The ice plant is a popular rock garden and bedding plant due to its splendor of flowers and easy handling. However, since it is rarely hardy, it is only an annual. You can find out here how you can harvest ice plant seeds yourself without much effort or expense.
How to harvest ice plant seeds?
To harvest ice plant seeds, allow the desired flower to wilt and ripen after the flowering period. Collect the dried seed capsules and store them in a cool, dark and dry place until sowing next spring.
How are ice plant seeds harvested?
Collecting your own ice plant seeds is actually simple. You can save a lot of money and choose exactly the plants you want to propagate. To harvest the seeds, allow the desired flower to wilt and ripen after the flowering period. Collect theseed pods as soon as they are dry, preferably on a dry day. This will prevent the seeds from becoming moldy. Store them as cool as possible, but frost-free, dark and dry until sowing next spring.
How are ice plants sown?
You can use your own seeds for sowing in spring. You can alreadygrow your seeds in small pots from March onwardsSow 5 seeds in a small pot with normal potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon), which you ideally mix with sand, to make the soil more permeable. Cover the seeds only lightly with soil. At room temperature they germinate after two to three weeks and can be planted outdoors after the Ice Saints. From May you can also sow directly into the bed.
How to propagate ice plants without seeds?
You can also propagate ice plantsvia cuttings in spring or autumn. To do this, use a clean knife to cut off parts of the shoot tips about eight to ten centimeters long from selected mother plants. Place them in nutrient-poor soil and only press them lightly. The cuttings now need a protected location with, if possible, no direct sunlight and very little water. If you see new growth at the tips of the shoots, roots have formed. Now the plants can be transplanted.
Tip
Find the best seeds for your harvest
Choosing the plants you want to harvest seeds from is extremely important. As a general rule, you should only choose he althy, strong plants that meet your needs for propagation. For example, you can select flower color by collecting seeds of just one color.
