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Follansbee, Wv

I harvested the seeds from the 1095 yesterday. As I was cleaning and sorting them, I found 143 seeds so badly split that the embryo was nearly falling out. Many have embryos extending well beyond the seed coat. I was just wondering if this is a normal occurrence. I still ended up with 578 good looking seeds.

10/10/2005 5:57:09 PM

Sioux Falls, SD [email protected]

Some may have been in there too long
This is common especially if pumpkins been warm

10/10/2005 10:03:42 PM

the seed coat can split on the side, this happens, I have some seeds like that this year too, and I've been told that they are fine. If they had started germinating, you would see the radicle poking out of the seed tip.

10/10/2005 11:00:25 PM

[email protected]

In theory split seeds will germinate faster but won't keep as long in storage. By that I mean that whatever let's water IN easier will also let it OUT.

10/10/2005 11:56:00 PM

Follansbee, Wv

I posted some pics in my diary. They have not germinated. It looks more like the seed coat hardned before the embryo was done growing. The pics don't really do them justice, but you can clearly see the embryos sticking out of the shells.

10/11/2005 7:30:07 AM

Sioux Falls, SD [email protected]

Was it fermenting at all?
My seeds looked like that once when it fermented inside
I only got about 25% germination out of the good ones of that batch.

10/11/2005 9:44:11 AM

Monty I fully expect you to be test germinating those seeds once they are dry, along with a few unsplit seeds as a control! I could do the same with my split ones and we could collaborate our results. We'll need something to do during the winter anyway.

10/11/2005 9:55:59 AM

Follansbee, Wv

The pumpkin was solid, no fermentation at all.

Brig, I'll try to clean up the split seeds and do some testing. Of course I'll definately be testing the solid seeds before they go out. I can't imagine the badly split seeds will keep for very long, but I'll see what I can do.

10/11/2005 12:29:02 PM

Sioux Falls, SD [email protected]

Noticed in your diary she stopped growing a few days
Then you somehow got her going again.
Maybe you're right when you say seed coat began to harden
Then you "goosed 'er" back into growing a bit
And forced it to take on water?
Do (did) those seeds seem a little too wet inside?
Just guessin in the wind now . . .

10/11/2005 12:45:34 PM

Follansbee, Wv

The seed embryos did not seem excessivly wet. You may have a point about forcing water into it though. The reason the fruit stopped growing was discovered when I pulled the plant. I discovered that the main roots of the stump were rotted away. Most of the vine roots were still OK. On a few occassions I dumped several hundred gallons of water onto the patch to try to get some kind of growth. Perhaps it was this act that caused the seed embryos to grow again after the coats were partially hardened.

Judging by the replies here, I assume this is not a normal occurence, but has been seen before.

10/11/2005 2:37:51 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

It's not "uncommon"....has happened to me with more than a couple of fruit.

10/11/2005 6:54:46 PM

Sioux Falls, SD [email protected]

. . .hope the rest of 'em are good,
at least she made plenty!

10/11/2005 7:55:41 PM

Berlin,mi.([email protected])

monty: i opened two pumpkins on my 1125 frantz plant last night and found seeds that look exactly like the ones in your diary. i will dry them and let you know the results on germination rates. they were very sound pumpkins with no rot or excessive moisture in them.

10/13/2005 6:20:58 AM