Question: I think I have seeds on my Peace Lilly and on Pink Cloud Caladiums. There are extra growth's that have white or brown seeds on them. Are they seeds and where do I snip them off?
Hardiness Zone: 8a
Thanks for your help.
Sherry from Valdosta, GA
Answer: Sherry,
I'm going to answer your questions separately as they related to each plant. Let's start with Caladiums. Breeding these plants can be complicated, but it is possible to harvest their seeds. Caladiums are "protogynous" plants. What this is means is that the female flowers are receptive before the males flowers shed their pollen. To collect seed, you will need to hand-pollinate the female flowers, which requires watching the plant carefully in order to determine when the timing is right. Once the Caladium flowers are pollinated, they will produce a fruit that eventually gives you viable seed. Propagating them this way will result in new combinations of leaf patterns and colors (hybridization), but it will not give you Caladiums identical to the parent plant. An easier way to propagate Caladiums is to start with new tubers each year. The tubers can be cut up into pieces, with each piece containing an "eye" similar to the "eye" on a potato tuber. This method will give you offspring true to the parent plants. More information on propagating Caladiums can be found at http://www.happinessfarms.com/askthedoc.html. Incidentally, if you're just looking to remove the extra growth, you can cut the flower stems off right above where they emerge from the leaves.
As for Peace Lilies, the seeds are located on the green structure (pod) that appears in the middle of the flower. Wait until the pods turn brown (then black) before cutting them off, Use a tweezers or nail file to scrape the seeds off the pod for planting, Like the Caladiums, you can cut the flower stem on your Peace Lily at the point where it emerges from the leaves. Starting Peace Lily seedlings this way is a slow process, and they will take several years to flower. Dividing the plant's roots is a much faster means of propagating them.
Ellen
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