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Re: Seed Cleaning

Rob,

I send out hundereds of packets of wild seeds to exchanges each year, and
most of my seed cleaning is by winnowing.  For the majority of the seeds,
my tool of choice is a 4x6-inch file card, folded along the long dimension
to make a trough, with one end cut back in after folding [so longest along
the fold].  Basic winnowing is by holding the card, point toward you, and
slightly lowered, and blowing gently up the card, while tapping with a
free finger to shake the heavier seed down.

The texture of the file card is such that it often attracts very light
chaff, and this can be taken advantage of by repetedly tilting the card
until the seed runs off -- a fair amount of chaff remains on the card and
can be brushed away.

I often repeat or alternate the two procedures ten or more times, to get a
clean residue of seed.  Often the final step, especially for rare seed, is
to pick through a "concentrate" with forceps.

I have the advantage of owing a dissecting microscope for checking the
seed, but in any case you should have a good hand lens to see that what
you're getting is really the seed.  Some kind of maginification, perhaps A
jeweler's loupe magnifier and a strong
light source, like the "tensor" high-intensity desk light, are real
essentials.


Loren Russell, Corvallis, Oregon
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