How to Collect Freesia Seeds

 

Can you get seeds from freesias? Actually if you detect an aroma that is like vanilla mixed with citrus, it may be the strongly scented freesia flower. The Freesia plants are most commonly grown from corms, although they can also be started with seed. Just be aware, the seed may not give a plant that is true to the parent, and it may take some years before you see the first flowers. However, gathering the seeds from freesia is very easy. Continue reading to learn how to harvest freesia seeds and the steps on preparing and sowing them.

 

How to Collect Freesia Seeds from Seeds

The Freesia plants are native to South Africa. The Freesia plants will naturalize over time, developing new little corms, which can be separated from the parent plant and set out individually, increasing the number of these sweetly scented blooms. Another way to actually increase your stock of the flowers is by planting Freesia from seed. The first thing to do is to harvest the freesia seed pods. Freesia plants are early season bloomer that prefers to flower before summer heat, when the plant will go mostly dormant. The plant produce seed pods after blooming, which must be left on the plant to ripen in order to have any chance at viability. Let the flowers fade and all petals fall. The pod will actually develop from the ovary and will start out green but, when ripe, will turn tan and dry out. During this time make sure you maintain the plant itself and allow the foliage to persist, gathering solar energy to fuel both the formation of seed but also feed the corms. Once the pods are actually ripe and brown, collecting the freesia seeds are a breeze. The trick is to get the freesia plant seed sown at the proper time and with the necessary treatment to force sprouting.

 

How Do You Harvest Freesia?

Freesia seed can be harvested once the pods are dry. Actually it can be difficult to determine when the pods are ripe and timing is everything. The under ripe freesia seed will not germinate, while overly ripe pods will split and disperse the seed before you can harvest it. Make sure you keep your eye on the pods daily to determine when to harvest them. When the pods are dry and they have begun to form vertical striations, it is time to snip them off the plant. Just allow the pods to dry for a few days in a paper bag that is left open for air circulation and moisture evaporation. You can crack open the pods and then pick out the large pieces, separating them from the seed. Pouring the bag contents into a fine sieve will make collecting the freesia seeds easier. You can now save the freesia seeds or plant the seeds immediately indoors.

 

How Do You Propagate Freesia Seeds?

After gathering the freesia plant seeds, you can easily pour them into an envelope, label, and then save them until spring or plant them immediately. The freesia seeds will require a twenty-four hour soak in warm water prior to planting, no matter what time you choose to sow the seeds. This will actually soften the endosperm and make sprouting easier on the embryo. You can use seed trays filled with leaf mold or compost, sand, and compost in equal proportions. Moisten the medium evenly. Sow the freesia seeds and then cover with a fine dusting of the medium. For enhanced germination, place the flat on a seed warmer and then cover with a plastic lid. You can remove the lid daily to release excess moisture that can cause damping off and other fungal issues. Germination time will vary but, generally, the freesia seeds will sprout in about 1 month. Once the seedlings have 2 sets of true leaves you can easily move them to larger pots and then set them outdoors when temperatures are fifty-five to sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit.