This is my first year collecting seed, so I have never grown anything from seed that I collected (and I have only grown a couple items from purchased seed). I won't have anything too exotic, but I should have enough quantity for a some trades. Trading sounds fun, but I am a little worried about sending out packets of dead seed or worse, sending out a package of just chaff (I am glad I checked online because I almost separated out the wrong part of some purple coneflowers).
Do you have any tips for visually inspecting seeds to tell if they are viable? Are there methods that I can use to try germinating some now before I send out trades? What did you do the first year you collected seed?
- Brent
Testing Seed Viability
Ok Brent - I'll give this a go. . ..
It is hard sometimes to know what is the seed and what is chaff, and all I can tell you is, if there is any question, to check here first before tossing anything out.
It is also hard, this time of year, to test for seed viablity. Generally, it is too cold/not enough light for seeds to germinate this time of year. I try to test my seeds in the summer , if possible (ie for seeds harvested in the spring and early summer). Testing this time of year is quite an ordeal and I doubt many people do it before sending seeds out for trade. Most people do try to send fresh, clean, unmolded, well dried seeds out on trades and generally, this is sufficent. People also try to not pick seeds before they are mature - that makes a big difference in viablity. I think as long as everyone is making an honest effort to send good seeds, that is all anyone can ask. Some seeds have very low germination rates , some are quite high. If you know something has low germination, then it would be nice to let everyone know that up front and possibly send more than a 'normal' trade amount.
The first year I collected seeds I started with easy stuff like morning glories and four o'clocks and I've gone to more difficult things from there - but in reality - I hate the difficult stuff like coneflowers and black eyed susans - it's just too hard to get the seeds away from the chaff (unless someone out there can enlighten me on how you do it!?? anyone??)
Does that help any . . .??
Good luck!
Onalee