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Seed Saving FAQ

Bugs in Seeds

11 years ago

{{gwi:2110375}}Image by: wintersown

Should I spray my seeds with a pesticide to kill any bugs that might be there?

No, this is not advised. Pesticides, whether organic or chemical based, contain toxins which can cause allergic reactions in some people.

What is a safe way to remove bugs from seeds?

I put the seeds in a single layer on a kitchen plate and place it on my patio where the plate can lay in full sun. The direct sunlight seems to annoy any bugs and they begin to scurry off the plate almost immediately. Leave the plate in the sun for at least an hour, you can stir the seeds once or twice during this time to expose any bug that may be hiding under a seed.

This method has been extremely succesful for me, especially when working with hibiscus and hollyhock seeds which, in my organic garden, can hide some bugs.

Sometimes when you trade for seeds you may open the packet and find a few living bugs....rare, but it does happen. Typically, this is often seen with hibiscus seeds. Keep in mind that the bugs were in larval form hidden inside the seeds and that the trader would not have knowingly sent seeds with bugs in them. Bug removal is easy using the full sun and plate method described above. Many of these seeds will still germinate even though they have a needle-thin bore hole going right through the seed.

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Thanks for the response Dave, and the link in particular. Not sure how I missed that section the 100 or so times I visited these forums! so Im going to take your advice and direct sow these seeds, this morning I put each seed type in its own bottle of water to soften it up and will sow them tomorrow. I do have a couple more questions though: 1. Scarifying the cardinal climber seed - i tried scratching the outer shell this morning with some nail clippers but wasnt able to really penetrate it at all. Some of the outer black coating of the seed came off though, is that all I need to do? 2. I put down crabgrass and broadleaf pre-emergent in my yard this past week, including the spots where I plan to put the vines, and Im wondering if this will stop the seeds from germinating? My plan was to dig out the spots where I will be sowing the seeds and replacing it with fresh amended soil. Is that a good idea? My thought was the new soil wouldn't have any of the pre-emergent and therefore wouldnt interfere with germination. 3. Amended soil - what should I use?
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I know this is an old post, but will answer for the sake of others who may ask. :) I had the exact same problem two years ago. Here in FL, we usually grow our veggies and sunflowers in winter months, to avoid the bugs. But two years ago, my sunflowers were behind and made it into June, hence the arrival of the hated beetles that eat the big black holes into the sunflower heads. I was picking them off by groups of 3 and 4 at a walk-by, and 3 or 4 times a day!!! I found that placing some of my old panty hose over the flower heads and knotting them in the back allowed the head to continue to grow and stop the beetles. As far as use, just pick a thumb's width circle of the surrounding seeds that were where the attack took place, and use them for the birds. The rest of the head is perfectly fine for human use. I hope this helps future sunflower gardeners. Those pantyhose sure stopped my frustration! :)
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