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SEEDS come in a range of sizes and shapes — from the tiny ones like those of petunia to the large ones like coconuts — and are dispersed through interesting ways with the help of wind, water, birds and animals. Seed packets can be quite expensive considering the quantity of seeds contained in each commercially sold package. So saving your own seeds from this year’s winter annuals may be a good idea. However, the selection needs a keen eye and personal attention to detail for marking a few selected plants for saving seeds. One can find differences of one kind or another in plants of the same species. A number of these characteristics are transmitted to their offspring. Hence a careful selection of specimens fit for seed collection is advised. Unfortunately, there is a tendency to postpone seed collection till the end of the season when heads or stalks of flowers are harvested haphazardly in large quantities. It is not generally appreciated that seeds from one or two flower heads may suffice to plant up a standard size bed. Generally the first flowers are the best. In some cases, this is very obvious as the flowers are mostly bigger and of better quality that those which develop later in the season. It will be a good idea to mark the best blooms with a coloured thread below such a large blossom while the quality is still obvious because seeds from such few selected blooms will maintain a high standard both in respect of colour and quality. Where one plant is strikingly superior to its neighbours, all the stems of such a plant may be tied to a central stake to ensure that seeds from that plant only are collected. With a few exceptions, the seeds of flowering plants must be fully ripe at the time of collection. Since many varieties have an explosive mechanism, which scatters seeds from the capsule on ripening, it is advisable to cut a length of stem with each seed pod and lay it on sheets of newspaper in a dry and shaded place for a couple of days. When dry, the pods begin to split easily. The de-husked seeds can be dried further for a day or so, cleaned and packed and then stored in airtight jars or boxes. It is a good idea to label the seeds with the name and year of harvest both inside and outside the containers. Testing your collection: Seeds saved from last years flowers by amateur gardeners may or may not be worth sowing, so it is a good idea to assess their germination rate by folding 10 seeds into a moist paper towel and placing it in a re-sealable polybag marking it with date and name of seed. Observe the germination rate — if it is more than 70 per cent, it is okay for planting, otherwise it is better to invest in fresh seeds. Seeds with 40 to 60 per cent germination rate may be tried by sowing them in the kitchen garden for cut flowers but they may not be worth while for the ornamental patches.
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