Best way to clean seed
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2022 9:48 am
I usually just extract and dry my seed from my own plants and this has worked fine so far.
But I'm not sure the way I prepare seed would stop a pathogen spreading from one generation to the next.
So as I'm about to save some seed this year, I wonder if there is a better way?
Also, last year I obtained some commercial seed and this had fungal contamination. I ended up washing the seeds in dilute bleach. This worked actually, the fungus went away and seedlings survived. But germination dropped to about 10% from the 70-80% it was before washing. So this was not ideal.
I've seen various methods online eg using alcohol and water, soapy water or dilute hydrogen peroxide solution. Is there a consensus about the best way to clean seed?
Thanks
But I'm not sure the way I prepare seed would stop a pathogen spreading from one generation to the next.
So as I'm about to save some seed this year, I wonder if there is a better way?
Also, last year I obtained some commercial seed and this had fungal contamination. I ended up washing the seeds in dilute bleach. This worked actually, the fungus went away and seedlings survived. But germination dropped to about 10% from the 70-80% it was before washing. So this was not ideal.
I've seen various methods online eg using alcohol and water, soapy water or dilute hydrogen peroxide solution. Is there a consensus about the best way to clean seed?
Thanks