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Re: Various seed gathering questions

Hi Martin:
  You might try freezing the seeds before planting to help combat borers.
Also (while a bit messy) could you collect the seeds after the monkeys eat
them?? Just a thought.         Denise

----------
> From: Martin Voges <voges@drama.unp.ac.za>
> To: seeds-list@eskimo.com
> Subject: Various seed gathering questions
> Date: Wednesday, October 08, 1997 11:48 AM
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I would like to ask for advice about some problems I'm having propagating
> some plants.  The specific plants are probably unfamiliar to you as I'm
in
> the southern hemisphere, on the African continent, halfway between
> subtropical coast and alpine mountains - a zone that was dangerously
> hot & humid yesterday and today is icy cold.  But my questions are fairly
> generic and you may be able to offer similar advice.
> 
> You may, nonetheless, be familiar with Tulbaghia species - fragrans
> and violacea - known in the US as Society Garlic AFAIK.  I'm gathering
> seeds now from an as yet unidentified species.  As it is late spring here
> with the main summer rains still to come,  I'd guess they need to be sown
> now, i.e. fresh without any special treatment.  But I wonder if anyone
> has better knowledge regarsing Tulbaghias generally?
> 
> Many of my seeds from one kind of tree - Cussonia spicata (Cabbage
> tree) FWIW - seem to have rotted in the seedling mix.  When I dig them
> out it looks as though fungal growth may be involved.  Question:  Could I
> dust the seeds with sulphur before sowing to control fungi, or would
> that harm the seeds/seedlings?  Any better (but cheap) ideas?
> 
> Those and other seeds are also often destroyed by some kind of borers
> whilst I'm storing them.  Similar question - could I use a (liquid)
residual
> stomach insecticide on the seeds to save them from borer attack or
> would I poison the seeds/seedlings?
> 
> Whilst I'm on the issue of pests, I face serious competition in the wild
> from monkeys that eat the fruits before they are properly ripe.  I've
> found, however, that the leftover seeds from these monkey-eaten
> 'unripe' fruits are already viable.  If I knew when the seeds are okay
for
> harvesting despite the fruit apparently being unripe, I could beat the
> monkeys to it.  Does anyone know how to tell when seeds are ready for
> life on their own despite unripe appearance of the fruit?  In case anyone
> knows them, the shrubs/trees involved are Hyperacanthum amoenus,
> Ochna arborea, and Rothmannia capensis & globosa.
> 
> This is getting rather long, so I'll stop there and ask for advice on
cuttings
> another time.
> 
> Regards,
> Martin
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