Do you think there are so many different ways to germ seeds because of people being more adept at one method or another or is there a way better, beyond all others ?
The goal of a species is to... further the species, lol. Seeds are remarkable little self-contained worlds. If there's a way for one to germinate, it'll do so. I once had one of those little six-compartment seedling trays in my oven (was cold here) with (err... mostly
)some hot pepper seeds in it, waiting on germination. I had a great week (in regards to work) and was able to splurge on a treat at the grocery store. So I rushed home with my frozen pizza, set my oven thermostat on 450°F to preheat, went into the other room to wait seven minutes or so... I returned to my kitchen to see smoke everywhere and smell a bad odor. The little tray was melted(!) and about half the compartments' soil had already baked dry. I pulled the thing out, poured water on it (was still smoking), sat it on the counter... and forgot about it as I contemplated the mess in my oven and the fact that my supper was going to be delayed. The next day, there were three sprouts in what was left of the tray!
I've done "straight into the medium," in damp paper towels, and in a cup of water. All have their positives and negatives.
Planting straight into the medium means that the tiny little taproot need not be disturbed, stressed, and possibly injured. But it also means that a person could plant it too deep. They might allow the soil to dry out, or inadvertently "flush" the seed deeper in the soil by watering the soil. Some seeds may take longer to sprout than the grower expects (possibly trying his patience). If he/she decides that a seed is non-viable when it is actually just a "slow starter," he/she may end up planting a different seed - and possibly of a different strain - in the same pot/cup. Then the grower could end up seeing
two seedlings; even if only one sprouts, which one is it, lol?
Damp paper towels work. Like other methods, they need to
remain damp. And I'm not too keen on having to disturb them just to look under the layer(s) of paper towels to check for germination. One can always use a layer of Seran Wrap (or comparable product) directly over the seeds, so that when he/she unfolds the top part of the paper towel - or lifts the plate resting upside-down on top, the seeds are not actually disturbed. But I am pretty sure that, when I removed germinated seeds in the past for planting...
some of them offered the tiniest bit of resistance. I think the tap root had grown tiny little root hairs which were too small to see at that stage - but which were able to "latch on" to the paper towel. I probably caused a lot of stress when I removed them.
The cup of water works. It's pretty easy to tell when the seed case splits and the tip of the tap root emerges. But a lot of people feel that it is NOT good to leave the "plantlet" submerged in a cup of non-aerated water too long. Some people will soak their seeds for 12 (or more) hours in a cup of water and then transfer them to damp paper towels. This seems unnecessary to me (I pick one method or the other instead of trying to use
both) - but whatever works, I guess. The tap root has nothing to send its tiny little root-hairs into, so there is no stress of having them ripped away. Care must still be taken when transferring the seed to the pot/cup it will spend its initial time growing in, of course.
IDK if there really is a best way, and would tend to agree that the best way for each grower is the way that he/she feels most comfortable with and has found that he/she is, well... least likely to screw up :rolleyes3 .
I'll be starting one or two more seeds later today. I'll use the "cup of water" method. If I remember to use dechlorinated water, I'll probably add a few drops of H2O2 (if I can remember
that). It/they will probably germinate, and after getting planted, sprout. Because seeds tend to do so regardless of - and perhaps
in spite of - the method I use. This is a good time of year for such things here. It isn't freakishly hot, but still plenty warm enough for germination. The humidity is not so low that the seedcase, having done its duty of protecting its contents until germination - and acting as a "helmet" to protect the cotyledons on their short journey through the soil and into the light - cannot be easily discarded. And I, err, have food for my cats, so they might not eat the little critters.
WHAT?? lol That certainly is an interesting fact Duggan, I never knew this. I've been growing for a few years and never actually realized this. I have noticed that the tap root sort of pigtails if you let it get to long before planting, would this be the same thing that it's trying to do?
