Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download. Press seeds firmly into the ground with your hands or walk over the area.” Bluebonnets do not like saturated soil, so water them lightly. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website. “Once scarified, most seeds will germinate quickly and should be watered for several weeks, especially if the weather is dry.” Do not scarify your seeds if you do not plan to water them during dry periods throughout the winter. They should know–for more than 60 years, TXDot has been sowing seeds, putting out 30,000 pounds every year and keeping Texas beautiful. This Instructable shows how to harvest bluebonnet seeds for either yourself or as a gift for others. When do I plant bluebonnet seeds? Choose a place where you'll be able to enjoy the bright blue flowers, but won't mind having it look a little messy as you let the plants go to seed -- for next year's plants -- when they're done blooming. Bluebonnets need full sun to grow their best. Photo: Flickr/Jack Step 1: Materials. You’ll know they are mature because they will turn brown and begin to dry. You can plant your own wildflowers in your backyard, in an unused field on your property or along the roadside in front of your home. The stunning blue spires of the bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) can self-seed in your garden for years, provided you sow the cool-weather annual plant's seeds properly the first time. By mowing the mature seeds, you’ll ensure that the plants reseed for the following year, and that your dedication to your. Toward the end of the beloved “wildflower season,” the bluebonnets form a seedpod that eventually pops open to release seeds. To increase bluebonnet germination rate, which can be fickle, scarify the seeds. Preparing the soil by roughing up its surface with a rake or shovel, even in you're sowing seeds in an already grassy area, ensures the soil contact needed for germination. Seeds should sprout in the fall, but aren't considered invasive. The Texas Highway Department has more tips on planting bluebonnets. Limit watering of established plants, as plants of this genus are accustomed to the hot, dry summers of Texas and are drought resistant. They develop in fall and develop all through the winter, normally sprout around the finish of March to the mid-May. In mid- to late fall, weeks before any freeze, find an area with full sun and moist, slightly alkaline soil. She has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Michigan State University, is an avid gardener and volunteers at her local botanical garden. Post #6170496. They stay like this all fall and winter, putting down roots to get ready for spring. When the plants are dead, simply shake the seeds over the ground as you pull them out. A study by Texas A&M University researchers in the March 1991 issue of "The Journal of Environmental Horticulture" found that any process, including rubbing seed coats with a file, cutting their surface with a razor blade or even piercing the seed with a nail, improved germination rates and speed for bluebonnet seeds. After they flower, let seeds mature -- it takes about eight weeks -- until they drop and you can pull or mow the plants. Winter rains should keep your bluebonnet patch moist enough to sustain the plants over the late fall and winter, but water them until at least the top inch of soil is moist if you have a dry spell. Fall sowing is also the most convenient time to make sure your soil contains the bacterium Bradyrhizobium spp., the strain of Rhizobium intended for lupines. Magazine, and our Texas Hill Country Facebook page is growing by over 1,000 fans per “Hand broadcasting is the simplest seeding method and works well. Soaking in hot water -- about 185 degrees Fahrenheit -- that cools over 24 hours also works, though to a slightly lesser extent, if you have a lot of seeds to sow. It takes 20 to 30 pounds of seeds to adequately cover one acre. You may dilute the seeds by mixing them with sand to easily achieve even coverage. The commercial practice of soaking seeds in hydrochloric acid, which creates allover pitting in the seed coat is effective, but dangerous. Plant them where you want them to grow. In Texas, bluebonnets are planted in the late fall, the plant grows deep roots and overwinter and starts to bloom in spring. Bluebonnets need full sun to grow their best. How Should Broccoli Seed Harvesting Be Done? If none are present, you need to add the bacterium. Texasgrower Palestine, TX(Zone 8b) Feb 21, 2009. Press seeds firmly into the ground with your hands or walk over the area.” Bluebonnets do not like saturated soil, so water them lightly. In nature, the tough coat of a bluebonnet seed wouldn't break down for several seaons, keeping the seed dormant in case of drought. They germinate in the fall, grow through the winter and bloom (as we all know and love) in the spring. Following Scarification Treatments, University of Texas at Austin Biological Sciences: Lupinus Texensis.