Collecting Tithonia Seed
Collecting Tithonia Seeds
Collecting your own seed is a great way of increasing the number of plants you have in your garden for very little cost. So why not save on those seed packet costs and save your own seed for sowing the following year? In this article we show you how to collect Tithonia seed.
Tithonia is also known as the Mexican Sunflower. It is grown as a summer bedding plant, adding height and colour to the garden. They will grow to 6ft tall and have multiple flower heads in either orange or yellow.
The flowers are loved by bumble bees.
This is a Tithonia seed head. You can see some of the seeds still inside (they are the darker brown colour).
Keep an eye on your Tithonia flowers as the seeds will ripen over a period of weeks. The first seeds will probably be ready about the middle of September. You can tell when they are ready as the seed heads start to droop and turn brown.
Tithonia seed heads are extremely prickly so wear gloves when handling. They will need to be cut off the plant as they do not pull off.
These are Tithonia seeds. They are held firmly within the prickly seed head so wear gloves when removing them. If you bang the seed head on a solid surface you may find that they fall out easier than trying to extract them with your fingers.
The seeds are a dark brown colour when ripe and have a hard coating. They are tooth shaped.
Allow the seeds to dry fully before storing. You can read our article on storing seed here.
The seed can then be sown in March to grow your new Tithonia plants.
