North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Brian Pearson <bjpearson@centurytel.net>]

>
>I started the seed cleaning by rinsing & draining every 12 hours, until I
>noticed a smell of fermentation.   Some internet info I'd found recommended
>not fermenting the seeds too much, so I wanted to remove the pulp ASAP.   So
>that's when I did the squishing.   After squishing, I rinsed the cleaned
>seeds several times, until the water stayed clear.   I then rolled up the
>seeds in a generous amount of paper towels, until I could get ahold of some
>peat moss or other medium, and sealed them in a bag.   Now the part that
>worries me :   about 12 hours later, I noticed the bag was buldging.  Upon
>opening the bag, I smelled fermentation !   Even with no pulp (and not much
>moisture) to support the process !    Can anyone comment on whether this
>would have damaged the germination potential ?

As long as there wasn't a lot of heat build-up or extended exposure to high
levels of alcohol, the seeds should be OK. I've kept magnolia fruits in a
bag until they became mushy and some mold started to appear, cleaned the
seeds, and had good germination. I've had other soft fruits in a plastic
bag until they started to smell like a brewery, and still had good
germination. Heck, if the seeds can withstand a bird's gizzard, stomach
acid, and digestive tract, I don't think that we can do a lot of damage
without really trying to do so.
     We had over 1.8" of rain in several hours here in northeastern WI a
couple of days ago.  How're conditions with you, Tanis?  Over the last
couple of weeks, a major hatch of mosquitos has made outside life less than
sublime.  However, if it's a choice between mosquitos and no rain, I'll
take mosquitos any day.
Cheers,  Brian Pearson, 50 miles NNE of Green Bay
>
>And any suggestions on doing this better the next time ?
>
>Tanis Cuff, s.WI
>
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