On 4 Jul 04 at 11:30, Susan Hayek wrote: > Is there a definitive decision on seed pods? > My Louisiana irises have huge pods. Do I chomp them off or leave > them on? Is there a way to use the seed? Or, in order to increase my > supply, is it better to remove the pods, toss them, and just divide > the clumps? Traditional horticultural practice says to remove seed heads unless you need the seed. The reason is usually stated as "so the plant won't waste energy forming seed." I have no idea if this is complete BS, or a layman's way of expressing something important about plant growth. Certainly flowering annuals perform better if you remove spent flowers and don't let them go to seed. There's also the tidiness factor. Spent flowers and seedheads tend to be somewhat unsightly, so your garden will look better if you deadhead faithfully. But don't forget that the PBS seed exchange (or some other) might be very happy to have seed from your irises. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada "To co-work is human, to cow-ork, bovine."