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Forgive my ignorance but I joined the site to be educated. Can someone please tell me which part of this is the seed. Is it the darker part or the lighter coloured part. I think it is the light bit but just checking. This is not a trick question. It is seed I collected from the Inula magnifica plant in the garden. I googled it but could not find any photos of seeds. I did discover however that this is a plant which the Scottish government is prepared to pay farmers to grow as birds love the seeds.


On plant Inula magnifica

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Answers

 

I'd go for the paler part with the darker part being the remains of a stamen?

25 Nov, 2013

 

Thatis what I thought Steragram. Thank you.

26 Nov, 2013

 

As above

26 Nov, 2013

 

Agreed

26 Nov, 2013

 

Thank you all. Its great to be able to come on here and get a reply so quickly. Is there a simple way of seperating the brown bits which detach from the seed.

26 Nov, 2013

 

Apart from gentle rubbing twixt finger and thumb, no. But I have to say that I have never bothered cleaning these seeds further than that for sowing. Maybe for bird food there is a need.
Dry stored I have a feeling the chaff will naturally detach itself.

And you can tell if it is viable seed by the 'plumpness' of the seed bit. Rounded seeds are viable, flat ones are not.

26 Nov, 2013

 

Thank you Owdboggy. A lot of the seed has separated and I feel there is a lot of dross which I don't need. In future I will leave the majority of stems for the birds. I had no idea I would get plenty of seed from just one flower head. What you see in the pic is only about quarter of an inch long. They are very small seeds for such a big plant.

26 Nov, 2013

 

Try winnowing it. If you spread it out when the dark bit is quite dry and blow on it gently, or stand outside in a light breeze, most of the chaff should blow away and leave the heavier seed behind.

26 Nov, 2013

 

Thank you Steragram, I was hoping I could sieve it.

26 Nov, 2013

 

I agree....great plant. I had my first flowers this year and they were fabulous.

26 Nov, 2013

 

I will have plenty of seed going spare if anyone fancies trying to grow from seed. Did you grow yours from seed Linda or did you buy a plant? I got mine on a Gardening Club visit to Inwood near Musselburgh.

26 Nov, 2013

 

Scotsg. I meant to say earlier your question is not ignorant! I wish some of the seed donors who send seed to the SRGC seed exchange would ask it… would save a lot of wasted time. Doubt you will be able to sieve the seed and personally if for own use would not winnow. Be careful if you do and don't sneeze or cough - I've accidentally done both… lol

26 Nov, 2013

 

Depends what size mesh you have I guess. Winnowing works for me, and wind is better than breath as long as its gentle.No chance of breathing the chaff in like that.

26 Nov, 2013

 

Do you get gentle breezes in Scotland? Whenever I see the weather map, they're forecasting gales - lol

26 Nov, 2013

 

Thank you both. I learned about winnowing at the distribution stage of the seed exchange last January, but with half of a litre ice cream carton full of seeds etc. and them being so tiny plus we have a gale blowing at the moment winnowing did not seem like a good option. I have just started sieving and am losing some seed in the process but I am getting rid of bigger bits. I did not offer these to the exchange because I was too busy to process them. I have taken some pics of the process so far. Andrew we live at the top of a steep hill up from sea level then the land is flat for miles to the west and east. We get gales or no wind at all. A gentle breeze is a rare treat.

26 Nov, 2013

 

Andrew - I'm beginning to suspect you're a weather freak - but I suppose it's in the air you breathe!

26 Nov, 2013

 

Melch - it's having lived with the Met Office round the corner for twenty years. And my best mate worked there (although after the 1987 storm, the weather was not a subject we discussed too often)

26 Nov, 2013

 

Looks like the sieving was successful Scotsgran - well done!

27 Nov, 2013

 

Thank you Mg. I came across an article on seed saving on the AGS website and saved the route to it on the Gardening Club website I edit for our club. Here it is http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/pdf_files/seed/Bulletin_pg293_298.pdf
It is well illustrated and easy to understand and well worth a look. That was where I learned about using a sieve. I will need to get a selection of sieves and tea strainers.

27 Nov, 2013

 

Thanks for this Scotsg.

27 Nov, 2013

 

Forgive my ignorance, but if you planted the lot, chaff and all, would you still get seedlings?
It seems a lot of hard work, especially trying to recognise the seed, yet alone separating it.
Fair play to you though, Scotsgran.

27 Nov, 2013

 

You certainly would - that's how nature does it after all!
You'd have to be very sure it was all dried properly before storage though or you might get mould growing. And you'd have less control over how thinly the seed was sown as it would be more difficult to see it when its so small.

