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A lot of seed is fairly easy to clean but I offer the following more unusual techniques for those times when cleaning becomes difficult:
Take extra care with your rare and special seed. These methods are offered as a guide only.
Wherever possible I use a safety system such as a sheet of newspaper underneath where I am working.
Blowing:
When I have sufficient seed, I take it outside the house within a high sided container, and gently blow across the box. Dust and chaff can be removed this way. I have also used this method to separate good Fritillaria seed from the non-viable stuff. Experiment with the angles and strength of blow.
Tipping:
Gently tap the container, holding at a slight angle. The dust may fall to one side or the seed will separate, or perhaps not. Smooth sided seed like some narcissus and Lewisia works well.
Repeat this several times to gradually extract the clean seed.
I use this technique on a small piece of paper with one or two folds in it. It needs a steady hand.
Tapping:
Similar to the above method where gently tapping the seed container will make the seed move to one side.
Tweezers:
Pick out the chaff, pieces of stem and grit with sharp fine pointed tweezers. I bought a pair of these from an electronics sale and they were labelled 'Surgical tweezers'.
Brushing:
Use a small soft paint brush to move the good seed to one side of a container or piece of paper. Change the size of the brush and its height for different seed.
Static:
A crafty method that works with some seed, and too well with some! Put the seed into a plastic box and rub the side of the box. At some point the dust or the seed will jump to one side. Work in a dry atmosphere, and be near to something to discharge the static (i.e. cold water tap / radiator).
Seed coats:
When the seed is large and is covered with a fleshy coat it is often best removed. Use some care as Daphne seed covering is toxic, and Sorbus reducta has a bunch of small seed inside.
Experiment to find your own best methods.
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