Seed priming...friend or foe?

[Monty]

I've been reading (yes, that's right) about 'seed priming.' Apparently you dry the seed in water or something to that effect?

Can someone explain it to my simple mind, and if anyone has actually tried it, it would be cool to hear how it went.

My heart belongs to one man...

[alcina]

Not sure about "drying" the seed in water. It seems to be based on soaking seeds in water for a specific time before sowing to hydrate them. How long depends on each seed variety. The theory seems to be that you hydrate the seed to just before the point of germination, then you sow it. That way you're guaranteed a uniform germination ie. they all germinate at the same time - very useful and convenient with large crops to have them all at the same point at the same time. Commercially it seems to be big scientific business. Not sure there's an easy way to do this at home as exactly.

On the home front...it seems to be largely about scarifying and chitting and general pre-soaking. I chit (pre-germinate) some seeds - notably peas and beans, largely because I have limited space so there's no point in sowing "dead" seeds individually in pots. By chitting I know that every seed I sow is alive and raring to go. Chitting is one step ahead of priming as you actually do germinate the seed. A lot of seeds germinate best if you pre-soak them for a few hours in tepid water, with or without scarification (I actually use camomile tea - allegedly has anti-fungal properties which help prevent damp off...allegedly), some such as beetroot actually specify this on the packet; others, such as chillies don't. You can see for yourself, particularly if you surface sow seeds, that before they germinate they absorb water and swell up, presumably the pre-soak does this for you more efficiently. I guess it's a case of surfing around to see if others recommend pre-soaking the particular seeds you're intending to grow.

Of course I could have entirely the wrong end of a very long stick!

Alcina

[Monty]

Alcina you are a goddess.

You were, however, a litte vague with how you chitt seeds..I understand how to achieve such results with big seeds like beans but how would you do it with, for example, carrot seeds?

You also didn't really specify what 'scarifying' is...

But I thank you for your reply, obviously the other 26 people who read it couldn't be bothered to do the same.

[Shirley]

Hiya Monty

Perhaps they didn't know the answer - posts generally get many more views than replies and some may even be the same person looking twice... or guests who can't make replies until they register.

I certainly didn't know the answer but am happy that I've learnt something today

Seed Scarification

Seed scarification involves breaking, scratching, or softening the seed coat so that water can enter and begin the germination process. There are several methods of scarifying seeds. In acid scarification, seeds are put in a glass container and covered with concentrated sulfuric acid. The seeds are gently stirred and allowed to soak from 10 minutes to several hours, depending on the hardness of the seed coat. When the seed coat has become thin, the seeds can be removed, washed, and planted. Another scarification method is mechanical. Seeds are filed with a metal file, rubbed with sandpaper, or cracked with a hammer to weaken the seed coat. Hot water scarification involves putting the seed into hot water (170o to 212oF). The seeds are allowed to soak in the water, as it cools, for 12 to 24 hours and then planted. A fourth method is one of warm, moist scarification. In this case, seeds are stored in non-sterile, warm, damp containers where the seed coat will be broken down by decay over several months.

taken from : http://ag.arizona.edu/gardening/plantprop.html

HTH

[alcina]

Excellent description Shirlz! I have an RHS book bought as a present called: "Propagating Plants" which goes into details about each and every seed: which require scarification and which don't, and what type of scarification is required. When you read it a lot of it makes sense...think about what the plant naturally would endure in the course of its life and scarify accordingly.

As for carrots, I'm guessing the average carrot doesn't really experience much in the way of wind, fire or ice over the course of its natural life, and its seed isn't particularly protected coat-wise, so a couple of hours presoak in a cup of tepid (not too hot!) water (or camomile tea!) should suffice. Personally, if I were experimenting for the first time, I'd presoak one batch for a couple of hours before sowing, and plant another batch as per the instructions on the back of the packet, then compare which of the two batches germinated first, which had the highest germination etc. I suspect that most common seeds (in this country) will show little difference - it's only "difficult" seed, or difficult cultivation situations that will prove worth while of special treatment. But it's always worth experimenting and then stick with what works for you.

Alcina

[Millymollymandy]

But I thank you for your reply, obviously the other 26 people who read it couldn't be bothered to do the same.

I read it, but I don't know anything much about it so didn't reply! I expect most of the others who read it felt the same!

As far as little seeds go, how on earth do you sow them when they are all wet?

[ina]

The Encyclopedia of organic gardening describes how to sow chitted carrot seeds - you mix them in a thin wallpaper glue, and then sow them with the help of a paper bag, tip cut off (or one of those pastry thingies). Sorry, not very clear this description, I think I'll have to get the book and copy it out!

I tried to do it, but forgot to check the seeds regularly while chitting, and they were rather too far gone by the time I got round to sowing. Theoretically, it shoould speed up germinating in the ground.