February - Seed Collecting Begins
The month of February is the start of the seed collecting time for native plants in Southland. The first species are the grasses (e.g. red tussock - Chionochloa rubra or toe toe) and grass like species (e.g. Carex secta). The dry seed should be collected on a sunny day and put into paper bag, for sowing in winter. The seed can be expected to sprout the following spring - September ready for the new season. The seed looks like this when it is ready
It will be fluffy and will come off easily into your hand as you pull it through your fingers - if it doesnt come off the stalk easily then it is not ready yet. But….wait too long and the wind will blow it a way so keep a close eye on it!
One of the first berries to ripen are the Fuchsia berries - large fruit that turn black when ready. They are favoured by birds so it is also a matter of good timing to get them before the birds do. Within the berry of Fuchsia are lots of tiny seeds so you only need to collect a few berries to have a lot of seeds to sow. To save this seed squash the berry onto kitchen paper and leave the tiny seeds to dry - put into a plastic bag to keep or sow.
Posted: 6 February 2012