny

Honestly - I don't know if they need that cold spell or not to germinate. You could try it both ways to see if it would work. Sow some seeds in a pot & see what happens - if none sprout, then leave the pot outdoors for the winter to stratify, & they should sprout next Spring. You should have a longer growing time that my zone, but those temperatures will still kill back the plant in winter. But that is ok - many plants need that resting period. Grown from seed, you should see blossoms by year two :)

Checking the seeds with transparent edges, I find that
after drying for a few days they are now dark gray with
a white edge.

I will wait a week before I pick another pod.

Brown Platycodon seeds? Interesting.

I love Balloon flowers! My nutty DH bought 25 or 50 of them last October at HD, so he spent November planting them along the walk he had just finished building. And I hear every year they grow bigger and flower longer!

xxx, Carrie

This message was edited Aug 30, 2006 11:25 AM

They're beautiful - I have one little plant and have loved it!

Carrie - that is a lovely border! I hadn't thought of them as a border flower - but it certainly works... I bet you have tons of seeds too :)

Thank you, J. My nutty DH was basically responsible for the whole idea. They do tend to flop down on to the walkway from time to time, and then I heartlessly run them over with my electric wheelchair. Will they spread down the whole edge of the grass? I don't think I'll be needing any seeds, except for trading!

xxxxx. Carrie

I have never had any volunteer seedlings in my garden. I direct sowed Balloons this Spring, & a whole slew sprouted. But soon they disappeared. I have hungry slugs. Yecccche.

Platycodon grandiflora transparent edge seeds.

I decided to test the transparent seeds. I 'bagged' them;
one week later, I note that two of the transparent seeds have
germinated, but none of the solid black have.

Forsooth! a mystery to me.

Has anyone else tested the transparent edged seeds?