Seed Germination—Scarification, Stratification, and Soaking

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organic gardening / videos / Seed Germination—Scarification, Stratification, and Soaking

Seed Germination—Scarification, Stratification, and Soaking

March 15, 2012 - GrowOrganic

Seed Germination—Scarification, Stratification, and Soaking

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Tips for germinating hard to start seeds

Sometimes we all need a hand. If your favorite seeds are in the “hard-to-start” category, we have tips for you on techniques to give them a hand and get growing. The three basic methods for encouraging seeds to germinate are: Scarification Stratification Soaking Tricia demonstrates them all in our new video. SEEDS 101 A seed is made up of a seed coat that encloses the plant embryo and the endosperm. The endosperm is the food supply for the early growth of the embryo. SCARIFICATION Seeds…

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Jeff Adams Says:

Mar 26th, 2012 at 3:56 pm

Guess I lost the previous post—-but was just writing in to complement you on your well-written, informative website—especially Tricia’s nicely composed, easy-to-comprehend, informative video’s…and I stated that I got a hoot out of the shipping & handling one with Keith—if I ever need a “heavy” for added security, I am callin’ Keith ! Lol
Thanks again for the well done video’s—hope to find something soon to purchase from you again one day…
-Jeff Adams

Emily H. Says:

Mar 26th, 2012 at 6:49 pm

I love these videos I learn so much! I wish you all would make documentary series… And the unscripted parsley chomp cracked me up

Bruce Says:

Mar 27th, 2012 at 11:38 am

A couple of comments:
1) soaking beans is a bad idea, because the cotyledons come apart, making it difficult to handle the seeds when you go to plant them

2) Some seeds won’t germinate unless they have passed through the stomach of an animal. This is a chemical form of scarification. To mimic this, germination of most seeds that require this treatment will be aided by soaking briefly in an acidic solution, such as glacial acetic acid. A funny story came to light about one famous exception to this acid-bath rule. Many years ago, my old boss, Dr. Eduardo Vallejo, was accompanying the famous biologist Dr. Charles Rick, on an expedition to Peru to collect wild relatives of the tomato plant. They applied the usual acetic acid treatment over and over, but with no effect—the seeds just wouldn’t germinate. Then, Dr. Rick noticed that the wild tomatoes were being eaten by tortoises, whose stomachs are not acidic but alkaline. They tried using a dilute solution of bleach to these wild tomato seeds and presto! the seeds germinated easily. Turns out, a 10% bleach solution for 30 seconds works wonders on all members of the tomato family, even distant relatives like peppers. Just be sure to wash the seeds copiously after treatment.

Sincerely,
Bruce Ritchings, Encinitas, CA

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Jan 28th, 2013 at 12:58 am

Thank you for the helpful information, Bruce!