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Joliet, IL

tonight i just got done filing my seeds for there
soaking. when i opened up the 842 eaton package for the first time tonight and i began filing the seed, i
realized it sounded hollow. i lightly dropped it several
times on my table top and it sounded hollow each time.
has anyone else ever had an 842 that sounded this way?
has anyone else ever had a hollow sounding seed of any
cross germinate successfully? i paid 300 bucks for it
this winter in an auction and am worried a little bit.
should i be concerned? the money is not the issue really,
it's more of the disappointment of banking on this plant
as my top dog, and hearing it sound as hollow as a drum.
any thoughts? i know all i can do is wait and see what
happens, but anyone else's 842 seed sound this way?
thanks,
shazzy

4/27/2005 7:28:16 PM

canal winchester ohio

If you dropped it on a table & it sounded hollow, chances are it is. I had (2) 842's that I gave away to friends over the winter & I dropped tested each before I sent them & they were full seeds. You can always "carefully" chip away some of the seed shell to see if it's hollow. But be very careful doing it.
I hope it works out for you, If I had a 3rd 842 it would be yours Hoss.
Wish you luck..........Paul

4/27/2005 7:59:41 PM

Webster, NY

It's interesting, I hadn't had a hollow seed until this year. I had 4 and was going to use 2 as backups. When I picked them up, I could feel a weight difference from "normal" seeds. Seeds don't weigh that much anyway and I was suprised that I could tell by the weight. to make sure I opened up the two light ones and sure enough, they were hollow.

I'm sure other more experienced growers know this and can tell easily, but I thought it was neat.

Dave

4/27/2005 10:16:34 PM

Joliet, IL

thanks paul and dave for the responses. if it doesn't germinate in 10 days then i will open it up and reveal
the contents. it has the original 842 written on the seed
still and i will take a picture of its empty shell and post
it here on bp.com if its completely hollow. if it is a
dud and empty, i will contact the club i purchased it from
and let them know to at least do a drop test on the
seeds they sell to avoid angry buyers. i can't demand
my money back because it is "buy at your own risk",
but i will accept my money back if they offer it
to me since it was obviously not drop tested prior to
being put up for auction and sent out.

oh well, live and learn. maybe that is what i get for
paying 300 bucks for one seed. i know for one thing,
its probably the last seed i ever purchase from a
seed auction again.

shazzy

4/27/2005 11:49:09 PM

White Bear Lake, Minnesota

Shazzy
In the interest of clubs raising funds by having seed auctions, I hope your dissapointment of a hollow seed is resolved. Especially for a $300.00 seed. Bummer!!

James

4/28/2005 12:52:57 AM

San Diego

if it does turn out to be a hollow dud, it would be only right for the club to refund you. Any "questionable" seeds (hollow sounding, moldy, deformed, etc) shouldn't even be sold at any auctions when such prices are being paid. Hopefully everything works out for you! Jimmy

4/28/2005 1:22:16 AM

C N Y

find a laser pointer somewhere and shine it through the seed under a desk...it is possible for a seed to be only half-full and still seem like a really empty one. hold the seed
with the tip to the left, shine the laser through it while dragging the tip of the pointer across the seed surface from tip to rounded end. unless the seed material is really thin, you wil be able to tell how full the seed is, or is not. just pray that it is at least half-full.
***do not look at the laser beam directly, of course!**
you can shine it "through" the seed and look at it from an angle----i'll bet you could go to Radio Shack and use one of theirs. maybe without having to buy one! well, 300 bucks for a seed warrants any and all tests! good luck! eric

4/28/2005 1:53:59 AM

Cologne / Germany

Now that they have these mobile x-ray systems for luggage control all over the country, it shouldn´t be a problem that guys offering seeds for $$$ check their lots first.

4/28/2005 4:53:41 AM

Ohio

Shazz, My 842 Eaton hasnt sprouted yet ether, its been 5 days,all my other 10 seeds germinated no problem,Im still hoping and praying,dont feel so bad shazz, im with ya on this one,I payed more then you did for mine,LOL.(Not laughing at ya shazz)

Brooks

4/28/2005 5:07:40 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

A flashlight will usually work well to see thru the seed as well...to see if there's much endosperm inside.
If it sounds hollow, it probably is.
I'd contact the club.
Sorry for you there buddy, that's a major bummer, especially for $300.

