What is an op seed?

On the other hand, varieties labeled "OP" (short for open-pollinated) will grow true to variety name from seeds produced by the plants that you grow yourself. These seeds may be saved and will produce the same plant in future sowings as long as proper seed-saving procedures are followed.

What does op mean on seed packets?

Open Pollinated (OP) Seeds

These are seeds that come from the natural pollination of plants, typically those that are fairly similar to one another.

Which seeds are better op or hybrid?

Hybrid seeds can be a good choice, especially for a new gardener. Hybrids generally produce more per acre than OP varieties. So they are usually the best choice for gardeners with limited space available to grow a garden.

What is an example of an open-pollinated seed?

Popular examples of open-pollinated plants include heirloom tomatoes, beans, peas, and many other garden vegetables.

What is the difference between open-pollinated seeds and hybrid seeds?

Most importantly, hybrid seeds offer superior disease resistance. This is because, in the most basic terms, it is easier to breed disease resistance into a hybrid than into an open-pollinated seed. It goes without saying that this is desirable for home gardeners and commercial growers alike.

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Are open pollinated seeds good?

Because there are no restrictions on the flow of pollen between individuals, open-pollinated plants are more genetically diverse. This can cause a greater amount of variation within plant populations, which allows plants to slowly adapt to local growing conditions and climate year-to-year.

Can you plant open pollinated seeds?

In contrast to hybrid seeds, open-pollination occurs by "accident": via incidental human touch/transfer, insects, wind, birds or any other natural means. If you save the seed and plant it the following season, you will pretty much get the same plant you had the previous year.

Does open-pollinated mean I can save seeds?

Can you save open pollinated seeds? The seeds of open pollinated plants can be saved, and the offspring of open pollinated seeds are known for growing “true to type,” meaning they can be depended on to reflect the traits of the parent plants.

Can you save seeds from open-pollinated plants?

It is easiest to save seed from varieties of vegetables and plants that are open-pollinated. These seedlings typically resemble the parent plants as long as they are not allowed to cross pollinate with another variety of the same species.

How do you tell if a seed is open-pollinated?

Open Pollinated Seeds

Open pollinated means the flowers are fertilized by bees, moths, birds, bats, and even the wind or rain. The seed that forms produces the same plant the following year. Some OP plants are self-pollinators. This means the structure of the flower allows fertilization before it opens.

What is the toughest seed to germinate?

Some seeds like Allium 'Purple Sensation' and Eryngium giganteum need a long period of cold-moist stratification with alternating temperatures. These are the most difficult seeds to germinate.

What is the hardest seed to plant?

Why do farmers buy hybrid seeds?

Hybrid seeds are normally bred to have better yielding fruit, shelf life and disease resistance and have an earlier harvest date than heirloom seed. The main purpose of Hybrid seeds was to allow the farmer to be able to harvest all at one time and reduce input cost on products to help with growing their crops.

Will expired seeds packets still grow?

So, will expired seeds grow? Yes. Plants grown from expired seed packets will grow to produce healthy and fruitful harvests, just as their younger counterparts.

Can hybrid seeds be replanted?

You shouldn't save seed from hybrid vegetables because they won't produce true in the next generation.

How long can you keep open seed packets?

Vegetable and flower seeds may be kept for one year without appreciable decrease in germination. Storage may be extended to 10 or more years under proper conditions. Seed moisture and storage temperature are the most important factors in determining how long seed can be stored.

Why can t farmers save the hybrid seeds to replant them next year?

The main reason farmers don't save hybrid seeds to plant next year is that the seeds won't “breed true.” Hybrids are made by crossing two highly inbred parent plants (more details coming soon). Every seed (or corn kernel) that is planted has the exact same genetics.

What are the disadvantages of open-pollinated variety?

Their lack of uniformity can be disadvantageous for marketing purposes and growers using large machinery. Open-pollinated seeds will resemble parent plants as long as cross-pollination with different varieties is prevented. Therefore, growers must maintain distance between plants.

Why can't you save seeds from hybrid plants?

Do not save seed from F1 or hybrid plants if you want to be certain that the plants grown from the seed will be the same as their parents. Plants that grow from seed saved from hybrid plants generally are less vigorous, more variable, and usually have smaller blossoms and yield less than their parents.

Are heirloom plants open-pollinated?

Heirlooms are generally open pollinated plant varieties that are over 50 years old. Traditionally the seed has been carefully saved and handed down from gardener to gardener. These are the plants most treasured.

What are the advantages of open-pollinated varieties?

Advantages of open-pollinated varieties

The first advantage of open-pollinated varieties is that there is always some form of genetic variation between the plants in the field and so diseases spread less fast than in the case of genetically identical plants of a hybrid variety.

What is the difference between open-pollinated and self-pollinated?

In self-pollination, a plant has both female and male parts and can pollinate itself. Open-pollinated seeds, also called “true to type” or “true to seed,” are a result of the natural pollination of two plants of the same variety.

What seeds do not cross pollinate?

Some varieties don't require pollination between male and female flowers. For example, some hybrid varieties self-pollinate. Roses, lily's, and sunflowers all self-pollinate. Hybrids are great for growing in greenhouses, but for heirloom gardening, seed saving shouldn't include cross-pollination.

Do feminized plants need to be pollinated?

The general practice behind feminization is that female plants are forced to produce pollen, which is in turn used to pollinate other female plants. The outcome? Resulting seeds will be feminized, with no risk of further pollination.

Are marigolds open-pollinated?

Regardless of the marigold type, cultivars of both French and African types can either be hybrids or open-pollinated.