Self-sowed seedlings

It took a long time this summer, but the self-sowed seedlings are starting to bloom. When they all get going, there will be quite a forest because I haven't thinned them very much!

Jeannine

hi Jeannine,

that's a lovely flower... you mentioned they're from self-sowed seed.. how long did it take to grow and bloom? I was out on a morning walk with my my dog today and we found a datura from one of the neighbor's yard. we took a look and see if we can find some seed pod... well, we did find a couple but they were already open and since it has been raining it' kind of wet. I still got a lot of seeds from the pods though... will it still be good for planting..sorry for asking , but I am not so familiar with growing plants from seeds except for chilies:) I'd like to know if the seeds i took from the neighbor's yard is worth keeping..lolit is also white like yours..

eileen

Hi Eileen,

If the seeds are dark brown or black and feel solid, they should be good. When I buy datura seeds, the package always says to soak them 24 hours before planting and then to nick the seed with a nail file to weaken the hard shell so it can absorb moisture and open.

Mother Nature planted these seeds for me, so they softened and opened on the ground with rain and heat. They sprouted in June and are just starting to flower now - about 2 months after sprouting.

They might grow faster in Florida - here in Minnesota we are just happy to have them bloom! I usually buy nursery plants just to have a bloom sooner in the season.

Jeannine

This message was edited Aug 27, 2006 4:14 AM

thanks Jeannine... well I just checked the seeds and they're dry now..I wrapped it in a paper towel. hmmm... that nicking it with a nail file sounds like a lot of work..lol...well, I'll wait next spring and see how it goes... I'll try to get some more tomorrow from my neigbor's..they dont seem to care at all..lol..I know what you mean by just buying from a nursery.. I too can get a little bit impatient...but I think now that I have quite a variety of flowering plants I am able to wait for the late blooming ones...and there's a time in the summer that I dont even do anything with my plants because of the heat and the mosquitoes ..lol...like right now... my plants get the water they need due to rains..so i pretty much take a little break from a backbreaking work on the yard this time...then when winter comes, i start preparing some areas for flower beds or just cleaning up the beds and get them ready for the long winter...