Cottonwood Plant Seeds ?

Hi everyone,
While my dad was in Mississippi visiting my niece, he brought me part of a cottonwood plant back, it is loaded with seeds, My question is. How do I clean them?

Thanks in advance,

Connie

Cottonwood is a tree...are we talking about a Cottonwood tree? (they get quite large...over 60 ft)

Milkweed has seedpods with a cottony fluff in them and they ripen in the fall...is it possibly Milkweed?

Cottonwood trees shed their seeds in mid-spring. Here are links for Cottonwood tree, Milkweed, Cotton, and another plant of the Malvaceae family that is known as Cotton tree. Do any of those look like what you have? Or, is it actually a cotton plant?(also Malvaceae)

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/58125/index.html
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/40130/index.html
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54243/index.html
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54454/index.html

No I don't know what I was thinking when I said cottonwood, it is a cotton plant that they actually harvest cotton from :o) I have plent of those stupid cottonwood trees growing in my back yard and wish they weren't.

This is the plant I am talking about http://www.fairtradezone.jhc-cdca.org/graphics/cotton%20plant.jpg

I have alot of seeds from this and don't know how to clean them...

Connie

You can sort of comb them out and pull them away from the cotton part. There's special machines that clean the seeds out commercially at the cotton gins where the cotton is processed, but I think you can just work them out from the center of the boll. (that's what they call a piece of mature cotton) They may not be perfectly clean, but that shouldn't hamper germination.

I see you are in MI....you'll need to start them early inside to get cotton, but it's quite possible. Have fun!

Thanks Melody, I have already pulled the seeds from cotton. Just didn't know how to clean them to get the rest of the cotton off of them. So it won't hurt just to leave them the way they are then? I found a site that explained how to start them, just no info on cleaning the seeds them selves... Now I know :o) Thanks so much...

Connie

I don't 'think' so....cotton that reseeds in it's natural state isn't cleaned, so I wouldn't get too concerned about a little fluff here and there. Good luck.

Thanks Melody, you made my day :o)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving,

Connie

When I first started reading this thread I thought "why in the world would anyone want to save seeds from those messy cottonwood trees!"
Glad you clarified that!
I guess there are cotton-less cottonwood trees now. Too bad they didn't think of that a long time ago. I know a few people who's allergies just go crazy when the cottonwoods are producing.

baolvera I have allergies from the ones that are on the boarder of our property and the neighbors, He was suppose to cut them down this past October, but just didn't have the time..

The cotton Plants that Melody and I were discussing isn't a tree, It is the actual plants that they grow our cotton on that they make clothes from... and heaven only knows what else they use it for...

Connie

My next door neighbor has a huge cottonwood tree. They're messy trees and lightning magnets. I was going to tell Connie that the best way would be to take a mtach to it! LOL

Oh How I have wanted to do this rofl. Another way if you can find Copper Nails and pound them in around the base of the tree, it is suppose to kill them.

Alas, I haven't tried that methods, but some have said it works...

DH don't go near the Cottonwood Trees because they get covered in Poison Ivy and he and both my kids are high allergic to it...

Connie

Connie, now you know why they invented the cotton 'gin! lol
Mike

Lol Claypa, Have a Happy Thanksgiving,

Connie

Thanks, you too!