Seeds are ripe when they shake in the pod, are easily removed from the plant, and/or are turning dark in color.

-- from Seed Collection Guidelines for California Native Plant Species, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, by Michael Wall, Seed Conservation Manager

Fall is seed-gathering time in the mountains. Over the past few years, San Bernardino Master Gardeners have begun to highlight seed-sharing, both as part of the Master Gardener mission, and our service to communities. With its hub at Chino Basin Waterwise Community Center, in Montclair, the San Bernardino County Regional Seed Library (SBRSL) also has satellite libraries in Yucaipa and the San Bernardino Mountains. The mountains seed library, still in its infancy, was created with the idea of connecting mountain residents through a shared love of wild-scape gardening.  

Getting Started   The Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden hosts a seed conservation project that is a good model for our regional seed harvesting. As a resource, RSABG offers techniques related to collecting and propagating native seeds. The first step, according to the experts, is to identify available plants and select the ones you want to collect. For help knowing our mountain plants, the Rim of the World Interpretive Association (ROWIA)/Heaps Peak Arboretum publishes illustrated guidebooks on native plants and trees. In addition to print sources, online sites like the Calflora and Calscape offer plant finders, maps, color photos, and planting guides. When selecting which seeds to harvest, it's important to know, for example, which plants are best adapted to our area, which ones are truly native, and which may be invasive species. Calscape's harvest and propagation guides make the selection process easier. 

 

Right Place, Right Time   San Bernardino Mountain homes are built at the edge of the National Forest. Collecting plant materials on public lands requires special permits. As an alternative, look to private spaces, like the backyard or the neighbor's lot. In Lake Arrowhead, I've had success collecting a variety of such beautiful plants as mountain buglers (Penstemon rostiflorius), scarlet columbines (Aquilegia Formosa), dogwoods (Cornus nuttallii), and others, simply by asking around. Most of my seeds come from generous neighbors whose yards are lush with flowering plants and trees. Always remember to ask permission before collecting, and seek out areas with abundant patches of a particular plant. To avoid depleting nature's stores, Rancho Santa Ana recommends the five percent rule when it comes to seed harvesting: “…limit sampling to no more than 5% of the current season seed either on population, or a per-plant basis.”

Native Seed Propagation   Propagating native plants can be tricky, because special conditioning is sometimes required to mimic nature's processes. Some plants, for example, need weeks of cool weather before germinating. Others require fire. Some plants prefer being ingested by birds, bears or other critters. A process called stratification is needed for some varieties. This involves storing seeds in a damp, refrigerated environment (33 - 38°F) for 60-90 days, before they're ready to go into the soil. Other seeds require scarification, or the breaking down of husks by acid-washing, hot water baths, sandpaper rubs, or other processes. In talking with Master Gardeners I've heard both success stories, and mixed reviews when it comes to propagating native seeds. Master Gardener/ROWIA member Cori Edwards, of Crestline shared a plan to use pine needles as kindling over a container of fire-start seeds. Mountain gardeners' seed-germinating experiments can be off-beat and interesting, and they always make for good storytelling.

If you are hoping to collect and propagate native seeds, look to the advice of RSABG and the California Native Plants Society and follow some simple guidelines:

• identify plants first (if possible, use both common and Latin names)
• make a note of the conditions in which each plant thrives (what type of soil, sun, and other conditions do you find?)
• always have permission before harvesting seeds
• be sure there are plenty of seeds left on site – use the 5% rule
• do your research to know what special treatments may be needed (should I stratify, scarify, or just go ahead and sow?)
• share! (don't forget to pass on some seeds, along with tips on how to get them started)

 Resources

San Bernardino County Regional Seed Library (SBRL Facebook Page) https://www.facebook.com/sbrseedlibrary/

Rancho Santa Ana Seed Conservation Project https://www.rsabg.org/conservation/seed-conservation

California Native Plants Society, “California Native Plant Propagation,” by Matt Teel, Jan, 2018 https://www.cnps.org/gardening/california-native-plant-propagation-4014

Heaps Peak Arboretum, Rim of the World Interpretive Association https://www.heapspeakarboretum.com/

Calflora http://www.calflora.org/

Calscape http://www.calscape.org/