Instructions

• 1). Select the right type of impatiens plant. Look for the standard impatiens types (Impatiens walleriana), as opposed to the hybrid types such as the double-flowering varieties or the New Guinea cultivars. The standard types produce viable seed in abundance, resulting in plants that retain the traits of their parents. The hybrid types, on the other hand, produce little or no viable seed in the open-pollination environment of the outdoor garden, and any offspring that do appear will not resemble the parent.
  
  
• 2). Find a fully-formed seed pod. Impatiens flowers form seed pods throughout the growing season. When you start to see fallen flower petals on the ground, you can start to look for mature pods. When the seeds inside a pod are ready to harvest, the pod is fleshy, plump, bright green in color and shaped like a tear drop. Do not touch the pod just yet, as even the lightest touch can cause the pod to explode before you are ready to catch the flying seeds in the container.
  
  
• 3). Sever the pod from its stem. Use one hand to hold the container under the mature seed pod you found. With the other hand, use your thumb and index finger to grasp the seed pod stem where it joins the plant. Guide the pod into the container and then pinch the pod stem from the plant, letting the pod drop into the container.
  
  
• 4). Remove the seeds from the pod. Most seed pods that drop into the container will explode on impact; those that don't will need only a light tap or two of the finger to open. Release any seeds remaining inside the exploded pod by scraping them out with a fingernail or butter knife. Remove the emptied seed pods, which now resemble small, curled-up caterpillars, from the container and discard.