Saving Hibiscus Seeds

[kayrobbins]

I am growing Luna White dinner plate hibiscus plants. I love the plant because it only gets 18 inches tall, has huge blooms and is perennial. I wanted to save seeds but am not having any success. Each flower only has one large seed. From what I had read you should soak the seeds overnight before planting. When I did by morning it was just a mushy mess and did not germinate. I hope someone has experience saving these type of seeds.

[Worth1]

You need to let the pods dry out on the plant like okra did you do this?

Worth

[nancyruhl]

I have saved many perennial hibiscus seeds. Usually the seed heads form in a cone shaped seed head that takes about a month to form and mature. The cone turns brown and cracks open, revealing many blackish brown seeds inside. They are very hard seeds, and soaking might help. I have not been in the practice of doing that. Since I get a lot od seeds, I have not worried about germination rates..

[kayrobbins]

Nancy, thank you for the information. I have never saved the seeds before and I thought that cone shaped seed head was the seed. Do you have to leave it on the plant for the month it takes or can you remove it when it is brown and keep it inside for a month to finish drying. We have had almost daily rain all summer and they are not getting a chance to dry out even if the storms don't knock it off the plant.

[Worth1]

They need to mature and dry on the plant or the seeds wont be mature.
If you read my comment they are just like okra they are related to okra.
The seeds look like okra seeds.
You could probably eat hibiscus pods like okra.

I guess if they are brown and mature you could remove them so they can dry.

Worth

[nancyruhl]

Yes, leave it on the plant. It starts out as a very small nubbin after the flower petrels drop, then grows larger over a period of time, then hardens and turns brown befor cracking open.

[nancyruhl]

I would say the pods get around an inch long.

[kayrobbins]

Thanks for the info and picture. All this crazy rain is working against the pods getting to that point but if I am lucky they will still be blooming when the rainy season is over.

[Starlight]

Worth is right. There are some hibiscus cultivars that are edible. The flowers and you can make teas from the leaves, but google the edible cultivars first. I don't belive yours, which I grow too is edible.

One other thing besides what Worth and Nancy have said is when you bring your pods in, get the seeds out, throw out the pods fast , and put the hibiscus seeds in freezer for a few days. Hibiscus seeds are notorious for having almost impossible to see, tiny bugs that will eat your seeds when your not looking in your package you saved. Putting in freezer for a couple of days will kill any of those tiny pests.

[kayrobbins]

Thanks for that tip. If it ever stops raining long enough for me to get to save seeds having bugs eat them would be so frustrating. I had googled info on saving these seeds before posting on Tville and did not get nearly as good info.