4/28/2005 6:43:01 AM

Commack, NY

If it doesnt pop i would definately contact the club. One would hope that if a "club" exists, than they would be knowledgible in all facets of giant pumpkin growing. its easy to tell a hollow seed from a full one, and anyone running an auction should know that. Mistakes happen, but when your dealing with $300, someone should have checked, and double checked. I think most on the site would be behind you on this one.

Scott

4/28/2005 8:37:25 AM

Illinois

Shazzy, man tha's a bummer. I too was biddind on a few seeds this year. I know that the clubs can't be responsible for seeds that don't germinate because of neglect on our part. But when a seed is hollow that's a different matter. A hollow seed is easy to spot. $300 is a lot of money for average people. The club that sold you this seed should reimburse you. If they don't then there will be a lot of people that won't bid next year. I wouldn't be able to justify the $$$ myself. Not for the risk.

4/28/2005 9:10:58 AM

Knopp, Germany

This certainly a bummer, I think all agree on that.

I do have one suggestion though. Before we start to bash any clubs or auctions in particular, let's give them a chance to make things right.

4/28/2005 9:17:04 AM

ipswich, ma usa

What club was it?

John (5150)

4/28/2005 11:17:32 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Sometimes seeds are "full", sometimes they are hollow, and
sometimes they are "half-full". As I started doing drop
tests on my own seeds late this winter, I noticed that I
could separate them into three categories based on this.
Then by opening them up, I verified my results.

This isn't to say that all seed stocks are this way. Some
pumpkins will have nearly all of their seeds full. But on
the seeds I was looking at, this is what I found.

So for those that are "half-full", how do they germinate?
I don't know. But I wonder if they tend to come around
slowly, or if they tend to "blow out the side" instead of
forming a normal radicle... I don't know.

It's amazing how effective the drop test is. Any seeds that
are offered for money (and even those that are not) should
be fully drop tested and drop tested again. If this seed
is hollow you should ask for (and get) your money back.

http://idahopumpkin.tripod.com

4/28/2005 11:36:24 AM

Utah ([email protected])

I think the 'buy at own risk' and we 'do not gaurentee germination' should only be related to errors in germination practices... not relating to a hallow seed.

You should ask (or demand if that is what it takes) for your money back and get it.

I don't think a club should be responsible for opening every package and inspecting every seed prior to an auction, but they should certainly refund or replace a hallow one.

4/28/2005 1:54:49 PM

Somers, CT

If we perform some slight modifications on PGRI's pumpkin launcher (add some pneumatics) we could possibly reach them with some culls from their weigh-off site. Seriously, I am sure the organization will make good on your situation. Best of luck.

4/28/2005 2:49:38 PM

Ohio

I just got home from work and Im seeing the 842 Eaton seed starting to push up the soil ,Boy am I a happy camper!

I hope yours comes up shazz,and if i remember right my 842 wasnt that heavy ether,It was a light seed,could be because of the size also.

Brooks

4/28/2005 3:08:36 PM

Joliet, IL

thanks all for the replies. i am not going to contact the
club until i first give it a chance to germinate. but
even after 4 hours of soaking last night i drop tested it
again before going into my seed starter mix. same result.
it sounded plain and simple hallow. i know the sound because
i sent out over 400 of my own seeds last winter and drop
tested everyone. about 98% of the time the ones that
sounded hollow were hollow. there was those 2% that
even though sounding hallow, they had skinny half developed
embryos or whatever you call them. so at that point i
made sure that every seed got drop tested, and even the
questionable seeds got put off to the side and discarded.
maybe i will get lucky and that 2% with a half developed
embryo will germinate fine and become a healthy sprout.
i have strong doubts, but i will wait at least 10 days
before cracking it open to see what is inside if it doesn't
sprout. at that point i will talk to the club president
privately and see if they are willing to come up with
another 842 for me to grow next year, my money back,
or some other crosses that are equal to value to 300 bucks.

i am not trying to make a big stink, its just that when
you look forward to growing a seed with world
record potential all winter and spring long to hear
it sound as hollow as a drum, i just felt sick last night
and put up the post.

