How are flower seeds harvested and stored? Identifying edible fungus diseases this way
Autumn is the season when flower seeds mature, and when collecting seeds you must have a good grasp of the seed maturation period and degree of maturity. Seeds mature early or late; even on the same flowering plant, they cannot all mature at the same time, so they should be collected as they ripen, to avoid the seeds becoming moldy or scattering after becoming overripe. When collecting seeds, choose seeds from plants that flowered early or matured early to keep for seed. After sowing the following year, such seeds germinate early, and the seedlings are robust and will also flower earlier later on. If a plant is found with variation in flower shape or color, its seeds should be collected separately and planted separately, as this may breed a new variety.
The methods of harvesting flower seeds differ according to the type of flower. Some can have the entire flower head picked off and the seeds taken after air-drying, such as cockscomb and scarlet sage. For berry-type fruits, after picking they should be placed in water, and the flesh rubbed and washed away by hand; after the seeds are cleaned out, dry them, such as for garden egg and coral bead plant. For some flowers, after the fruit matures the pericarp splits open and the seeds are also ejected, such as crape myrtle and garden balsam. Therefore, when the fruit turns from green to yellow-brown, it should be harvested in time to avoid seed loss. There are also some bulbous flowers, such as dahlia, canna and caladium, whose bulbs should be dug up in time before frost in the north to avoid cold damage. After the bulbs are dug out and dried in the sun, store them indoors in sand.
No type of seed should be exposed to direct sunlight; they should be dried in the shade in a ventilated place, otherwise the germination rate will be affected. After drying, the seeds should be stored in a ventilated place, taking care to protect against moisture, smoke and rodents.
The commonly used storage methods for flowers are generally three: dry storage, sand storage and water storage.
1. Dry storage. Most flower seeds can be stored by this method. First dry the seeds, remove impurities, and put them into bags sewn from gauze, such as scarlet sage, cockscomb and marvel-of-Peru. Do not put them into airtight plastic bags or glass bottles, to avoid poor ventilation affecting the seeds' respiration. The seed bags can be hung in a cool, ventilated place indoors, keeping the room temperature at 5°C-10°C.
2. Sand storage. Seeds of peony, Chinese peony and magnolia, etc., that have been harvested can be stored in low-temperature wet sand at 0°C-5°C. The suitable water content of the sand is "forming a ball when gripped, and breaking apart at a touch." This type of seed has a dormant period under natural conditions, and after dormancy it completes after-ripening. Generally, sowing is carried out in spring, and the seeds are taken out of the sand one month before sowing.
3. Water storage. Some flower seeds should be stored in water after harvesting, such as water lily seeds. The water temperature used for water storage is generally required to be around 5°C; below 0°C the seeds will suffer cold damage, affecting sprouting.