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Location

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Date Posted

Cologne / Germany

Since so many seeds start to travel around the world again now, can some aiport x-ray sytems and other security stuff be dangerous for them? A person told he had a bag of flower seeds in his suitcase and none of them germinated this year. He´s sure the seeds had been viable before.

12/13/2004 12:25:49 PM

Sweden

I have had the same problem earlier yera whit pumpkinseeds.
None of the seed one year germinated (different pumpkins but all from USA) My own seeds germinated okej.
I Talked to the costums here in sweden but thay denied there should be a problem. ´However i think it´s best to use aluminiumfoliar when sending seeds abroad,
Lars

12/13/2004 2:11:15 PM

[email protected]

We had 2 sales to Europeans during our auction. Fortunately we haven't sent the seeds out yet. We'll need to be creative in doing so.

Thanks!

12/13/2004 2:36:40 PM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

This isn't going to help at all so sorry in advance but would foil show up on an x-ray and make it look suspicious.

12/13/2004 2:50:08 PM

Puyallup, WA

I just returned from the Post Office where I mailed seeds to Canada. In addition to the L-O-N-G line, they changed the "declaration form" a few months ago, so I had to fill out a new form. What a pain!!

12/13/2004 2:55:22 PM

ENGLAND

This subject was talked about in the early 1990's and i had reassurance from both a person who worked in a Radiography dep't in a hospital and someone at the Royal Horticultural Society. Both said that, for the relatively short time that any Seeds would be exposed to any radiation given off by Airport/Customs scanning machines, no harm should come to the Seeds or affect the viability of them.

12/13/2004 2:58:44 PM

Montoursville, PA

If you know a Radiologist you may run the experiment yourself. I did and found no reason for concern however there may be more than one exposure type and level in security work.

We live in a small airport city. Anyone wishing to test seed need only ask. Someone will run them through in the interest of discovery....as they travel or as they work at the airport. Taking a few seeds for a ride would be no problem. If you felt guilty or anything like that you could put them in a pumpkin seed snack bag....then who could tell the difference anyway?

Another possibility is quick deep freezing at high altitude in the hold of any plane flying at 40,000 ft.

12/13/2004 4:09:30 PM

Cologne / Germany

Doc, could the luggage room of a plane be exposed to deep freeze during flight? I didn´t think of it. Just pressure / vacuum effects in there come to my mind.

Otherwise some airports might have installed new and better scanners since 911 and we don´t know about them.

12/13/2004 5:30:26 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Hey Stan, is it ok to declare pumpkin seeds going to Canada?
I was worried last shipment and fibbed a little...tsk tsk tsk on me...LOL Please let us know, thnaks,
Duff

12/13/2004 7:28:36 PM

Roselle, IL [email protected]

Years ago when I did industrial radiograpy,I x-rayed my own seeds. I never had a problem with them germinating. These x-rays are much more powerful then post office or airport machines.

12/13/2004 8:04:32 PM

Montoursville, PA

Thanks George..........I knew that but because of who helped me and where I could not be more specific.

12/13/2004 9:14:55 PM

Puyallup, WA

Duff....All I know is that the Post Office took them. I specified "Cucurba Maxima" or something like that on the declaration label.

12/14/2004 12:55:52 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Deep freeze shouldn't hurt the seeds at all since they freeze in nature and still sprout the following year...jut my two cents...

and...
most of my seeds are sent to me from the states and last year I had 24/24 100% germination so obviously it hasn't been a problem with radiation. Now I never grew a huge one yet from any good seed so it may have an effect on pumpkin size...who knows?...I just think I'm not a great gardener yet.

12/14/2004 3:00:58 AM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

No problems here either in germinating seeds from the US.I've grown 3 white seeds that came in 3 different packages.

12/14/2004 3:16:27 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

I work in Physical Therapy at a large hospital. I had a friend of mine in Radiology nuke some seed in the package for me. Standard power and wavelength/waveform as they would do for a simple neck or back X-ray if you came in the ER from a car wreck.
They sprouted when I put them in potting soil at home...by the windowsill, no prep, no soak, just put into the soil.

12/14/2004 6:30:23 AM

Itzetown City

I guess problem with sprouting are less but there could be higher problems with getting mutants ( in plants, fruits and follow genes) after a dose of xrays. Any experts?

12/14/2004 6:39:04 AM

Wichita, KS

Stan, Duff,

I recently sent seeds to Canada, told the mail clerk what the package contained, and he immediately told me it wasn't worth filling out the customs form.

me: "Do I need to fill out one of these green slips? I am sending 3 pumpkin seeds."

him: (slight pause, sideways glance) "nah, don't bother. There's no need."

12/14/2004 1:25:52 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

Stan,
Good thing you can grow better than you can spell! LMAO
No offense buddy, just enjoying this thread.
Guess you won't be swapping with me again this year huh?
My wife always calls you Gilligen after seeing you so many times in the Holland video with the white hat you had on. We both love you lots!...and hope to visit your patch in a few years by the way once we are back in the states.
Michel

12/14/2004 1:45:49 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Mr. Sprout, Thanks for the input. Sent another seed shipment north of the border today and the mail clerk didn't even affix one of those green labels? Not much consistency on the part of the mail handlers? Just hope the package arrives intact!

12/14/2004 8:38:55 PM

Abbotsford, B.C

That was the bubble you sent back to me, right? You put on the Customs tag that you had a card in there, and because you did have a piece of paper in there it felt like there was a card in there. I wondered why you did that, and now I know. I don't think that anyone would open a package that said pumpkin seeds, the post office people probably just think that whoever is sending the seeds is nuts. LOL Also you can usually feel the seeds through the bubble packet, if the post office was so inclined to check.

Cameron

12/16/2004 12:03:37 AM

Abbotsford, B.C

Oh, by the way, Duff, your seed arrived safe and sound, thanks very much! I really appreciate that, it's safely stored in my seed binder now, until next spring. I can hardly wait! Planting that seed that just might be the one, the one to grow the world's largest pumpkin!

Cameron

12/16/2004 12:05:52 AM