Vacuuming to clean hairy wind seed

This method was modified from Fung and Hamel (1993).

You can clean the poplars, willows, and fireweed seeds using these methods. These plants have long hairs attached to their seed.

Set collections out to dry until the capsules have burst open to release seed.

You will need: Shop vacuum, mesh cloth to wrap filter, sieve set (mesh sizes: 20, 40, 60, 140, bottom pan), 5 gallon bucket with lid, paper leaf bags (to dry collections)

Vacuum method

1. Dry capsules that have burst are ready for cleaning.

2. Wrap a mesh around a shop-vacuum filter and suck the capsules up. This will 'tame' some of the wild air-borne fluff.

3. On the lid of a 5 gallon pail, cut an opening to tightly fit one of your sieves. Fill the bucket about 1/3 of the way with capsules from the shop-vacuum.

4. Place the 140-mesh sieve in the opening and blow air into the bucket for about 20 seconds, tussling the capsules and fluff around.

Some seed should be at the bottom of the bucket and the fluff separated from the capsules. If capsules are still partially closed, allow them to dry and open further.

Collecting seed from

wild plants in northeastern Ontario

Vacuum method

1. Dry capsules that have burst are ready for cleaning.

2. Wrap a mesh around a shop-vacuum filter and suck the capsules up. This will 'tame' some of the wild air-borne fluff.

3. On the lid of a 5 gallon pail, cut an opening to tightly fit one of your sieves. Fill the bucket about 1/3 of the way with capsules from the shop-vacuum.

4. Place the 140-mesh sieve in the opening and blow air into the bucket for about 20 seconds, tussling the capsules and fluff around.

Some seed should be at the bottom of the bucket and the fluff separated from the capsules. If capsules are still partially closed, allow them to dry and open further.

5. Place fluff into a stacked sieve set. Sieves stacked in the order: #140, 20 (fluff in here), 40, 60, bottom pan.

Blow air in through the top sieve, again to tussle the material (about 15 seconds).

Check fluff, if the majority of seed remains, repeat.

Some seed may inevitably remain attached to hairs.

6. Cleaned seed will be trapped in sieve #40, 60 or the bottom pan depending on which species you are cleaning.

7. Hairs can be discarded or saved and used as a cotton.

Vacuum method

1. Dry capsules that have burst are ready for cleaning.

2. Wrap a mesh around a shop-vacuum filter and suck the capsules up. This will 'tame' some of the wild air-borne fluff.

3. On the lid of a 5 gallon pail, cut an opening to tightly fit one of your sieves. Fill the bucket about 1/3 of the way with capsules from the shop-vacuum.

4. Place the 140-mesh sieve in the opening and blow air into the bucket for about 20 seconds, tussling the capsules and fluff around.

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Some seed should be at the bottom of the bucket and the fluff separated from the capsules. If capsules are still partially closed, allow them to dry and open further.

5. Place fluff into a stacked sieve set. Sieves stacked in the order: #140, 20 (fluff in here), 40, 60, bottom pan.

Blow air in through the top sieve, again to tussle the material (about 15 seconds).

Check fluff, if the majority of seed remains, repeat.

Some seed may inevitably remain attached to hairs.

6. Cleaned seed will be trapped in sieve #40, 60 or the bottom pan depending on which species you are cleaning.

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7. Hairs can be discarded or saved and used as a cotton.