Planting Hosta Seeds

It's that time of year when I finally have time to plant my hosta seeds.  I collecting them in fall, and kept them in paper envelopes until now.  Just a note that hosta seeds do not come true from seed.  So they will not look like the parent plant (unless it's ventricosa).

I then prepare my planters.  It's best to use a soil less potting mixture, as soil can contain fungus and bacteria.  I like the planters at Menards like come with the coir mixture you add water to.  It's been successful for me for a few years.

I then sprinkle the hosta seeds on top of potting mixture and gently push them into the soil or add a very small amount of soil on top of the seeds.  

I then cover them with the plastic dome (you can also use plastic wrap or bags when getting the seeds started).  

The seeds do not need light to germinate, so I just make sure to put them somewhere warm until they start to germinate.  I make sure they are damp (not wet) during this time.  Once they start to germinate I put them under grow lights (you can just use fluorescent bulbs).

These three trays are ready to be put somewhere warm in the house.

If you go to the Facebook page you can enter to win hosta seeds, so you can try this on your own! https://www.facebook.com/cheeseheadgardening

Moonflower

I was surprised the other night to find this blooming in my garden.  I had planted a morning glory mix, and obviously they must have thrown some moonflowers seeds in the mix.

Lack of Hosta Seeds this Year

It just hit me this week as I was walking through the garden, and I can't believe that I did not notice it sooner.  Very few of my hostas have seed pods this year.  I know it's not a lack of bees; I have bees a plenty in my garden.  I'm guessing the lack of rain and the extremely hot temperatures are to blame.  Hostas that bloom very early like Elegans and Borsch #1 have seed pods but those mid-summer bloomers just have dried up scapes.  Hosta 'Dragon Lady' is one that usually a prolific seeder, and look at it this year....so sad with it's dried up scapes.

I also have noticed that I only have one daylily with seedpods, and I even went out and tried to hand pollinate them myself.

Starting Hosta from Seed

This is a reposting from last season:

Starting Hosta Seeds

These are the seeds I collected in fall. I put them in paper envelopes so they would have proper air circulation, and kept them in the garage where it is cool and dry.

I then sprinkle the hosta seeds on to a paper towel with a little help from Ally.

I cover the seeds with another paper towel and dampen it (don't make too wet or seeds will mold).

I then put the damp paper towel with seeds in plastic bags and label them .

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Then I put them on top of the refrigerator where it is warm and will encourage germination. I will check them in a week to see if there is any activity. Once they germinate I put them into soil. I use this method to germinate seeds, so I can see what seeds are viable before planting them in soil.