tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497277770771473008.post1740765324631706158..comments2024-03-15T01:29:50.279-07:00Comments on Town Mouse and Country Mouse: Preparing to Prepare to Prepare the Ceanothus SeedsTown Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09777461911856383480noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497277770771473008.post-31664697778056521422010-07-13T21:18:40.887-07:002010-07-13T21:18:40.887-07:00What a great, detailed article. I guess cookery fo...What a great, detailed article. I guess cookery for chipmunks must be a different affair than that for humans... It'll be interesting to see how well the seed do in the fridge. My ceanothus seed experience last summer had the seed germinating both in the fridge and in the summer greenhouse without any stratification, both after going through the hot water treatment. That was a different species (<i>C. leucodermis</i>) so it probably would behave differently from yours. It sounds like a lot of work, but you definitely know where your genetic stock comes from this way. "Plant local" doesn't get much more local than down the street.lostlandscape (James)http://soenyun.com/Blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497277770771473008.post-71462247969546679862010-07-13T16:27:07.118-07:002010-07-13T16:27:07.118-07:00Timely post, I just harvested some seed from our t...Timely post, I just harvested some seed from our tree in the orchard last weekend. Seems like an involved preparation method just to get to the seed! Looks like the seeds foam more than the flowers do though. I tried the flower blossoms as soap...wasn't so effective. I was going to leave my seeds in a paper bag until the capsules exploded. That or fight the chipmunks for the ones that get scattered across our deck :P Propagation is certainly more 'involved' than I expected. A couple of texts I read previously suggested they were relatively 'easy' to propagate, although, who knows if the authors actually ever tried. Would be interesting to try this refrigerator method versus the hot-water-then-sow-outdoors, either in flats or direct in soil, method (you don't sow until cold weather is approaching...so you don't need the fridge for the cold stratification step). Things get lost in our fridge. I'd be curious to see if it makes a significant difference between the two, would love to compare notes come spring!Curbstone Valley Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06714297348566721344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497277770771473008.post-38893647591987253492010-07-13T09:23:19.910-07:002010-07-13T09:23:19.910-07:00Wow, that's really cool. I'm a little bumm...Wow, that's really cool. I'm a little bummed there was no actual fire involved, just hot water, lol. Let us know hwo the planting goes!Monica the Garden Faeriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369882350990949968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497277770771473008.post-57789863774010191282010-07-13T08:54:32.133-07:002010-07-13T08:54:32.133-07:00Hmmm, is it possible to replace the peat with coco...Hmmm, is it possible to replace the peat with coconut coir? At least it's a renewable resource, but I don't know if it has the acidity of the peat. <br />By the way, finally tasted a gooseberry from my Ribes speciosum- good, but too many seeds to get much of a taste.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497277770771473008.post-85893474045773444892010-07-13T08:02:08.710-07:002010-07-13T08:02:08.710-07:00Hi Christine - You know I got so anal about saving...Hi Christine - You know I got so anal about saving every little seed I'd worked so hard to clean, I couldn't sacrifice any to taste! I was rescuing every little stray seed that got away before it went down the sink etc etc. <br /><br />But I am thinking of tying a muslin bag around one of those clusters of green fruits to see if I can capture more when they are really ready to pop, and then I'll taste them for sure. I'm getting interested in native foods - Jeffrey Caldwell wrote to the Gardening with Natives yahoo group about his interest in that subject recently and it revived those idle thoughts again. <br /><br />I've also been pondering these forced methods of propagation we employ, using up peat moss in potting mixes in an unsustainable way and all that - and contemplating my impatience even with the hurried horticultural approach to making things propagate before their time. It would be nice to get into a rhythm of activities that just puts things in the right conditions and leaves them there, protected. After a year or two there would be things coming to readiness all the time anyway. I really want to look into a more natural and sustainable approach. Anybody reading know anything on this topic?Country Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13294472166693008328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497277770771473008.post-83665703490797070172010-07-13T07:40:42.057-07:002010-07-13T07:40:42.057-07:00Hilarious adventure! The instructions always soun...Hilarious adventure! The instructions always sound so easy and straight forward until it comes time to follow them. I love how your tool of the day ended up being a can of baked beans! Did you try tasting the seeds, too or was the original fruit tasting enough?Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07938196559124125578noreply@blogger.com