Cultivating angel trumpets requires a bit of advanced gardening experience and motivation. And when it comes to propagation, breeding from seeds is the higher art. However, anyone who dares to experiment can achieve amazing things.
When and how do you harvest angel trumpet seeds?
When harvesting angel trumpet seeds in autumn, you should make sure that the berry fruit has turned brown and has become softer. Collect the seeds with gloves as they are poisonous and dry them before sowing in spring.
The seeds of the angel trumpet
The angel's trumpet, Latin Brugmansia, is famous for its trumpet-shaped, artfully curved flowers. However, what can become of them after fertilization is also quite impressive. They form berries in the form of egg- to ellipse-shaped capsules about 5 to 11 cm long. Some species also develop spindle shapes that can be up to 35 cm long.
Depending on the species, there are around 100 to 300 seeds in the capsules - these are also relatively impressive, measuring 8 to 12 mm long. Their appearance varies from kidney and wedge-shaped to irregular shapes. The surface is also different depending on the species, sometimes smooth, sometimes warty or corky.
Characteristics of angel trumpet fruits:
- fairly large, egg- to spindle-shaped berry capsules
- Inside 100 to 300 seeds
- Seeds mostly kidney-shaped to wedge-shaped, smooth or warty surface
Harvesting seeds
It is not easy to decide when you can harvest the seeds of the angel's trumpet - because the berry fruit does not spring up on its own when the seeds are ripe and ready to be harvested. So you have to take a bit of a gamble approach. The season for harvest is of course autumn after flowering.
Read the ripeness of the fruit
An indication of when the seeds are ready to harvest is of course the appearance and texture of the fruit. If it is still green and hard, the seeds will not be ripe yet. So wait until the peel has turned brown and the fruit has softened before opening.
Keep the toxicity of the seeds in mind
When harvesting, don't forget that the seeds are among the most poisonous parts of the angel's trumpet plant! So work with gloves if possible.
What happens next?
The seeds must be dried to prepare them for sowing in spring. To do this, you can simply place them on a tray in a dry room. In the spring you can then try to grow them at 20°C in pots with potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon) and under foil - and possibly get completely new varieties that bloom in different colors!
