TSP/Oxi-clean ???

[Thomas]

I just got done reading a thread in the potato forum and read something very interesting by Tom Wagner. He makes a very good point about the whole Oxi-clean/TSP debate.

I myself use the Oxi-clean method and all seeds started from this turned out great.

The point Tom was making is that there is Oxyclean, Oxi-clean, and they have different chemicals.

My question is what do the rest of you use?

[feldon30]

I use the Oxiclean powder out of a tub.

[Suze]

Originally Posted by Thomas

I myself use the Oxi-clean method and all seeds started from this turned out great.

Same here, I've found it to be a very effective and dependable method of processing seeds.

I use Oxiclean, the stuff commonly found in the grocery store. My tendency is to misspell as Oxyclean, though -- and good that Tom pointed out these are two different products.

[Thomas]

I have first hand knowledge that Suze knows what she is doing with her seeds...I grew an award winning tomato last year from a Suze seed

[TomatoDon]

I hate to sound like the village idiot here at Tomatoville, but what the heck is this deal with Oxi-Clean and tomato seeds?

Don

[kygreg]

Hey, TomatoDon, you can't have my job!

[bryanccfshr]

It is a method of preparing seeds without fermenting. It is a fast way to process alot of seeds. Search "Oxiclean" or "Oxyclean" in seed saving. I think it's been described. For most of us small scale seed savers, fermenting is adequate.

[feldon30]

Fermenting takes several days and must be monitored fairly closely, including adding water if the fermenting seeds start to dry out. It also has a distinctive smell. Finding a clear, well-protected space which can be used to ferment 15, 20, or 30 varieties of tomato seeds for 3-7 days can be difficult.

Treating seeds with Oxiclean takes 20-30 minutes (adding 1 tbsp of Oxiclean powder dissolved in 1 cup of water to the extracted tomato pulp/seeds), rinse, dump onto a paper plate (by whacking your strainer against the edge of the sink with the paper plate underneath) and you're done.

It's especially useful if you are going on vacation or will otherwise be indisposed for a few days but need to treat some seeds.

I have not done any research or study on the effectiveness for removing seedborne diseases or seed longevity. Further treatment with bleach before saving, or hydrogen peroxide shortly before sowing may be necessary.

I know that germination results so far have been excellent.

[TomatoDon]

Interesting. V-e-r-y interesting.

D

[amideutch]

I ferment my seeds and then use TSP. Fermenting gets rid of most of the residue and then put the seeds in a sieve and gently rub in a solution of TSP and water for 30 seconds and rinse.Then I put a paper towel underneath the sieve to soak up the excess water and spread the seed on a paper plate and let dry. It's not rocket science and pretty straight forward. I've heard of people even using scouring powder, ie ajax-comet, but I would never reccomend it. Ami

[Raymondo]

What concentration is sodium percarbonate in the Oxiclean you guys use, in %age w/w? We don't have Oxiclean here, at least not in the supermarkets where I live, so I bought a similar product where the sodium percarbonate is 30% w/w. I just need to know whether to adjust the 1tbsp/cup dilution. Thanks.

[Tom Wagner]

Potato berries and TPS (true potato seed)

In the post above, I explained the merits of TSP and Oxi Clean. I thought I made a concise case for the use of TSP over Oxi Clean, especially with the hot water treatment and the chlorine rinse as a follow up.

One of these days, I am afraid that the hobby seed savers will be slapped with legal restraints, as the spread of disease worldwide is ever traced back to the individual. Since Oxi Clean and related products are not the standards within the larger seed industries, this glaring lack of use constitutes my reservations regarding the TSP/Sodium Percarbonate argument.

No chemical treatment and certainly not fermenting seeds by itself will be a fool proof method of preventing all disease concerns. I am not of the persuasion to insist or even suggest that folks use TSP over Oxi Clean. I am convinced, however, that quarantine measures will someday hinder our seed exchanges.

I know that a growing number of tomato market producers are monitoring their seed purchases and are increasingly aware of viroids and are pinpointing the sources of infection.

Tom Wagner

[kktwahoo]

Tom,

Where exactly are the pathogens carried? Viruses in animals (& humans) are intracellular organisms. I am just trying to learn more about plant diseases.

Thanks,

[Raymondo]

Yes Tom, you made a good case for TSP. I can't get it here. The product sold here as a pre-painting surface cleaner/preparer is Sugar Soap whose main ingredient is sodium tri-polyphosphate, not the tri-sodium phosphate you guys have access to. Both are strongly alkaline so perhaps sugar soap would work as well as TSP but I'll never know since I'm unable to test for pathogens.
I can't get Oxiclean either but I can get products whose main ingredient is sodium percarbonate. In terms of quick cleaning, sodium percarbonate does the trick quite nicely and until TSP becomes freely available here i think it's the best I can do..

[feldon30]

TSP is banned in some places because of surface runoff concerns.

I actually have a box of TSP, so I guess I will try that next time, although I will have to do some guesswork on timing.