1. Sometimes a pod will start and then abort. But a pod usually means pollination has taken place and seeds are forming.
2. Some pods have seeds that will not germinate. Sometimes none are viable and rot. Sometimes only one or two are bad ones. If you let your pods mature, most will have viable seeds.
3. Yes, but you have to take temperatures into account. The seeds won't sprout in the high 80s or 90s.
4. Havest the seeds when the pods begin to crack open.
5. If you want more pods, pollinate more flowers on it.

Hope this helps.

Debra

Hi Jill,

Seed pods normally indicate that the plant has been cross-pollinated or perhaps self-pollinated.

Not all seed pods contain viable seeds, and among the seeds within each pod there may be a few duds. As a general rule, most pods normally produce 80% or more good seed.

Yes, you can plant them right after harvest directly in your garden - not very deep - no more than 1/8 - 1/4 inch, and keep them moist. If you do not plant them immediately, they will need to be kept in the refrigerator.

Many of us start our seeds by first placing them in a solution of 1/2 gallon of distilled water to 6 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. We put them in small ziplock bags along with some of the solution. (These write-on bags are available at Office Depot, etc.) The seeds are refrigerated for six weeks. They are then placed still in their bags in a bowl full of solution (in case of leakage). We place them inside a dark closet, and seeds can start germinating usually within 4 days or so. Check them daily after that. Once you see the white root sprouting, they need to be planted.

We then plant them in Dixie plastic cups or styrofoam cups - anywhere from the 12 oz to the 20 oz size. (Holes are punched in the bottom and along the sides at the bottom.)

We fill the cups with well-moistened potting soil. We make a small depression with the rubber eraser end of a pencil and place the seed, covering it lightly with potting soil or fine vermiculite. Place these cups in an aluminum roasting pan with water about half way up. Slip a sandwich baggie over the top and wait for them to show green shoots - usually a ninimum of four days but others take much longer. Remove the baggie, and you can then place them in a protected area outside. They must remain in the aluminum pans so they do not dry out. Change water every 3-4 days.

Once the seedlings develop their second set of leaves, you can begin fertilizing them by filling the pans with a weak solution of fertilizer/water. I use 1 small cap of Schult'z Expert Plant Food (1/2 strength) but any good soluble fertilizer would be fine. They are later transplanted to the garden or pots.

Seed pods are harvested once they turn brown and just begin to split open. Watch them carefully so they don't open too much and spill all the seeds. Place them in small paper Dixie cups for 4 days, allowing them to air-dry. You can either plant them immediately or store them in zip bags in the refrigerator until you are ready to begin planting them.

You can produce seed pods by cross-pollinating your blooming flowers. You can also harvest the pollen, freeze it and it will be good for years to come. I'd stick with just one seed pod per scape so you don't overwhelm the plant. Pollination should be carried out in the morning if possible, once the anthers release their pollen and it becomes fluffy. You can simply remove a stamen with the anther and dab the pollen on the pistil (the tall white stem inside the flower).

I'm writing this in a hurry, because it hasn't rained for weeks on end and I'm having to water. If I've left out any important details, maybe someone else at the forum can add them.

Nancy

1. The seed pods mean the flowers were pollinated. Pollen could come from any daylily nearby, brought by wind or insect. The pods could also be from self pollination.
2. You will not know until the pod has ripened and you can collect and examine the seeds. Good seeds will be firm, round and shiny.
3. Yes
4. When the pod starts to brown and cracks open at the very end, the seeds are ripe and ready to be collected.
5. Yes. Take an pollen stamen from the flower of daylily A. and apply the pollen to the pistil of Plant A. or B. If the pollen is compatible and conditions are favorable, a pod will form. This is roughly what hybridizing is about.

Remember, one pod can produce 30 seeds, so prepare enough room for lots of seedlings to grow. It can quickly turn into lots of work. Be prepared and have fun!
Ed

Thanks so much for the instruction. I'll be trying this out in a few weeks. This morning I also cross pollinated 2 plants just for fun and we'll see what happens.

Jill,

I cross-pollinated many last year.I collected the seeds like evryone said. Then I stored them all winter in zip baggies in the fridge. Then I straight sowed them directly in the ground in a loosely prepared bed in mid-April.(I'm in zone 6, so you could probably do it earlier.) They germinated and I had sprouts in about 10 days. No extra fuss. I probably have about a 75-80% germination rate this way.

I decided to straight sow because I Don't have a place to start them inside because my cat's would destroy them.
I also read that this is how Jim Murphy and Margo Reed do this and then they know they have a strong plant. Basically the strong survive and you weed out the poor performers from the start.
This is my first try doing it and I had A blast! You definitely should try it.

Happy Gardening,

Kim

Thanks Kim, I'm looking forward to getting started. I may try a couple of different methods to see what works with my soil/climate etc. I would be so excited to get some of my seeds to grow!

I am in Texas, Zone 8b and the forecast for today is 95 degrees. Too late here for direct sowing. I once sowed some seeds just after harvesting and had only two that sprouted. The sun and heat just baked them. I definitely would store the seeds in the fridge until late next March or very early April.