Acetyl Alcohol

But according to the resident vet somehow the beeves and woolies in "god's country" do not.

He's evidently been smokin sumthin!

They'll chew their way out of that in no time!

Glass or metal should hold them

Resin

What are they? Bionic parasitic wasps? Can't wait for Monday to find out!

Say, not that I want to sound whiny but what is the easiest way to extract seed from cones? I've been messing around with those resinosa cones from that lady and after about an hour, all I was able to pull out were about 10 seeds but I did manage to wreck 2 finger nails. Yup, that's it- 10 seeds. There has to be a trick of the trade rather than sitting here ripping apart pine cones piece by piece?

Hi Quilib - Pinus resinosa cones mature quite early, September or October, and most of the viable seeds will have fallen out when the cones opened back then. I'll be surprised if there's any viable seeds left in them now, the ones that get 'left behind' tend to be the duds (either empties, or damaged by seed flies). Different with P. nigra and P. sylvestris, they ripen later in the winter and only start to shed their seeds about now.

Generally for extracting seeds from pine cones, put the cones in a warm dry place to open out; if the seeds don't shake out easily, soak the cone in cold water for 10 minutes, leave it cool and damp overnight (it will close up again temporarily), and then re-dry; it will open wider then once dry. If the seeds don't come out easily this time, they're probably duds.

If the cone is from a 'fire climax' species and won't open at all (in your area, only applies to P. banksiana), put the cone in front of a 3kW electric fan heater for a minute or so until the scales crack open, then proceed as above with the cold water soak.

One other tip with pine seeds (only works for pines, and to some extent with spruces) - if the seeds are dark (generally blackish), they're fertile; if they are pale or patchy in colour, they're duds. This doesn't work with other conifers.

Resin

Pinus sylvestris (Scots Pine)

Dud seeds left, good seeds right - note the colour difference

Resin

Oh my I must have opened up a can of worms! Ricks a great guy , but equib you may have caught him off guard with this Taxodium query! My seed source came from "Swan Lake Park" in Sumter South Carolina but the "vermin " probably occurs in cypress's natural range!
Lets be patient and refrain./abstain from any class action law suit against what few "qualiy seed companies" we have!

conifer50

I left them out on the counter since I gathered them and they did in fact open up pretty well which was why I attempted to pry them off with my nails. Next time I'll soak them and re-dry them. I suspect my problem is as you say- the viable seed discharged last fall.

Yes, I noticed that some of the seeds had miniscule pin holes in them and separated those out. So, rule of thumb is dark seeds are good and light colored seeds are duds. Good to know. I think everything I have is a dud but I'll get a photo in daylight tomorrow and show you.

Oops, I was typing while conifer50 was typing. First off, my lot number on the seed from Sheffields was 030711 and it was southern seed. The tag says it was from Arkansas. I chose to purchase a southern race as this was the seed I planned on germinating for Coleen so she could pass the seedlings out to people to plant back in some of the hurricane ravaged areas of Louisiana.

I don't think any one was talking a class action suit over a bunch of maggots. Perhaps you missed what I typed earlier but I think you and I might be on the same wave length

That being said, when I called Sheffield's earlier today; I was treated professionally and with respect. The gal who represented them was responsive and polite. Anyone can get bugs, I just want to know what they are before I share them with other people to grow for Coleen.

I've purchased from Sheffield's before and have had nothing but positive experiences. This is the first time I have had a concern and I suspect it will be addressed to my satisfaction.

I always collect my Ponderosa pine cones and put them in a wheel barrow and leave them by the wood stove and in less than a week they have spit out most of the seeds. then I shake the rest of them out. Put them briefly in sink of water and the stuff floating on top is toss out and the sinkers are ready to plant in my peat pellets.

Equil,

I saw those things...no way were they rabbit poop....I admit I didn't know what they were, but rabbits never crossed my mind. They're about 2x the size of rabbit poo!

Hmmmm, maybe they could have come from a mutant rabbit-
http://www.hitjokes.com/images/huge_rabbit.jpg

Say, I would have said something to you but you never stuck any in your mouth.

Some rabbits are really big A ..... holes. I know I have been bitten by several. They also kick and it hurts!

Were those Playboy type lagamorphs?

I didn't even think of that Kevin. No the real thing. But yes the ones with a bunny tail and skin that fits tight are most dangerous! Lagomorph Hooterii

Hey Resin, I did what you said and was able to get a few more seeds out after the cones dried out again. Much easier but me and my girlfriend still had to sit there and rip off scales. I forgot to take a photo of the seeds when they were dry but there was a noticeable color difference. I tossed all the light colored seeds of the P. resinosa. Here's what I have left and 6 sunk to the bottom so far-

Looks like you've got a few that should germinate there - good luck with them!

Resin

Suggestions please? These have been outside for a while. Should I sow them in medium in a tray and forgo the cold stratification period?

cold stratification is still going on outside your house Equil. Pot em and Put em out.

Took me a while to find this thread. Rick called me back about the rabbit turds my girlfriend licked. He did an internet search and thinks they are Bald Cypress Seed Midge Larva (Taxodiomyia cupressi)/(Taxodiomyia cupressiananassa)! He's pretty professional so I knew he'd call back. He indicated they find them in their southern seed all the time and that they don't negatively impact the seed. I'm fine with what he said about the seed being fine.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=1676076
http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=2109018
http://woodypest.ifas.ufl.edu/400.htm
http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=2109073
http://www.agnr.umd.edu/ipmnet/04Jul30L.pdf#search='Taxodiomyia%20cupressiananassa'
http://www.mortonarboretumphc.org/PHC%20report%20pdfs/070105Issue%2011.pdf#search='Taxodiomyia%20cupressiananassa'

I'm not sold on T. cupressiananassa being what they are given the galls I found were formed within the actual cone as opposed to being formed on leaf tissue. Additionally, the size of the galls we all have would be about 1/4" wherein the size of T. cupressiananassa galls are said to be around 1/2" but anything is possible.

I have destroyed them. escambiaguy- are you ok with me sending some seed to you to try to germinate for liveoaklady given I separated all the "little pills" out of the mix? Whatever they were can't negatively affect either you or me.