Cleaning seeds for germination - what is effective with minimal effort

[Tracy]

In the past, I have always cleaned my seeds physically by removing the fruit, followed with a brief soak in hydrogen peroxide.  I have either planted the seeds in pots in my garden or used the baggy method (sphagnam moss maybe a little perlite and moisture inside a zip lock baggy) giving the bag heat.  Heat source has been placing the zip lock in foil, then putting the foil on top of my water heater.

I don't have any hydrogen peroxide right now at home and was working on a small scalle seed cleaning project with my granddaughter.  She wanted to pick the ripe fruit off a Chrysalidocarpus prestonianus and we also picked up a few newly dropped Chrysalidocarpus rufescens fruit.  I would like to finish bagging them up without having to run out and buy more hydrogen peroxide.  Do others bother with hydrogen peroxide or am I ok skipping that step?

 

[Darold Petty]

I usually don't bother unless the seeds come to me with fruit or show surface mold.  Your seeds look good to go !  With extremely valuable or rare seed I wet the germination medium with water containing Physan 20.

You can also use household bleach, 1 part to 9 parts water, instead of hydrogen peroxide.

[SeanK]

I wonder if anyone has tried using an ultrasonic tank.

[JohnAndSancho]

I've taken guff because I swear by peroxide and water soaking. I let them soak to make the fruit easier to get off, clean them, soak them again, then throw them in baggies. I guess super diluted bleach would work, but this is just what I do. I still get occasional blue or white fuzz growing from seeds in the baggies. 

The only real exception to this is my mangos - I started just cracking the husk and pulling the seed out as soon as I'm done eating it and giving them a quick rinse with water and peroxide, letting them air dry overnight and straight into a pot. 

[realarch]

Tracy, I’ve never used peroxide while cleaning seed, usually just a good 24 soak, let them dry, and either pot up or slip them in a baggie. I forego cleaning difficult seed and just put them in a pot and let them germinate on their own. I’m only looking for a half dozen seedlings of a particular species to make it rather than a high percentage that a grower would expect. 

Tim

[Jonathan]

Agree with the above.

I've only bothered with hydrogen peroxide if the seeds already look dodgy, have had generally pretty good results. Your seeds look perfect.

[Phoenikakias]

10% bleach solution (9 parts water 1 part bleach). Let the seeds soak in the solution for a couple minutes and afterwards rinse them thoroughly. Ηowever if seeds are very fresh and healthy disinfection will offer a considerable advantage, unless you plan to store seeds.

[Tracy]

6 hours ago, realarch said:

Tracy, I’ve never used peroxide while cleaning seed, usually just a good 24 soak, let them dry, and either pot up or slip them in a baggie. I forego cleaning difficult seed and just put them in a pot and let them germinate on their own. I’m only looking for a half dozen seedlings of a particular species to make it rather than a high percentage that a grower would expect. 

Tim

Yes, this is a similar project I was starting with my very young granddaughter just for fun.  I don't have space to be growing seedlings on a large scale.  

Thanks to everyone for the input.  Ironically, my wife was pulling back into the garage this morning and noticed a 1 gallon container of hydrogen peroxide that she had purchased for me a couple of months ago.  It was sitting in the garage the whole time but I forgot she had purchsaed it.

I'm hoping to spread the gardening virus and specifically with tropicals, to my granddaughter.  I'm starting young as she is still a preschooler.

[Gallop]

4 hours ago, Tracy said:

Yes, this is a similar project I was starting with my very young granddaughter just for fun.  I don't have space to be growing seedlings on a large scale.  

Thanks to everyone for the input.  Ironically, my wife was pulling back into the garage this morning and noticed a 1 gallon container of hydrogen peroxide that she had purchased for me a couple of months ago.  It was sitting in the garage the whole time but I forgot she had purchsaed it.

I'm hoping to spread the gardening virus and specifically with tropicals, to my granddaughter.  I'm starting young as she is still a preschooler.

Tracy, since I started soaking my seed in 12% hydrogen peroxide my germination results have significantly improved.