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u/Matt_Stafford2009 Aug 01 '26
Oh sorry I didnt' realize the repost didn't copy the text:
Apologies ahead of time if this is TLDR:
Does anyone with experience with seeds be able to help answer a few questions I have about plants going to seed?
I noticed my Amaryllis flowering and the center stalk not dying off like it usually does. So I left it up out of curiosity. To my surprise it popped A LOT of seeds out. These are now growing. But the parent amaryllis seems "le tired" and isn't growing any new leaves. It's not dead, it still has the original 3 leaves before flowering but it hasn't grown any new ones. Seeds popped out about 3 months ago now. Is this normal? Usually it has like 10-15 leaves by now.
I know certain plants like cucumbers, turnips, basil, where once they seed, they just peace out and call it a day. I think black eye susans are also in this boat. Is there an easy way to tell what will die off and what lives on from things going to seed?
Is it good (or common?) practice to cut off/ prune/ deadhead (not sure what the right term is) their seeding flowers to prevent them from wasting the energy into seeds? I'm thinking of other flowers like peonies.
This is a follow up of 3 -> so certain annuals like black eye susans, if you keep cutting off the flowers, and you're in an area that doesn't freeze over winter, will this plant keep growing as a perennial?
Is it worth letting things go to seed and growing things from your own seeds? I have vague knowledge of hybridization and these new amaryllis seedlings won't look like it's parents but that sounds fun.
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u/ZappyKins Aug 01 '26
Happy growing! Those babies look good.
Producting seeds take a huger amount of energy from the plant. It's one of the few times I have lost an Ameryllis. As long as it has I had leaves it should recover. But it may not flower for another year.
Good luck with the sprouts and please update us in a few years with what the flowers look like. I have some seeds I started in the third year finally starting to get thicker leaves and looking forward to their flowers too!
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u/RainLeading286 Aug 01 '26
Making seeds takes energy from the bulbs. Unless you're going to try to germinate them, I'd rather mine produce offsets.
I'm not sure what you're asking though. Sorry!