Re: [The Seed Exchange] - Scarifying seeds with a dremel tool
- To: propagation@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: [The Seed Exchange] - Scarifying seeds with a dremel tool
- From: M* D*
- Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 07:16:41 EDT
Judy-
I learned a trick for hard to germinate seeds after unsucessfully trying to
germinate some wild gathered, very hard coated South African seeds. I put
the seed in a small jewelers vice, with the seeds horizontal cleavage plane
parallel to the vice top, and then tighten slowly until I hear a little
"crick", signifying that the seed coat has cracked. I usually pre-sprout my
tough plants in wet paper in a baggie, so I generally go ahead and remove
the seed coat entirely after cracking it, since a lot of seed that was meant
to be eaten, run through a digestive tract, and then excreted contains
germination inhibiting chemicals in the seed coat.
>From: Judy Showers <jshowers@epix.net>
>Reply-To: propagation@mallorn.com
>To: The Seed Exchange <seeds@bigfoot.com>, medit-plants@ucdavis.edu,
>HGA-L@LISTSERV.LOUISVILLE.EDU, penngardeners
><Penngardeners@onelist.com>, propagation@mallorn.com
>Subject: Re: [The Seed Exchange] - Scarifying seeds with a dremel tool
>Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 19:56:54 -0400
>
> > I can't remember if I saw this "thread" on this discussion group or
> > another one (I am on so many) but I recently heard of & tried
> > "scarifying" seeds with a dremel tool. It worked really great except
> > for one big old tough bean & I had to use my grinder for that. I just
> > gently ground the seedcoat down til I got to the white or light part
> > of the seed, & made sure it was the pointy end of the seed & not the
> > other end where the plantlet is. I am soaking them overnight in warm
> > "rain" water (hoping the acid rain will help), and then planting them
> > tomorrow evening. Most of the seeds are climbers in the convolvulus
> > family. Anybody else have discover a new trick into opening up a very
> > small portion of the seed, so the water can get to it & soak it?
> > Thanks, Judy Showers, Greenhouse grower in Pennsylvania, zone 6b
> > http://www.epix.net/~jshowers
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