In article ,
Tom Elliott wrote:

I have noticed that when buying corn seeds, they are covered in red
stuff. A friend of mine said that this was a growth hormone, while I
thought it might be an anti fungal treatment.

You are correct. Your friend came down in the last shower. You will see it
on bean seeds as well -- the one I see most often is called Thiram and there
is usually a note on the packet to tell you to keep the seeds out of reach of
children.

Since I plan to grow corn from seeds which I will be harvesting this
year, can anyone tell me what the red stuff is, and whether it is
necessary for seeds that will be stored for less than a year.

It's never *necessary*, but improves the successful germination rate. Corn is
pretty reliable anyway, so don't worry about it. When the kernels are
completely dry, take them off the ear and put them in a screw-top jar. Store
in a coll dry place.

My Dad used to store peas and beans for sowing with lime in the jar to protect
against moisture. I don't remember him doing it with corn.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

The most consistent empirical proof from history is the doctrine of human
depravity. -- Chuck Colson