How to: Clean lots of palm seed

[FRITO]

Here the best way I have found to clean about 200+ Butia seed in about 5 -10 minutes.

should work with pretty universally, I tried is on Zamia cycad seeds and those are a bit tougher, which need mutiple processes and soakings.

4" wire wheel brush on a bit extension on my drill.

[FRITO]

Here is the final results. after flushing bucket with fresh water and pouring off the pulp (which works great in the compost pile) you have fresh clean seed.

I hope this helps people clean more seed more efficiently so the love of palms and can be enjoyed by more people.

[MattyB]

Thanks Luke! That's brilliant! I always thought the concrete mixer w/ gravel thing was too large of scale to be practical for most people, but this is perfect.

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Now that's using yer noodle buddy... I'm gonna member that trick next time I decide to clean seeds with my teeth.

[freakypalmguy]

That is killer. Thank you.

Matt

[merrill]

Hi, Luke:

Thats a good system. Does it damage Zamia floridana seed? My 1.5 hp Waring blendor, set at lowest speed, and further controlled by a Variac voltage control, is very effective, but it damages a few of the Z. floridana seed.

Best Wishes,

merrill

[Exotic Life]

Hi,

That nice work, and really fast. Does this also works with small palm seeds you think, if you think about Phoenix/Chamaerops species?

Robbin

[FRITO]

Thanks All for the posistive responses. keep me in mind next time you have extra seed

Merrill, the zamia seed is tough! it scraps the leathering fruit but doesnt remove it all on the first 'round' of de-fruiting. I am resoaking for a couple days and will repeat the cleaning process.

Robbin, I have not tried smaller fruits but phoneix and chamaerops species shouldnot be a problem. the seed is still large enough. small Chamaedorea and Rhapis on the other hand may damage or gt stuck in the metal brisssels a bit.

I am going to try washingtonia seed when I harvest it within a month or so. it is a small seed. and will tell me how small seeds work in the process.

[Alicehunter2000]

Excellent.......my fingers were pretty sore last time I cleaned a bunch of Butia seeds. I'm going to use the "Frito Method" next time. See you next weekend on my way to West Palm Beach.

[Gileno Machado]

It looks like a very effective method, Luke. Thanks for sharing. Has anybody tried it with Syagrus before? or other species?

[FRITO]

I should mention, Before I started this process I let the seed ferment and 'rot' a little in a bucket before I got around to cleaning them.

Harvest as many fresh seed as you can find throw them in a 5 gallon bucket with some water and forget them a couple days. Come back and drain water and add fresh water and begine the 'wire brush drill' cleaning method.

It was really easy-- a real "no brainer" after I finished.Definently reccomend this and most any species.

[Mark Heath]

I use the same method but w/ a "whip" that is used to mix thin-set for tile work. I think your wire brush will do a better job so i'll try it! Thanks!

[Exotic Life]

Keep us updated about you're test with the Washingtonia seeds please

Robbin

[FRITO]

Well I made a nice discovery today. 2 clumps of P. roebellenii ive been eyeing for the last couple years which get severly damaged or defoliated each winter but come back strong fruited and set seed!

the palms are fairly exposed and see mid to low 20's each winter. they are on fairly high ground which cold air must drain away from.

anyways I got seed and started to hand clean a few with was slow and tedious.

I got my bucket and drill with wire brush and in about 10 minutes had a few hundred seed clean. these small seed were undamage and maybe 1 or two were stuck in the wire brush. really excited that it worked with this seed.

enough chatter heres some photos.

[FRITO]

CLEAN.

Heres the video again if you missed it before:

[Exotic Life]

Thanks... then i think Washingtonia is be possible

[hulagalnz9]

CLEAN.

Heres the video again if you missed it before:

Luke...when I first saw this post...I went to Lowes to buy the wire 'whisk' wheel and I bought 2...couldnt decide which size would work better. Thanks for the tip!

[pogobob]

Thanks for the great idea Luke! I've cleaned about 7 thousand seed of Syagrus Abreojos in the last few days with your method, works unreal Bob

[BJA]

I use a presure washer.

Seeds in a five gal bucket with some holes in the bottom.

Put a lid on the top with a hole big enough to put in the nozzle of the presure wahser.

Just turn it on and rotate the head.

Works very well, just make sure the lid is on the bucket well or you will be eating palm fruit!!

[FRITO]

Bump UP - spreading the palm LOVE!

list of palms cleaned:

Acoelorrhaphe wrightii (everglades palm)

Butia sp.

Cocothrinax sp.

Phoneix roebelenii

Zamia pumilla (coonties)

Bob, Glad to here you cleaned the abre ojos! I need to get some seed from you!

BJA - thats a good method also, My unlce does this with areca palms (D. lutescens) he has a large tubs/container and has a custom made lid made of wood frame and wire mesh screening ovcver the top, simply stand back and blast away. your method seems more contained and cleaner!

this way is easy all you need is a power drill and attachment - very economical for most users!

[PalmatierMeg]

I clean my seeds with a drill and brush after I read this last year. Excellent tip.

[realarch]

Too bad I missed this post the first time around, time to get a wire brush attachment. Glad I have all my fingers after trying to clean a batch of Syagrus amara.

Tim

[floridagrower]

Palm madness at it's finest.

[Hadogenes]

I came across the video on YouTube. I don't know if it makes a difference, but I put in some beach sand for extra grit. Cleans beautifully! I follow this with a 3 day soak with pectic enzyme at 80°F just to make sure. No fungus!

Cleaned so far:

Chambeyronia macrocarpa (Thanks Bob!)

Washingtonia robusta

Brahea edulis

Brahea armata

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

Dypsis decaryi

[Kris]

Dear Mike

Can you share that video link that you had seen in the YouTube...Please !

Since it will be of immense use to all of us here.

Thanks & Love,

Kris

[FRITO]

Kris, He may have been refrencing the Youtube Video I posted:

[sick1166]

this works great

thanks

[www.dadluvsu.com]

bump

[_Keith]

Does someone have some seeds to clean?

[Jonas]

Does someone have some seeds to clean?

Keith

If you like you could come down a help me with these M. Flexuosa...

The exocarp(?) is like leather and quite difficult to cut.. I have cut my fingers more than once with this method so I anybody have any suggestions for peeling these seeds i would be grateful...

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Does someone have some seeds to clean?

Maybe...

[ErikSJI]

Why not clean 2000 in 10 minutes. Two drills one lower motor. 4 Wire brushes.

[ErikSJI]

Wire wheels also modified.

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Eric, how are those threaded rods mounted, looks like flanges with bearings or something?

[www.dadluvsu.com]

NM... 4 bolt pillow block bearing sometimes called square block flange bearing...

[Bigfish]

I put this into action today with a few hundred Rhapidophyllum seeds. Worked wonders. Thanks, Frito! Got some Serenoa and Chamaedorea to tackle next.

[MattyB]

Hey JoshO, we were just talking about this the other day. I knew I'd seen it somewhere.

[Josh-O]

Hey JoshO, we were just talking about this the other day. I knew I'd seen it somewhere.

Just checked it out today. Excellent suggestion Matty!!

[NorthFlpalmguy]

I do a similar process but soak them in a citrus pulp dissolving solution to break down the fruit and use a metal grate over a cooler and blast them with a pressure washer. It works for thousands of Butia at 1 time.

[MattyB]

Oh even more brillianter