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Freezing seeds
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Posted by trish_g SE Qld Aust (My Page) on Tue, Jan 1, 08 at 20:53
I have some wattle seeds where good ones are mixed with ones that are infested with several kinds of insects. I have sorted them as best I can, but I wanted to give some to my local SGAP, and don't want to give them bugs. A few hours in the freezer would kill the insects, but would it kill the seeds as well?
Has anyone tried this?
Trish |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Freezing seeds
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| Why couldn't you just spray them with pyrethrin insecticide? Or place them in hot water from the tap for an hour or so - I doubt that any would swell as it usually takes boiling water for that but I doubt that any insects would survive 70 degree water for to long. An hour or so in the freezer would be enough to form ice crystals in the seed and then it will be curtains for it. |
RE: Freezing seeds
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- Posted by mallee South Australia (My Page) on
Sun, Jan 6, 08 at 6:06
| Depending on where the seed originates it could be possible to freeze it. I have frozen Callitris sp (Native Pine) and had it germinate very well. However it is a species that grows where there are severe frosts and this treatment is necessary for germination, naturally. Usually storage at 4C is adequate. |
RE: Freezing seeds
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Thank you Greg and Mallee.
Greg, I don't really object to a bit of pyrethrum, but was looking for a poison-free way to do be sure of saving insect-free seed. Hot water might work, but of course some wattle seeds don't need to be boiled. They'll germinate in hot water from the tap.
Mallee, I'm interested to hear that it can succeed. I think the site where these were collected would be subject to frost, which is why I thought it might work. I guess the only way to find out for sure would be to do it (on only some of the seeds collected) for just long enough to get rid of insects, then try germinating them before using the process on the rest and putting them away (unfrozen) for storage. It would be a rather laborious way to do things as a general seed-storage policy, though. I guess that's why we really use poisons, sometimes a bit more than we should. Trish |
RE: Freezing seeds
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| How about soaking the seeds for 15 min or so in cold water and dish-washing detergent or plain laundry soap? The detergent/soap should suffocate the insects without--I hope (perhaps someone else can comment?)--hurting the seeds. |
RE: Freezing seeds
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Sounds good to me. Thank you, cestrum
Trish |
RE: Freezing seeds
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| Hi Trish, As a memeber of my local ASGAP chapter in Melbourne, I wouldn't be donating seeds for their seed bank that has any insect infestation. If you do want to give them the seed, tell them that it came from a plant with an insect problem (and even a few specimens of the insects themselves if you can). What you could do would be to use a bit of pyrethrum (it isn't a poison, it's natural and harmless to the enviornment and plants) on the plant next year when the seed pods are forming, that way you'll get clean, uninfected seed that your local ASGAP would be happy to take off your hands. Cheers, Trish. |
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