How to Harvest Mum Seeds

Watch for seeds to develop at the base of the chrysanthemum flower.

The chrysanthemum, often nicknamed "mum," is a sturdy, attractive perennial that can thrive in a variety of conditions with minimal care. The flowers are available in many colors, from bright white to pastel pink to deep maroon. Harvesting seeds from mums in your yard at the end of the growing season is an interesting activity and a good way to prolong the pleasure of gardening into the next year.

Things You'll Need

• Netting or cheesecloth
• Plate
• Small paper envelope

Instructions

1. Leave a few flowers on your healthiest mum plant when the blooms begin to fade in early autumn. Wait for the petals to fall off, then look for the seed pods at the base of the flower. The pods will be found on a small stalk and will ripen from the bottom of the stalk to the top.

2. Watch for the pod to turn brown, then shake the pods. If you can hear the seeds rattling in the pod, the pod is ready to harvest. Check daily, as the ripe pods will begin to spill the seeds onto the ground. To avoid losing the seeds, wrap a piece of netting or cheesecloth around the bloom.

3. Remove the seed pods from the mum plant. Hold the pods over a plate, then open the pods and spill the seeds onto the plate. Place the plate in a warm, well-ventilated spot for one to two weeks or until the seeds are dark brown, hard and brittle.

4. Pour the dry mum seeds into a small paper envelope. Label the envelope with the pertinent information, such as the color of the mum and the date the seeds were harvested. Store the seeds in a dry spot until spring.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant saved chrysanthemum seeds the following spring, as chrysanthemum seeds aren't long-lived.

References

• Washington State University: Saving Seeds
• Ohio State University: Growing Chrysanthemums