I keep mine in paper envelopes in plastic boxes (originally containing Ferrero Rocher chocolates) in the coolest room in the house. Any little packets containing silica gel go into the boxes until the packets can absorb no more moisture (it hasn't happened yet, some packets have been in the boxes several years).
As I produce a lot of seed here, drying is important... if anything still looks dampish it is left to dry separately for a few weeks, before it goes in the box.
One year I did an experiment putting some mesemb seeds in the fridge, it didn't seem to make any difference... I was careful not to bake poppy-seed bread rolls that year
If you receive seeds (e.g. from the Forum seed pool, or the BCSS seed list, which should be included with the December journal due out this week) this might be a helpful discussion.
Ever hopeful, trying to grow plants from arid sunny climates in the UK!
Lithops, Haworthia, Adromischus, other south African succulents including Ceropegia and some Crassula.
Thanks, Vic, I hadn't read that thread. Reason for posting yet another thread was that the "badges" one in the Off Topic forum is now relevant, and I wanted to open it up to all readers. Hope this is OK - if not please edit / delete / whatever.
Ever hopeful, trying to grow plants from arid sunny climates in the UK!
Lithops, Haworthia, Adromischus, other south African succulents including Ceropegia and some Crassula.
Hi lindsey & vic
I've just been trying to 'clean up' some pods of Epithelantha micromeris ( seeds for the seed pool) & I'm sure I've thrown quite a few away so any useful tips on how to get rid of the husks ?.
I used an old maragrine tub which was a little static so did help for the fine dust but there was still a lot of debris to remove:duh:.
Tina
varied collection of succulents and cacti but I especially like Euphorbia's, Ariocarpus and variegated agaves.
Leave Epithelantha fruit to dry but still be intact. Then you can just tear the end off, squeeze out the seeds, and they won't be all sticky. I don't find much debris, are you leaving the fruit to the stage where it disintegrates?
So who knows a good way to get Gymnocalycium mihanovichii seed out from the pulp? I've been waiting for the fruit to split but it never did and now its fallen off. Its still red and juicy but there are nice fat brown seeds stuck in there.
Brian Fearn once told me with sticky Mammillaria type seeds he smeared the seed bearing pulp onto a piece of newspaper (using it like blotting paper) and wrapped it up and left them to dry out completely. Put the name on the paper so you do not forget what they are.
Later you can separate out the seeds if you then scrape off the dry pulp/ seeds into the palm of your hand and rub them around with the index finger of your other hand the pulp will rub off the seeds.
Stick them on a clean sheet of plain paper then and you can separate the seed out to one side from the debris with a scalpel or something similar.
DaveW
Nottingham Branch BCSS. Joined the then NCSS in 1961, Membership number 11944. Cactus only collection.
The way I clean seeds from pulpy fruits - in special the very sticky ones - is to scoop the pulp out of the fruit, put it in the middle of a piece of cloth, wrap the cloth around the pulp twisting it so that no pulp can escape from the sides, and wash it in running water, smashing the pulp with your fingers under the water until you feel that there is no mucilage (the slimy juice) left. Then open the cloth, scrap all the mass of seeds and fibers that is left in the cloth, and put it on top of absorbent tissue and let it dry in the shade. Once it is dry, you can easily separate the fibers from the seeds by crushing the dried mass between your fingers.
Cheers,
Marlon.
Marlon Machado.
Institute for Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland.
Reason for posting yet another thread 
was that the "badges" one in the Off Topic forum is now relevant, and I wanted to open it up to all readers. Hope this is OK - if not please edit / delete / whatever.
