I have a beautiful poppy that has finished blooming and now there is a big pod at the top. What do I do to get the seeds so I can re-plant some? Do you know?. I love poppies but was never able to grow them before moving to Vt. I really love the red ones. Thank you, Shelly
Shelly, the top of the pod has a fluted edge. Lift this off carefully and inside you will find hundreds of black seeds the size of salt. Plant a lot of these together and you should get at least 3 or 4 plants. You don't need to presoak but keep them wet for a week or so in the ground. With the rain we have been having it shouldn't be a problem!
Poppies love sandy soil and lots of sun and once they start growing they like the soil dry rather than damp and moist. I have raspberry colored poppies but they are apparently hybrids because the seeds when planted produce an orange oriental poppy which was probaby the original plant used. I was able to transplant successfully four raspberry plants from the original which can be done in august after the flowers have bloomed, the plant has rested and regrowth of the leaves has started. Poppies in general are very hard to transplant however.