Forum home Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Seeds sent from China

24567

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    They look vaguely like castor oil seeds. However they could have weevil grubs or anything in them. Burn them.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    It's not beyond the realms of possibility that they're a horticultural version of COVID-19.  The world's getting dirtier by the day.  You wouldn't get the Aussies even entertaining them.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    They’re not Ricinus seeds, look a bit like canna but can never tell with China! 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Trouble is, if they're sending out enough in packaging that doesn't say what's inside, some will bypass both any customs checks that there might be, and the common-sense test, and be grown. Whether it's sellers trying to get good stats on Amazon or something more sinister, the end result could be something diseased or horribly invasive getting out into the wild. Gardener's World, Beechgrove etc should cover this to get the message out a bit more widely.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • nick615 said:
    It's not beyond the realms of possibility that they're a horticultural version of COVID-19.  The world's getting dirtier by the day.  You wouldn't get the Aussies even entertaining them.
    You're being ridiculous
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Perhaps they will grow into those wonderful roses with all the colours of the rainbow on one plant I keep seeing advertised
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    nick615 said:
    It's not beyond the realms of possibility that they're a horticultural version of COVID-19.  The world's getting dirtier by the day.  You wouldn't get the Aussies even entertaining them.
    You're being ridiculous
    I've often wondered about this. If someone planted Japanese knotweed seeds and grew the first male plant in the UK the result would be terrible. It's obviously very unlikely but other invasive plants are a possibility.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    It could easily be something invasive without there being a sinister motive. If they're giving stuff away for free it's likely to be something that produces seed prolifically without any effort on the part of the grower other than to collect it and bag it up.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    They look like canna seeds to me, but as others have said, it's pretty impossible to be certain just by looking. Curiosity would get the better of me, I think I'd have to try growing one in a pot!
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    I expect you're not the only one.  We'll be getting questions on here in a few months with plant IDs for 'this strange packet of seeds that was sent to me from China'.  
    Utah, USA.
Sign In or Register to comment.