Seems a bit extreme. A tried-and-true method for many seeds that come from fleshy fruit is fermentation. It can also speed germination afterward. All I do is put the seeds (and a bit of the fruit and its juice) into a small glass and add water so they are covered by half an inch or so. Then I let it sit for a few days while the liquid ferments. After it gets bubbly and possibly even grows a bit of mold on the surface of the liquid, you can clean it with clear water. If the seeds still has flesh adhering, it's easy to rub it off with a bit more water. You can also substitute a bit of fruit juice for the water to speed it along if there is too little juice in the original fruit. I'm guessing the biochemical activity is similar to what happens when the fruit is eaten and passes through a bird's gut (fruit eater, not a seed eater whose gizzard would grind them up!) Sometimes I give a final bath in household strength hydrogen peroxide. This has worked for seeds that need cleaning, and for some seeds that are slow to germinate without the 'bird gut' treatment. I've also dried and stored the seed afterward, and they germinate just fine some time later. Here's a more "official" description of the technique: http://sbs.utexas.edu/philjs/pdf/… On 22 October 2017 at 18:01, David Pilling <david@davidpilling.com> wrote: > Hi, > > "Can I remove flesh from seeds with hydrochloric acid?" > > Nice answer at: > > https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/… > remove-flesh-from-seeds-with-hydrochloric-acid > > > " using hydrochloric acid to clean off the "jelly" from freshly collected > tomato seeds is a recognized laboratory protocol. " > > _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…