Sunflower seeds moldy

[Chickenma]

I pulled out some seeds from a sunflower head, laid them out on a towel for a week and put them in a jar without a lid. All the seeds smell and are full of mold now. They been in the jar for two weeks. What did I do wrong?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Probably the seeds were not dry enough. I don't now how to test sunflower seeds to see if they are dry enough, maybe someone can help with that. How dry was the seed head when you took the seeds out?

Where was the open jar stored? I always put a lid on the jar to keep bugs and moisture out. Was it where moisture could condense on the inside of the jar?

 

[Just-Moxie]

Do you have a sunny dry porch? or window? I bagged the heads using paper bags, hung them upside down, twisted wire around the stem and the bag...and left them there to hang dry through the winter.

 

[flowerbug]

View attachment 33158 I pulled out some seeds from a sunflower head, laid them out on a towel for a week and put them in a jar without a lid. All the seeds smell and are full of mold now. They been in the jar for two weeks. What did I do wrong?

doesn't look like the dried long enough. leave them out longer next time. it won't hurt them to be left out as long as the animals can't get at them (on a box top or paper plate on top of the fridge). for the first week check them and stir them around a bit to make sure they are getting air on both sides. i do this with beans all the time and some may go moldy if not moved around. you don't want a thick layer of seeds out to dry at first either. one layer only as much as possible. otherwise you'll have to be more careful and check them/stir them once or twice a day.

if these are the only seeds you have it may be possible to rescue them if the mold hasn't gotten inside the seeds yet. take them out of the jar and but them in a bowl with a little soap and kinda mash them through your fingers gently to get as much of the mold off as possible, then use a 10:1 water:bleach solution to soak them for about 10 minutes. rinse and then dry on some newspaper or an old rag or something, then transfer them to complete drying on a flat or paper plate or ... then leave them to dry again for a while. you won't know if they'll sprout again until planted, but if these are all the seeds you've got it is worth a try.

let them air dry into the fall/winter and when the air is pretty dry in the middle of winter is a good time to put them in containers. however with seeds that have already been moldy i'm not sure i would trust a closed glass or plastic container. they should be ok in a paper bag through the winter as long as the animals can't get at them.

 

[ducks4you]

Yep, needs more drying out, but I wouldn't trust these seeds. Throw them out.
I saved some sunflower seeds this year. I put out the heads upsidedown on my picnic table. Then, I put the flower head in a bowl in the kitchen. THEN, I removed the seeds and put them on a (terra cotta small flower pot) dish on the windowsill to dry in the sun and wind for a good 2 weeks. THEN, I put them in a seed jar. They were dry as toast.
The Humidity in IL works against us Both!!

 

[andy213]

Mold spores hang in the air for 1 hour - 1 day, then settle to the floor. When you walk around they get kicked up again. Best advice I can give is to vacuum carpets with a HEPA vacuum and wipe down solid surfaces.
Most molds are fairly benign and aren't a problem in low concentrations unless you have a compromised immune system or have a high allergic sensitivity (hay fever / asthma). Tutuapp 9Apps Showbox

 

[catjac1975]

View attachment 33158 I pulled out some seeds from a sunflower head, laid them out on a towel for a week and put them in a jar without a lid. All the seeds smell and are full of mold now. They been in the jar for two weeks. What did I do wrong?

A brown paper bag would have been better. If they were for planting, try rinsing them in water and bleach. Just enough to smell the bleach. Lay out to dry on a cookie sheet. Likely they are no good.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

View attachment 33158 I pulled out some seeds from a sunflower head, laid them out on a towel for a week and put them in a jar without a lid. All the seeds smell and are full of mold now. They been in the jar for two weeks. What did I do wrong?

that looks unusual, It's not supposed to be that mouldy.. well moulds will eventually form, but that seems too much... maybe its the weather? that glass that you put those seeds in may be wet when you put them in there. you know, some possibilities?

 

[spiceagent111]

Could be the seed. For me, every sunflower batch was different, some grew mold some didn't. As a result, I had to change the amount of water and airflow the seedlings got on a batch by batch basis.