I found some bluebonnet plants at Lowe's, and planted them and they are thriving. I have never dealt with bluebonnets before, but I noticed today that there are little pods hanging off of the plants. Are these where you get bluebonnet seeds from? When do I harvest the seeds if I want to get them and plant them for next year? Or do these pods turn into flowers? In other words....what part of the bluebonnet plant has seeds?
Thanks! Angie
In article , snipped-for-privacy@msn.com says... :) I found some bluebonnet plants at Lowe's, and planted them and they are :) thriving. I have never dealt with bluebonnets before, but I noticed today :) that there are little pods hanging off of the plants. Are these where you :) get bluebonnet seeds from? When do I harvest the seeds if I want to get them :) and plant them for next year? Or do these pods turn into flowers? In other :) words....what part of the bluebonnet plant has seeds? :) :) Thanks! :) Angie :) Wild bluebonnets are in bloom now, so possibly the potted plants may of been ahead of schedule. After the plant has bloomed there will be a number of small bean like pods on the plant where the seed develops. Let them be and they will dry out and you can either harvest them yourself or let them drop around the plants. If you collect the seeds you will need to plant around or before August to get blooms for next year.
Bluebonnets are legumes, like beans.. and peas.. the pods are like beans, they form seeds inside, when they're ripe they crack and open and the seeds fall out, unless you collect the seed. Don't get the idea that they're ok to eat though, they're not.. poisonous! ;-)
Janice
I have many, many bluebonnets everywhere in my gardens. They started blooming in March and are still blooming now. Many plants have the pods on them, as well as a second flush of bloom. The pods need to fully dry before you harvest them or the seeds will not ripen, or be mature enough to germinate. If you do nothing, the pods will break open and the seeds will spray out. You just leave the seeds on the soil or wherever they are and rains will put them where they need to be.
The seeds usually germinate in summer and leave a rosette on the ground all winter till spring when the cycle starts over again. The plants do look unsightly for a good while, maybe 3 weeks or more, but when the pods are dry, that's when you can harvest them. I leave the roots in the ground and cut the plants off at the base. On the roots there are nodes of nitrogen. Bluebonnets are legumes and can fix nitrogen from the air. They make their own fertilizer...in a way.
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