Jen started with cotton bolls given to her by a friend in Oklahoma. She spun the cotton and then planted the seeds in a pot on August 16th, 2008. She brought the pot indoors at first threat of frost. Over the winter she and her family nursed the plants with tender care - extra lights and a moist environment.
In Arizona, flowers appear after approximately 80 days. In sunny Alberta, this took 180 days (the first flower bloomed on February 26, 2009)!! The flowers last only one day, close and turn pink. Self-fertilization then occurs. Cotton bolls appear to grow larger when the pink closed flower hangs longest on the plant. The last picture shows a developing cotton boll.
The picture of Hawrelak Park, in Edmonton, was taken on the day the first flower bloomed.

And so, it may be some time before the cotton bolls are fully developed, and somewhat longer before they open!! Keep checking back to this page to see how her cotton develops.....

March 16, 2009

Hawrelak Park, Edmonton, (sunny) Alberta