Yes Snoop, I used to love those old threshing machines. We could hear the engine from our back garden.

Well Scotsgran, another good idea bites the dust (or the chaff?) For few years I used to live 1000 feet up in my teens, so know what you mean about the wind. Glad its working our for you anyway.

27 Nov, 2013

 

i didn,t all the answers too many. if your trying to grow them why don,t plant them separately, then you will know next year

27 Nov, 2013

 

Eamonn if Scotsgran sowed all the seed she would be inundated with plants next year! With the amount of seed she has a salt spoon full is all she needs to grow. The rest the birds can eat.

27 Nov, 2013

 

Inulas grow wild round here in a few places and they seem to manage without any TLC! There's quite a bit patch on Angle not far from Sandra's place.(Nothing to do with the question, just interesting)

27 Nov, 2013

 

For this particular plant the exercise is not that important but there are lots of plants which are quite rare. Being able to harvest the seed correctly is important if we want to see them thrive. The Alpine Garden Society based in England and the Scottish Rock Garden Club both encourage saving and sharing seed with fellow members through their seed exchange programmes. The meconopsis group, the allotment people etc do this too. A lot of research goes on all the time looking at what grows where and we all benefit from the work of gardeners, scientists, photographers etc engaged in the research. I got interested in seeds because I packed seeds to expand my knowledge of the plants available to grow here. Knowing what a seed looks like once it has grown in to a plant and what kind of flowers it has brings me back to the seed it produces. The cycle of life of a plant is interesting to me. Earlier in the year, Bjs showed us in a blog how to harvest Hepatica seeds. These are expensive plants to buy and getting your hands on seed is very difficult unless you know where to look. Because of their life cycle it is important to sow their seed as soon as possible. I would think it is safe to assert that quite a few members of goy find plants are expensive. Growing your own plants from gifted seed is exciting and cheap. It may take longer to flower than one bought in a garden centre but the sense of achievement is hard to beat. I am hoping that my seedlings will find good homes if anything should happen to me but I also know that sowing seed and tending my 'babies' may well help me last long enough to see the end result. Bowl-you from Canada showed us how to harvest hardy Geranium seeds. Its lovely to be able to gift some seeds of a plant that is being admired by a friend. it is interesting to know what is growing wild around the country Stera.

28 Nov, 2013

 

Well said Scotsgran! Our packeting duty is done for this year and the box on its way back to Ian. Relieved that this year no one had put in whole arisaema berries, almost impossible once half dry to clean. That said there were several seed donations that had been poorly cleaned of chaff.

28 Nov, 2013

 

I have finished too. I got those clematis seed and did have to get the scissors out on occasion. Time for SRGC to issue a downloadable leaflet on harvesting, cleaning and packing seed for distribution methinks. There must be lots of seeds left for the birds which people are dying to get their hands on. It does not follow that just because something grows like a weed in one area of the world no one would want it anywhere else.

28 Nov, 2013

 

I agree Scotsgran talk to Madam President and her husband… They should be able to put something together.

28 Nov, 2013

 

Good idea and you know what the answer will be lol.

28 Nov, 2013

 

Well they will produce something remember everything goes to print early Jan.

28 Nov, 2013

 

I think they will be run off their feet between now and then.

28 Nov, 2013

 

PS Moongrower I just checked and closing date for the January issue was first November.

30 Nov, 2013

 

Ah, that is a theoretical date :-) We haven't even sent the programme for the 2014 Discussion W/E to Anton yet, nor do I have everything I need for Year Book cum Sec's Pages… as to the Show Schedules I'll be lucky if I see by mid December. So long as Anton and I know something is coming it isn't usually a problem.

30 Nov, 2013

 

Thank you.

30 Nov, 2013

 

Thinking about it the seed is done for the year so maybe better in the July Journal or Sec's Pages...

30 Nov, 2013

 

Sounds like an excellent idea. I'm sure you will think of something to do it justice.

30 Nov, 2013

 

And time we got you on Council!

30 Nov, 2013

 

I'm flattered but please don't ask as a refusal often causes offence.

30 Nov, 2013

 

Well it won't be until next November...

30 Nov, 2013

 

Scotsgran, I'm full of admiration for what you're doing, its so worthwhile!

2 Dec, 2013

 

Stera I am a very small cog in the wheel. Now Mg as National Secretary and Bb as the "Book man" do an enormous amount of work to keep the members happy.

2 Dec, 2013

 

Ach - we all do our bit SG!

2 Dec, 2013

 

And some go the extra mile.

2 Dec, 2013

 

In my view you get out of any club/group what you put into it… I have gained so much from being part of the SRGC

2 Dec, 2013

How do I say thanks?

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