How to separate hollyhock beetle from hollyhock seeds?

HouseFinch · October 2023

We have been given a cup of hollyhock seeds that are crawling with hollyhock beetle.

1. It is too late in the season to plant them now (if we want flowers next year).

2. There is a bed of hollyhocks started this year that we do not want to infect with any bugs.

Someone on a video indicated you could sterilize your seeds by dipping them in diluted apple cider vinegar, rinsing them and then drying them. This might be a viable way to treat the seeds next year before planting, but I wouldn't want to soak them until they were going to be planted immediately. In the meantime, are the bugs going to eat away at the seeds until nothing remains?

Thank you for your advice!

Bilje · October 2023

I’ve no experience of growing hollyhocks but I’d suggest it’s too late in the season to sow them just because they’d be difficult to overwinter as small plants. If I had “infected” seeds I’d pop them into a box or jar and put them in the freezer for a day or two…that should kill off any beasties.

McRazz · October 2023

I collected some fig-leaf Hollyhock from Igtham Mote recently and they germinated last week within a few days of planting.

We grow Hollyhock every autumn for the following spring and never have issues, inside or out. (*edit - Caveat usual good practice when protecting young plants obviously i.e. not too exposed)

Interestingly I've noted that when germinated in 9cm pots they can often stay stunted but i never seem to have this issue when grown in 1litre units.

We get rust when the springs are damp but i've not noticed the beetle...can it survive being buried with the seed through to plant maturity?

How to separate hollyhock beetle from hollyhock seeds?

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