IT starts with a Seed
“
Gemination starts with the
reintroduction of moisture to
the seed and finishes when
the plant ends its reliance on
its food stores and can begin
to draw nutrition from the
environment.
To help the tiny plants inside seeds stay
in a state of suspended animation, excess
moisture should be allowed to evaporate as the seeds dry out. Depending
on the type of plant and the conditions, the seeds might last through the
winter months to sprout in the spring, or
they might last for several years, awaiting conditions that will allow them to
sprout. Seeds kept too wet might sprout
prematurely and then die, so seeds should
be stored in a dry container at cool tem-
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Maximum Yield USA | March 2012
peratures for best results.
Germination starts with the
reintroduction of moisture to
the seed and finishes when the
plant ends its reliance on its food
stores and can begin to draw
nutrition from the environment.
In nature this is one of the most
vulnerable times for a plant—
which is why so many seeds are generated by parent plants in order to ensure at
least a small number of surviving plants
in the next generation. The requirements
for germination are moisture, oxygen, an
appropriate temperature and—for some
plants—light.
The seeds of most plants have a low
moisture content, which helps give
them a long ‘shelf life.’ Before a seed will
sprout, it must first be rehydrated. When
”
the seed comes into contact with moisture, it draws in the water through a small
hole, or micropyle. This moisture will cause
the plant to swell and will soften the
seed coat, allowing the radicle to break
through and seek more moisture. The
seed leaves will also begin to swell and
will open to seek out light. To help with
getting moisture through the micropyle,
some gardeners will soak seeds in water
for 24 hours. Scarification practices such
as nicking the seed coats with a sharp object or rubbing the seeds on sandpaper or
an emery board are also sometimes used
to help weaken the seed coat and allow
the plant easier access to moisture. Moistening a paper towel, wringing it out and
putting it with seeds in a plastic bag in a
warm location to sprout is another way
of getting moisture to saturate your seeds.
If you’re using this method you should
change the paper towel every few days to