Several months ago I discovered these freaky green bean looking things amidst my confederate jasmine. After ascertaining that they are not in fact alien incubation pods I found out they’re seed pods. Do they only sprout every so often? I’ve had this jasmine growing along my fence for about 7 years and I’ve never seen these things before. But I digress . . .
What do I do with them? In looking at various articles it says I should pick them in late Summer / early Autumn, which is pretty much now. Then what? It says they should be “dry”. How dry is dry? Meaning brownish? Then it says to put them in a starter pot with some kind of growing medium and other instructions that I’m not sure I understand.
Does anyone have experience with this? I would love to grow some jasmine from scratch and just need someone to explain in simple terms (as if you were talking to a retarded child or a drunk person, maybe).
Thanks to anyone who can help old black thumb here.
It gives a good description of how to collect and sow the seeds. If you comment specifically on which parts are unclear, I’m sure someone could explain further.
Summary:
When the pods are ripe, they will burst open. There will be thin, brown seeds inside, attached to a lot of white fluff. Check the pods regularly so you don’t miss them opening, because once they open, the seed will start to blow away. You can also tie plastic bags around them to catch the seeds.
Remove the fluff from the seeds. Keep the seeds till spring, (I’d put them in an envelope in a jar, dark, cool and dry) or if you are somewhere with warm winters (e.g. Florida), go ahead and plant them. If you have good natural light, you can raise them indoors.
Plant them in a shallow tray, or small pot. Just press them into some damp potting mix and cover lightly. Water gently. Put them somewhere shady and protected from wind, and ideally not too cold. They will take a couple of weeks to start growing. Don’t let them dry out during this time. Spray them with water if the soil gets dry.
When they get 2" tall, choose how many you want - keep the strongest, well spaced. Cut all the others off at ground level.
As they grow, put them into progressively bigger pots, or plant them out. If you want to plant them in the sun, move the pots from the shade to half sun for a week or so, so they can acclimatise.
Somehow I did not see that particular article. It does cover some of the same stuff I’ve read elsewhere, but for instance, I kept reading about “growing mediums” and other such terms that I wasn’t sure about. I guess I just wanted someone to break it down in simple language a gardening dullard like me could understand, and you did a great job of that. Then again, what does one expect from a person named “Weedy” ?
You can get special seed raising mix at the hardware store but regular potting mix will often work just as well. It’s better not to use garden soil in pots. It compacts down and gets too hard.
I would use a method called winter sowing. Basically, you take a gallon milk jug and cut it roundways about 1/3 of the way down from the top, leaving the handle intact. Drill/slice a few drainage holes in the bottom. (Not too large, or your soil will wash out.)
This will allow you to pull the top back far enough to fill the container about half full of regular potting soil and sprinkle in your seeds. Press them against the soil, then mist heavily until the soil is moist. Tape the upper part of the bottle back in place. Remove the cap, so there’s some air circulation and a means for rainwater to enter.
Plant your seeds around the winter solstice. Put the jug outside in a protected area, but where it can get good light and rainwater. Then pretty much ignore it until spring. (You might check occasionally to see if it needs water. If there’s condensation in the jug, it’s fine.)
Once your seeds sprout, remove the upper part of the jug entirely. When the sprouts are big enough to handle easily, move to separate pots or into the ground.