4/28/2005 3:56:15 PM

Joliet, IL

we here in Illinois are in the birth stages of our
own growers association, which i am closely involved
with getting up and running. i understand the effort
that goes into just forming a club. i will not bash anyone
because of a simple mistake made and ruin all the hard work
and good things a club can accomplish. that is not fair
to those who work their butts off with little reward
to show for their efforts besides the self-satisfaction
you get from seeing something form and grow from just
ideas and diligence. we too will most likely be selling
donated seeds to raise money for the club next winter.
this isolated circumstance should not reflect on all
seed auctions in general. i will purchase another seed
next winter if that is the only way i can get a hold
of a rare one with potential.

so all i can say is thanks for the responses and
sympathetic statements from everyone. and to anyone involved
in a growers club, PLEASE tell whoever runs the auction
to check and double check every seed sold. even a $30
seed is a lot of money to some folks, so no matter the
price, check and re-check seeds. open up the packages,
have 3 people sit and examine them together if needed,
and then re-seal them up and ship them out. sometimes
in our haste somethings get over looked. the quality
of seeds for the auctions is one thing that should be top
priority for any club raising money from seed auctions.

thanks,
shazzy

4/28/2005 3:57:09 PM

Illinois

There have been a lot of posts that are supportive of you receiving your money back Shazzy. But the post that is noticably absent is the club that sold you the seed.I know I'm a new grower and maybe I should stay out of this but paying $300 for a hollow seed is the equivalent to buying snake oil. They need to do the "right thing".

4/29/2005 8:18:29 AM

Montoursville, PA

Most growers are gentlemen. I would telephone the grower of that seed. He gave it, in good faith, to help the selling club. Chances are very good your discussion man to man will get the right response.

4/29/2005 10:25:32 AM

Ohio

No doubt in my mind that the club that sold shazzy the seed will take care of him in this situation.

4/29/2005 11:12:11 AM

Ohio

Brad, Im willing to bet someone from the club has emailed him already,no club I know of would take advantage of this RARE situation,the club might not want to post in here and take care of it in a private email.

4/29/2005 11:16:57 AM

Illinois

I hope so Brooks.

4/29/2005 11:55:48 AM

Joliet, IL

its all taken care of. thanks again for the responses.
i freaked out a bit that night and just wanted to know if
anyone elses' 842 was similar sounding and still sprouted.
after the first two posts said "if it sounds hollow,
chances are it is hollow," i sort of lost it a bit and made
the stupid follow up post saying "it will probably be the
last time i purchase a seed again from an auction." that was
me and my temper over reacting when the disappointment was
still fresh. i should know better, but i am an idiot when i get pissed off about something. i think its in my
genetic makeup and it runs in my family. we are like the
Polish version of the Costanzas from Seinfeld. lol.

i didn't mention any names or clubs in the post, which i am
thankful for having at least some control over my insanity.

like doc said, handle it like a gentlemen and all will be resolved. privately speaking person to person is the way to go about handling problems. i have opened up my big mouth
before on this site and have been embarrassed by my own
posts when i read them the next day. today i felt like
a fool all day thinking about it. i am sorry about
posting in the heat of the moment.

learn from me and my stupidity, and lets keep all diffrences
or problems off bp.com until speaking person to person
to get a resolution.

thanks again for putting up with me,
shazzy

4/29/2005 1:51:06 PM

Shazzy; I'm not going through this whole post, the purpose of these auctions are to collect fund's for the associations, the growers (or receiver of seed) from growers give this seed to assist association, they auction off this seed, you buy it, therefore live with it, this crying after buying is really pissing me off, you bought it, outbid someone else, so live with it, I personally can't afford to bid so have very little pity for you. Try some more seed, If your stuck, I'll send you some Bill

4/29/2005 9:05:32 PM

Ohio

Bill, quit being lazy and read the entire Post, you just made a a$$ out of yourself.

Love,
Brooks

4/29/2005 10:44:42 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Wow..guess it pays to read before replying.

4/29/2005 10:49:41 PM

Azores,terceira Island

WOW!!! I hope he(poppy)is not a club rep that would be BAD business.

4/30/2005 3:24:37 AM

Northeast

We know where both 842s came from, neither were hollow. I hope where not confusing seeds here. We try and follow the absolute highest standards we can with a seed auction and everything the club stands for. David Garrell Vice President, Ct Giant Squash and Pumpkin Growers Association

5/1/2005 3:46:58 PM

[email protected]

It germinated! Wooo Hooo!

5/1/2005 6:48:10 PM