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I purchased some Dichondra seeds online to plant in my large reptile's enclosure. There was no mention of the seeds being treated - but when I received them I noticed that the seeds were coated and listed as pre-inoculated.

I'm not generally one to be overly paranoid about pesticides & fungicides but reptiles tend to be pretty sensitive to such things so I absolutely can't risk planting treated seeds. Is there any way to tell if the seeds in question are fungicide/pesticide treated? The seller didn't know, and while I'd assume there are some labeling laws for treated seeds I can't find any information on what those are. Does anyone have any idea as to what the seed coating is and whether or not it poses a risk to my lizard?

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    In the context of seeds, inoculation usually means coating them with beneficial bacteria or fungi to help the seeds grow. I can't help with the identification part of the question, though.
    – Niall C. ♦
    Commented Nov 3, 2013 at 4:28

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In Canada, seeds that have a poisonous coating (pesticide, fungicide etc) are always bright pink. A quick search appears to imply that this is also true in the US.

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This picture from Ray Weil demonstrates a typical difference between treated and untreated. The source of the seed is not mentioned but the picture was taken in Mexico.

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  • Thanks - I really appreciate it. I decided to move away from the dichondra because of some potential skin irritation issues - but this puts my mind at ease quite a bit. I thought there were some rules regarding this but wasn't sure. Thanks!
    – Kelly Gendron
    Commented Nov 18, 2013 at 16:03

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