there are 2 FAQ's on seed ... i didnt check the library front page for you ...

when the bottom most pod opens.. the whole stalk can be harvested ...

i have not know birds to attack them .. the birds are usually hunting slugs and bugs down at ground level .. my robins are anyway ...

what seed are you collecting... and why?? .. i would rather guide you in the experience.. rather than reproduce a tome on how to do it..

have you tried the GW SEARCH function .. this has been covered many times over the years ... again.. i would rather add to a base knowledge.. than start from the beginning...

ken

I have harvested seeds when they are still green,and put them into paper (not plastic bags). They will mature in the bags,and when dry,you separate the chaff from the seeds,and plant them,either in pots now,or wait until spring. I've had good results either way. Phil

Thanks - My question basically was about birds eating the seeds. I too have found many descriptions of how to grow hosta from seeds including the excellent section in Hostapedia, but none have mentioned birds eating seeds & if they do how to counter this. I would hate to go through all of the work involved with controlled pollination just to have birds eat all my seed.

Les

well that info narrows it down ... thank goodness i asked

many peeps use things like little nylon bags.. or cotton jewelry bags .. to protect individual pods ...

if one whole stalk is all the same cross ... then a brown paper lunch sack can be placed over it and tied ...

i have seen hummingbord in hosta flowers ...

i see finches all over the yard harvesting seed ...

and i have seen many a mid sized bird.. scavenging around in the debris on the ground ...

but i cant say i have ever seen birds on the wing.. harvest hosta seed ...

and from the bazillions of free range seedlings i have around.. i would suggest that a vast majority were not harvest by vermin.. flying or ground based ...

all that said.. be proactive in protecting those that are important ....

good luck and have fun

ken

A far bigger issue is rabbits eating scapes and pods, particularly if we get a dry spell, and that's about to happen with this blocking pattern in the midwest. A long string of dry, sunny days coming up, thanks to the remnants of Lee setting up in the East.

The longer you leave pods on the plant, the more likely something bad will happen.

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but talking about cutting off the whole scape before the seeds are ripe, and then I ask about maybe putting the scape in sugar water to finish off.

That use of sugar water, as mentioned in the FAQs for this forum, is that useful only for tissue culturing? Or could it be used to feed cut scapes at the seed ripening stage, to let them mature inside out of any danger?

I went outside to clip off my seed scapes, and none were ripe. I looked for any with the bottom seed ripened, found none, so came in very disappointed. I am eager to get with the program, and my hostas are just not doing things fast enough for me. Drats.

I'm not sure what you mean by "ripened." The bottom pod does not have to be brown to be ripe. I collected several pods today to protect them from evil. They are all green and I think they are all ripe.

The best way to make a guess about ripeness is to break open a green pod and see if the seeds are black and plump at one end.

As for sugar water, that can work, but I don't think I'd want to do it on a large scale basis.

If you wait until the pod turns brown and breaks open, you'll most likely lose those seeds. I sometimes have pods that are still green several months after I've picked them.

My goal is to pick the pods at the earliest possible moment as long as they are ripe. There is nothing to be gained and a lot to be lost by leaving the pods on the scape after the seeds are ripe.

Thanks, esox48.
Then it is back outside tomorrow.

The pods I'm talking about are really fat on the scapes. And if I can simply PICK them instead of cutting off the scapes, so much the better. I have some small dishes I can use to segregate pods from different plants.

It has drizzled most of the day today, but only a heavy downpour ever stops me when I'm on a mission.