Lupin Seeds Ready?

Can someone advise what to do with my Lupin Seed pods, i grew these plants from seed two years ago and they have done brilliant, I would like to sow some more and pass some on to other people, but not sure how to handle it.

Any advice please

Thanks in advance

Paul x

 

Hi Paul. Its been an excellent year for Lupins.

I would wait till the seed pods go black, and the seeds inside will also be black. You can always look at the seeds in just one pod to see how they are getting on. When they are done you will probably be able to hear them rattle inside the pod. At an earlier stage you could cut the seed stems off and put them in a paper or open plastic bag (must not be closed or they will sweat and rot), and let them continue to mature. But I don't know at what stage this is so I prefer to leave them on the plant till black. If they get terribly wet with rain and are in danger of rotting you can cut them off earlier.

I would then sow some immediately, so they will be ready to flower next year. Some types of seed will not germinate until they have conditioned for a month or two at a warm temperature. This is nature's way of ensuring that seeds don't germinate inside the seed pod. However, I think that Lupin seeds don't fall in this category as they are protected by a very hard seed coat. Even so I always sow only part of my seeds at any one time - just in case. It can takes months for moisture to penetrate the waterproof seed coat, so I soak them in a saucer of water (could take 3 or 4 days). Some will swell up and start to germinate, at which point you transfer them into a small pot of compost. You could also prick them or score them with a file to help water to penetrate the coating, but there is always the danger of harming the embryo inside, so I use that as a last resort.

 

I would cut and hang upside down in a paper bag to catch the seeds - leave the cutting as late as possible, but not so long that the seed pods have burst! - As PeterS said really

See also http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=212766

 

Hi

Could I ask a similar question about my broom seeds-do I need to wait until black aswell?



Thanks in advance

 

Hi Lollipop. I am not sure as I have never grown Broom. But Lupin and Broom are both members of the same Pea family (Fabaceacae) so I would imagine they could be similar.

 

Excellent and informative-thanks for that PeterS

 

Thank you for this useful post:thumb::thumb: