It blooms and blooms, then the flowers dry up - now would be the perfect time to harvest the seeds. Or should you leave them on the plant? Maybe they sow themselves?
When and how do you harvest blue cushion seeds?
Blue cushion seeds can be harvested from June to July. Cut off the dried capsule fruits that have not yet burst open and remove the dark, rounded seeds. These can be sown directly or stored dry.
Harvesting the seeds in summer
The flowering period of the blue cushion lasts from March/April to May. Immediately afterwards, the seeds emerge. They are found in the pod-like capsule fruits. Between June and July they are ripe and ready to be harvested.
It is best to cut off the whole capsule fruits with secateurs (€14.00 on Amazon) as soon as they have dried but not yet burst open. At home, open the capsules and let the seeds roll out on newspaper. The seeds can be dried or used immediately.
What do the seeds look like?
The seeds of the blue cushion are similar to the seeds of the cabbage family. They are small, brown-black to black in color, have a smooth surface and a rounded shape. If they are still light, they are immature. Only harvest them when they are dark in color!
Sowing the seeds correctly
Once you have the seeds, you can get started:
- Normal and light germinators
- Fill pots or bowls with sowing soil
- Sow seeds well distributed
- Do not cover with soil, just press lightly
- Moisten the soil
The seeds germinate fastest at a temperature between 15 and 20 °C. Therefore, the living room is an ideal place to prefer this. You must expect a germination time of at least 7 days and a maximum of 4 weeks depending on the temperature.
The plants can be transplanted four weeks after germination. Continue to keep them evenly moist. If there is no frost, they can be planted out. The soil at the location should be permeable, humus-rich, nutrient-rich and calcareous.
It is not uncommon for self-seeding to occur
You don't necessarily have to go to the trouble of specifically sowing the blue cushion after its flowering period in order to propagate it. If you do not cut off the flowers, self-sowing often occurs after the fruits have ripened.
Tip
The seeds can also be sown directly. This is best done between May and July for flowering in the same year.
