According to the link below, pods that dry in less than 4 months are unlikely to have fertile seed. Unlikely, but not impossible! Another site lists 3 months maturing time. I recently had a pod dry after 1 1/2 months and planted the seeds anyway. Nothing sprouted. Howeever, you really don't have much to lose by planting the seeds, so go for it. Someone else here might be able to tell us how to determine under a loop or microscope whether a seed is viable or not.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jeff Smith's Notes on Hybridizing

Thanks for your very helpful response, donna c. That linked page is very informative, too. I think I will go ahead and get some sowing medium prepared, open up one of the seed pods to see if the seeds are shiny and black or brown (i.e. viable or non-viable according to that link), and take things from there. Thanks again!

Hello Stross,

I'd be interested to see how your seeds turned out. I'm in the same situation: my seed pods dried after two months. I'm just going to try to sow them anyway.

Please email me directly from my email address found in my profile. I'm in Louisiana (north) like you. I'd be cool to know another amateur hybridizer.