How do you clean your seeds?

[cfkingfish]

Just a curiosity I have about how everyone cleans their seed, as I often get questions about it. There was a professional seed cleaner at Fairchild that was somewhat odd but worked well. Now I usually clean by hand, using water and abrasive materials. I have a power wire brush for the tough stuff like cycad seeds. I do have a helper or two, here is one helping me bag some seed going out for shipment.

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Come on, CF, you just posted this so you could lay claim to bragging rights over your Ranch Hands....right?!?!?!

Rusty

[freakypalmguy]

I'm a Makita Drill with the wire brush dude.

[FRITO]

If only a few seeds I can pinch the fruit off with my hands. Most my seed is cleaned in larger batches and for this I use the Drill/Wire Brush Method

Nice Ranch Hand!

on a related note my buddy found a D. lutescens (areca palm) that has fruit that taste like bananas, anyone ever eat the fruit on these?

Edited September 5, 2009 by FRITO

[Kostas]

I always clean my seeds by hand,scraping with my fingernails where needed. I usually deal with small quantities of seed from each species but even when I have many to clean, I still clean the by hand with a tub of water to rinse the scraping off...

You are very lucky to have such a helper! I wish I could have one too! They usually aren't too interested in seeds.....

[Wai`anae Steve]

  cfkingfish said:

Just a curiosity I have about how everyone cleans their seed, as I often get questions about it. There was a professional seed cleaner at Fairchild that was somewhat odd but worked well. Now I usually clean by hand, using water and abrasive materials. I have a power wire brush for the tough stuff like cycad seeds. I do have a helper or two, here is one helping me bag some seed going out for shipment.

Now that's a Ranch Hand. And she likes the N. Y. Yankees

[Palmə häl′ik]

I too clean mine by hand and scraping tool...

I just don't have a couple thousand to clean...

[DoomsDave]

Ahem.

Let the seeds, with fruit, sit in some water for a while, till the fruit starts to rot, then, rub said seed in the palms of your hands do rub the fuit off.

Or, even better, use gravel from a fish tank, rocks about 1/8 inch across.

Ship, plant, eat. . . .

[cfkingfish]

  Rusty on Pine Is. said:

Come on, CF, you just posted this so you could lay claim to bragging rights over your Ranch Hands....right?!?!?!

Rusty

Whatever would make you think that?

There are some seeds out there that seem to be useless after cleaning, while some absolutely need to be cleaned.

[Kris]

I use my hands most of the times to get the seeds cleaned,and here our volatge is 220-240 Volts A/c.So can't play much with it. Since the current shock is preety painful & could be fatal.

Love,

Kris

[BS Man about Palms]

How did I miss this?

[malcthomas]

Wrap them in a plastic bag with a little moisture and let them rot down, place in a mesh basket and hit them with a water blaster or high pressure hose...works well for kentia seed.

Livistona seed, I leave under the tree and let the rats clean them up..I have been doing this with Parajubaea seed but they are now climbing the tree and eating the flesh of the green fruit...

cheers..

Edited September 27, 2010 by malcthomas

[Patrick]

Usually clean by hand, unless it's arenga seeds, then it's by gloved hands

[MTM Palms]

I use a mortar mixer on a high speed drill. I put them in a 5 gallon bucket and cut a hole in the lid small enough for the mixer shaft to fit through. This way the juice dont come flying all out when things get wippin! I then take off the lid, tilt the bucket and run water hose continuous and the fruit pieces overflow out the top while the seeds stay at bottom.....well most of the time. Anyway , did I mention I hate cleaning seeds!

[The Germinator]

  On 9/5/2009 at 8:29 PM, cfkingfish said:

Just a curiosity I have about how everyone cleans their seed, as I often get questions about it. There was a professional seed cleaner at Fairchild that was somewhat odd but worked well. Now I usually clean by hand, using water and abrasive materials. I have a power wire brush for the tough stuff like cycad seeds. I do have a helper or two, here is one helping me bag some seed going out for shipment.

Hmmm! Mongo like seed cleaner

[Mark Heath]

  On 9/28/2010 at 8:21 AM, The Germinator said:

  On 9/5/2009 at 8:29 PM, cfkingfish said:

Just a curiosity I have about how everyone cleans their seed, as I often get questions about it. There was a professional seed cleaner at Fairchild that was somewhat odd but worked well. Now I usually clean by hand, using water and abrasive materials. I have a power wire brush for the tough stuff like cycad seeds. I do have a helper or two, here is one helping me bag some seed going out for shipment.

Hmmm! Mongo like seed cleaner

Well,,,, I was going to say that Marc M (MTM) technique is what i use but,,, Christian i like your seed cleaning method much better!!!

[www.dadluvsu.com]

bump

[Rafael]

Today, i have cleaned by hand 16 jubaea chilensis seeds

[Grasswing]

  On 9/19/2013 at 10:15 PM, rafael said:

Today, i have cleaned by hand 16 jubaea chilensis seeds

Are they hard to clean as Butia?

Regards

Andrew

[NatureGirl]

I find it takes too long if you just soak them 'until they rot'. My method is to let them dry for a few days until the fruit 'shrivels' then soak and clean. Much easier.