Why are self-seeded plants always the healthiest?
, by Ellen Rignell, 1 min reading time
Have you ever noticed that self-seeded seedlings are always the healthiest? Have you ever wondered why?
Everyone knows that plants (and people) inherit genes from their parents. This is why one plant or one person looks different to another. What most gardeners don’t know is that there is a second way plants inherit information from their parents. It’s called epigenetics, and you can think of it as a kind of ‘plant memory’.
Seeds inherit a ‘memory’ of their parents' life, which has a direct impact on their survival. In a landmark study*, scientists showed that if they let caterpillars attack parent plants, the next generation become primed for attack. Seeds saved from those plants grow up into plants that produce high levels of bitter compounds to put off insect pests. Essentially the parent plant is saying to its offspring ‘Be careful! There are hungry bugs about!’.
The self-seeded plants in your garden have a headstart on seeds that have been imported from hundreds of thousands of miles away. They have the memory of the place and local conditions, directly inherited from their parents.
It’s no wonder they look so healthy!
We save millions of seeds at our farm in Dorset. Have a look at our range of locally grown seed here and sign up to our newsletter for seed saving inspiration!
