in need of

[cherokeechicken]

i am in need of some balsam seed also known as touch me nots. we are over run with poison oak and ivy and that is the best natural cure.

 

[karanleaf]

Wow I didn't know that it was a treatment for poison ivy Gosh I have got my new lesson learned today

i Love this place always good stuff to learn

:happy_flower Karan

 

[cherokeechicken]

all you have to do is rub the juice from the leaves on it

 

[freshfood]

Hey,

we have tons of the stuff around here - I always heard it called jewel weed or touch me not... anyway, I could get yellow flowered or orange flowered, but would have to wait until it blooms to tell which is which...also, when would be the time? Would it be in the late summer when the seed pods ripen? Or what?

I'm between Albany, NY and Saratoga, NY - would the plants be compatible in your area (I didn't look at where you're from, sorry).

I used to spend hours as a kid, popping the seed pods - it's fun, and I still do it now, for nostalgia (I'm 48!).

 

[cherokeechicken]

you don't know how long i have been looking for them,about 3 years now. any color is fine. and yes after the pods ripen is when you harvest the seeds. let me know when you get some seeds from them and i will send a sase.

 

[sparkles2307]

Could you put me on the list for some of those seeds as well? I will send a SASE if you can spare some when they are ready!

 

[freshfood]

Sparkles and Cherokee,

I'd be delighted to get you all the seeds you want...the stuff grows like weeds around here, all over the place. Here in upstate NY it seems to like partial shade, slightly damp ground. We find it on our trails through the woods (we bush-hog the trails so they're about 10 feet wide and the touch-me-not grows alongside the trails. It also grows at the edge of the woods where it's shaded part of the day. I hope you can both duplicate the environment it likes...

I don't know what the difference is between the two colors, I never saw the yellow until I was all grown up, but now I've seen both, though not growing right together. Maybe your local extension offices could advise whether one color or the other would be better for your zone, or if it doesn't matter.

If I recall, the seed pods are ripe in July and/or August. I never had to know which before!

I'll drop you both a line when I see them ripening!

By the way, the juice works well on insect bites, too.

 

[cherokeechicken]

thanks i will look forward to you reply in july or august. happy gardening!:tools