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Moonflower pods harvested after snow! #921806

Asked November 11, 2025, 1:25 PM EST

Alas, after watching my moon flower pods get bigger this fall, I didn’t think they were dried enough yet and then…we had the snow yesterday not i g! The pods, still in the plants, looked darker and moist from the snowfall. I opened one and the seeds look quite moist and sticky. I emptied one and out in a baggie temporarily (I may spread them out on newspaper), and collected the other pods and put them on newspaper in the garage. Will they dry enough to pop open and keep the seeds until spring? Or did I blow it for this year’s harvest?! Is there something I can do to dry either the seeds or the pods? Should I just put some in the ground now? Thank you for any assistance.

Allegan County Michigan

Expert Response

The plant you have is not often called "moon flower". Moon flowers are typically Ipomoea alba, a tropical vine with white flowers. 

What you have is something very different, in the genus Datura. I am guessing that you have either Datura inoxia (commonly called Indian apple) or Datura stramonium (most often called jimson weed or loco weed or devil's trumpet). These plants can also be called moon flower, but that is a less common name. Both of these plants are poisonous and can be fatal if ingested by humans or animals. In some places in the USA, it is prohibited to buy, sell or cultivate Datura plants. 

I am not sure if your seed pods ripened before the freeze. Typically, you know that Datura seeds are mature when the pod splits open and spills the seeds. If your pods did not start to dry and split on their own, then the seeds inside might not be mature and therefore they might not germinate next spring. (The seeds will probably not continue to mature even if they remain in the pod.)

That said, it's worth keeping the seeds and giving them a shot in the spring! I would lay them out on paper to allow them to dry completely and then put them in a paper envelop (they need to breathe, they might mold in plastic). Make sure you label the seed packet with the common name and scientific. I highly recommend labeling them as poisonous as well. That say, if someone (say, a toddler) ingests some of the seeds, poison control can help them. 

In the spring, you can start the seeds inside as you would a tomato. Alternatively, after danger of frost, you can scatter the seeds where you want the plants to grow. If the winter is mild, it is possible that the plants will come back from roots in the soil. Their seeds can also persist in the soil for several years, so if seeds fell last year, they may germinate on their own. 

Please be very careful when handling the seeds and all parts of this plant as they are highly toxic. 

Lindsey K. Kerr, MS, MHP (she, her, hers) Replied November 12, 2025, 6:18 PM EST
Yikes! Thank you for your thorough answer!

On Wed, Nov 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied November 13, 2025, 9:40 AM EST

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