Southern Piedmont Chapter Seed Share

“It can be fun to find, collect and start seeds of native plants, herbaceous and woody. Proper knowledge of exactly what to do for each species will help improve success. When to collect; how to store; when to plant; fresh or dry; covered or uncovered; should you peel, scrape, crack, scarify, or soak; must you stratify or not; place in situ or in a seed bed or community pot. How do you know you even have a proper seed in that handful of chaff? These are all daunting questions more bothersome than learning how to bake a cake or make brownies. Watch for the upcoming video on the basics of starting plants from seeds – but go ahead and be collecting seeds and fruits now.” — Dr. Larry Mellichamp

Bonus: Dr. Mellichamp will be creating a video about starting seeds before the next meeting.

How to Prepare Your Seeds for the Seed Share

• Place the cleaned seeds in small packets with a teaspoonful for smaller seeds or 3-4 if they are large.
• Use paper envelopes or plastic bags labeled with both the common name and the scientific name.

Guidelines for Ethical Wild Seed Collection

NCNPS supports the use of native plants in landscaping and ecological restoration, and encourages the collection and sharing of seeds, spores and cuttings from native plants on your own property. We must, however, recognize the sensitivity of these plants as well as the wild environments in which they grow. With the goal of plant conservation and maintaining healthy native plant populations in mind, NCNPS has developed the following guidelines for the ethical collection of native plant propagules from natural areas. Read the guidelines here.

All remaining seed packets will be donated to the Reedy Creek seed exchange box.

Location:  Reedy Creek Nature Center, 2900 Rocky River Road, Charlotte, NC, 28215. Masks required.