I wouldn't bother.

Why would you want to wash it off if it was even possible to do? It sure doesn't hurt anything and improves the odds of germination without fungus problems.

If you have them all soaking in water then you will have to plant them ASAP. There is no saving them once soaked.

Dave

I agree. Also there are several sources of untreated Cheddar Cauliflower seed that are much more reliable than Reimer seeds. Johnny's Selected seeds and Parks Seed to name a couple. My only time ordering from Reimer was not a good experience. Very poor germination on some H19 Little Leaf cucumbers and what was supposed to be Corno di Torro peppers turned out to be a yellow bell of some sort. Reimer seeds receives a lot of poor reviews on Garden Watchdog.

Since treated seeds are not OMRI approved JB may be making an attempted effort to be in compliance but if this is the aim he should check with his regional director to determine if this is permitted. I would not believe it is.

I purchased from Reimer seeds because they were the only ones who carried the combination of seeds I was looking for (Cheddar Caul, Snow Puff Popcorn, Pink Tie Dye Tomato, Ishikura bunching onions, etc...). I didn't check Garden Watch, but I did look at many other seed websites trying to put together this order. I would have preferred Victory Seeds, Fedco Seeds, Seed Savers, but it's a tough combination to find at one spot. And also, although I think their shipping is on the high side, the seed prices are reasonable, especially the Cheddar Cauliflower ($3.50, other sites $5-7).

If it turns out the germination rates are low than of course I'll regret it. I see 3 or 4 germination complaints in the past year on Garden Watch, but some are for mixed results.

Getting back to the original question...since water hasn't done anything, I may try 70% alcohol. Could the alcohol be bad for the seeds? And why would soaking the seeds in water require me to plant them immediately. If they don't start germinating right away why wouldn't I be able to store some of them?

Still no idea why you wish to do so but as I tried to indicate above, removing the color isn't possible to do. It includes a food grade, FDA approved food dye that fully stains the seed coating. And as Barrie said it would not be OMRI approved (if that is your goal) even if it were possible.

Seeds that have already had any protective gel coat removed once dampened, much less soaked, will begin to germinate (assuming they are viable to begin with) whether you see evidence of it or not. The embryo then dies if not planted. Plus the seed coat will begin to mold and eventually rot.

Alcohol is a corrosive acid and would only soften the shell even more.

Dave

Still no clue what the OP is actually trying do achieve. Maybe it's a dislike of the color blue? You could dye them red. That'll fix it.

I guess I haven't explained it well enough...no, I don't dislike the color blue. I do dislike the fungicide(Thiram?) that is used to pre-treat seeds. I dislike the fact that it could kill the mycorrhizae in the soil or that I might be coating the seeds with. And I especially dislike the general idea of applying it on seeds on the vague possibility that they might not germinate. Are cauliflower seeds more susceptible to rot than other types?

Do all seeds have a protective gel coat? I've seen that on papaya seeds, but wasn't aware that common vegetable seeds were coated that way.

ALL seeds are susceptible to rot prior to germination. Rot is not "a vague possibility". The percentage of germination one gets from any seed depends on the germination conditions provided.

And Spring crops like the cole family of crops, are especially susceptible due to the inconsistency of spring weather and it's effects on soil that is normally colder and wetter. (And that raises the question of if you should even be planting cauliflower this late in your zone?) Fungicide pre-treating for those crops works to improve the odds of germination under those conditions.

But fungicide coating also serves another purpose that is probably even more important. That is preventing the transfer of a fungus disease from the seed-source garden to the seed buyer's garden. Not that the garden where these seeds were produced had one but they are treated against the possibility. It is a responsible action on the part of the vendor and the buyer has the option of buying coated seeds or not buying coated seeds. If one chooses to buy them then they have no other option but to use them as is.

And yes, all seeds have some degree of protective coating.

"I dislike the fact that it could kill the mycorrhizae in the soil or that I might be coating the seeds with. "

Sorry but you are obsessing over something that simply is not a valid concern. Your options are to either plants those seeds as is and hope all the soaking hasn't damaged them beyond germination or buy some un-coated seeds from another supplier.

Dave

It IS NOT to promote germination but to make money for the companies involved. It's a fungicide which on a larger scale causes nasty problems in farm workers. Digdirt doyou homework! Trouble with soaking the seeds is that the water, then tossed out, gets into the water supply. Fish are particularly affected by thiram.