The columbine doesn't just look good. It is also extremely undemanding, site-tolerant and easy to care for. Anyone who deals with it should also know about the seeds. Here is an overview of the most important characteristics of your seeds.
What do columbine seeds look like and how can you use them?
Aquilegia seeds are elongated oval, very small, black seeds with a shiny surface. They ripen between July and August. To propagate you can sow them directly in the bed, grow them at home or let them sow themselves. However, the seeds are highly poisonous and should be stored safely.
What do the seeds look like and when do they ripen?
They are elongated oval and extremely small. Their color is black and their smooth surface has a slight shine. The seeds of most varieties of columbine ripen after the flowering period between July and August.
Sowing the seeds
If you already have columbine in the garden and want to propagate it, you can collect the seeds yourself. A single plant produces numerous seeds that are contained in a capsule. When the capsule dries up, it bursts open and reveals the seeds it contains. Harvest the capsules when they are dry and the seeds inside rustle.
Sowing is very easy:
- Sow seeds directly into the bed in April/May
- mix the seeds with sand beforehand (then they are easier to spread)
- cover with soil
- spray with a fine water spray
- Germination time: 4 to 6 weeks
Pre-growing at home
If you want to be on the safe side, you can also plant the seeds at home. This should begin between February and March. Both pots and seed trays can serve as containers for sowing. Before sowing, it is recommended to place the seeds in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. The seeds of some varieties of columbine are cold germinators.
How to do it:
- sow in potting soil (e.g. distribute the seeds with tweezers)
- Cover 5 mm thick with soil and press down
- moisten with hand sprayer and keep moist
- place in a bright place
- optimal germination temperature: 17 to 20 °C (e.g. in the living room on the windowsill)
- if applicable prick out from a size of 5 cm
- Put outside or plant out from mid-May
Self-sowing – the hobby of these seeds
But these seeds don't necessarily have to be sown by you. They also like to self-seed. But the disadvantage is that if you have different varieties of columbine, they often cross each other. The result after self-sowing is not pure specimens.
Columbine can be quite annoying due to its need to self-sow. Over the years it can literally become a weed that grows in the vegetable patch, for example. If you don't want the seeds to sow themselves, you should cut off the withered flowers or the unripe seed heads.
The seeds are poisonous
Don't forget: the seeds of the columbine are highly poisonous! They contain magnoflorin and a glycoside that converts into hydrogen cyanide in the body. Symptoms of poisoning include diarrhea, vomiting, shortness of breath and cardiac arrhythmias. Most of the time these don't last long.
Tips & Tricks
Keep the poisonous seeds safe from children and pets!
