I got two nice healthy seeds from one of my Endeavors. I have read the threads about nicking them and all. My question, tho, is when to plant? thanks in advance
When to plant seeds
Jo, I gotta tell ya. My MIL and I collected seeds off our cannas last year as they were forming and just scattered them around here and there. We literally threw them around and dropped them here and there. They came up in the spring with about a 75% germination rate.
I had someone tell me once, on the subject of soaking, nicking, etc.... "do you think God does that?! God designed these seeds to come up naturally!"
Up to you, I suppose, but I really don't think it's necessary.
Hey Cajun@ all i can say is Bull
If you want to know what happens to a seed and keep track of the plant as far as what kind is and where it came from then you start it in a pot with clean store bought seed mix and label it when you plant it out.
I have to use labels for seedlings or I will forget what kind they are without a doubt. :)
(If you live in a warm climate) many times canna seeds will sprout where they fall so you could naturalize and throw the seeds around if you weren`t concerned about which was which and they weren`t "special" to you as far as you wanted to see results of pollination you did yourself and you wanted many plants of a variety growing here and there. If you have to store your cannas for the winter this might not work.
The reason you nick the seeds is to allow water to enter the seeds and cause them to sprout quicker. When you nick them then it is also possible for worms to get inside and spoil the seeds so it is good to use some clean store bought seed mix for this procedure.
I started mine in spring after it was warmed up. I soaked and nicked the seeds and put it between two folded up wet paper towels on a plate kept in a warm drawer for a few days. I also planted some in clean washed dwith bleach solution 4 inch pots and store bought seed mixture. That worked fine. The ones in the folded paper towel sprouted in about 3-4 days(I changed the paper towel every other day to avoid going bad) and I planted them in pots and labeled them to set out when they were about 4-5 inches tall...then the rain washed the permanent ink off the labels and I now have no idea what some of them are. :)
This message was edited Oct 9, 2006 1:33 PM
Thanks gardener2005 --- that's lots of info. I'll save my two seeds until spring and then follow your instructions!