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How to Save Seeds From Flowers for the Next Year?

5 October 2022

Flower seeds are generally tiny and, it is natural to wonder how you can save them for the next year. Flowers, like most plants, produce fruits when they are pollinated. Once pollination occurs, the fruit contains seeds that are small and not easily visible from the outside. Most of these seeds will remain dormant until the plant begins to grow again in the spring.

However, some types of flowers from Florium.com do not produce fruits but have a type of capsule or pod with small compartments called locules containing smaller seeds. If you want to grow those flowers again next season, it is crucial to learn how to save seeds for the next year. With a little planning beforehand and diligence during the growing season, you can harvest your own flower seeds so that you can plant them again next year.

How to get seeds from flowers

Some flowers such as chrysanthemums and marigolds are self-pollinating, which means that each flower of the same type will produce its own seed pods regardless of whether it has been visited by bees. Blooming plants that are insect-pollinated, such as petunias, will not produce seeds, even if their flowers are self-pollinating. However, insect-pollinated flowering plants, such as all the members of the squash family, will produce seeds only when visited by pollinators such as bees. This means that if you want to harvest the seed from any of these plants, you will need to do one of two things: either collect the seeds from the plants after they have been visited by pollinators or hand-pollinate the flowers.

Grow your own plants from seed

Grow the plants you wish to save seeds from until they are at least one year old. This will ensure that the seed is mature and ready for harvesting, as some types of plants take longer to produce mature seeds than others. When you are ready to harvest the seeds from flowers, wait until the plants are completely mature; collecting seeds before they are ripe means that they may not germinate or produce plants of the same quality. Once the plants have produced their mature seeds, and you’re certain that the pollinating insects have left the flowers, it is time to harvest the seeds.

Harvesting flower seeds

While harvesting seeds, remember that the purpose of collecting seeds is to preserve the parent plant’s genetics. Once you’ve harvested seeds, it is best to plant them right away so that they have a chance to grow before the plant enters winter dormancy and the seed dies.

Drying flower seeds

Drying seeds is generally easier if you’ve harvested them from a self-pollinating plant. You can dry the seeds from plants that are insect-pollinated by putting them in a jar and letting them sit in a dry area for about 10 days. The jar must be kept closed to prevent the seeds from being eaten by ants. You can also choose to use a small paper bag, which is even easier and less messy. Once the seeds are dry, you can store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If you have dried seeds from multiple plants, you can separate them with a paper or fabric mesh.

Storing flower seeds for the winter

Once the seeds are fully dried, they can be stored in a paper bag or envelope in a dark, cool place with low humidity, such as a basement or cellar. If you are saving a large number of seeds, you may want to try freezing them. This is an excellent way to preserve seeds for several years. Seeds can be frozen using two methods:

The first method requires drying the seeds and then placing them in containers filled with silica gel or a desiccant. Next, seal the containers and put them in a freezer.

The second method is to harvest flower seeds immediately after the flowers die. Then, dry the seeds and store them in a freezer until spring, when you can plant them for the following year.

How to save seeds from flowers for next year Summary

Many flowers produce seeds that can be saved for the next season. Once you know which flowers you want to grow, it is important to wait for the flowers to bloom before you collect the seeds. When the flowers are fully grown, you can collect the seeds.

Make sure to know if it is an annual or perennial flower, and when to harvest the seeds. You can plant the seeds directly, dry them, or freeze them for later use. Make sure that the seeds are fully dried before you store them. You can store the seeds in a paper bag, the freezer, or the refrigerator. Once you have your seeds stored, you can start planning which flowers you want to plant in your garden next year!

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