Are you having trouble getting your seeds to germinate? If this is the case, don’t worry! This time I’m going to rebel a few tricks that will help you (or rather, they will help) your seeds germinate. And the fact is that the beginning of the life of a plant is not always easy, and the dangers do not end once it sprouts … but, rather, they only begin.
You can help not only the seeds to awaken, but also for the seedlings to get off to a good start »» foot ».
Seeds
For your seeds to germinate it is very important that, as far as possible, fresh seeds are collectednot too ripe but not green either. In summary: if we see that some have fallen to the ground, but there are still on the plant, we will take the latter. If you do not know if they will work and you cannot return to that place, depending on the species it is and the season of the year in which you are, you can always take some and let them ripen in a dry place, in direct sun. In the case that they are gifted or purchased seeds, if there is presence of fungi, or they have some blackened part, it is most likely that they will no longer germinate.
Still, for all who fall into your hands, put them in a glass of water. Those that sink will be the ones that have the best chance of sprouting. Those that float are usually discarded, but if you have room and you feel like it, you can plant them in a separate seedbed to see. You may get a pleasant surprise.
Germination methods
Sometimes we have to do some pre-germination treatment to the seed, which consists of in imitating nature to try to wake up the embryo inside. There are mainly two treatments: thermal shock and scarification.
- Thermal shock: consists of introducing the seed in a glass of boiling water for 1 second, and immediately after transferring it to a glass of water at room temperature for 24 hours. This is ideal for seeds with a very hard shell, such as trees of the genus Acacia, Albizia, Gleditsia.
- Scarification: with sandpaper, the seed is scarified a little. We can do this with pine seeds, or with those of Delonix, among others.
In home gardening, two methods of germination are mainly used: plant cotton or potted. You can also use Jiffy pills or any recycled material (plastic cups, tuppers, … anything you can think of). If the environment in your area is dry, it is advisable that, as you can see in the photo, you put a glass or a transparent bottle in each seedbed. If you live on an island, near the sea or in a humid environment, this is not necessary; in fact, it could be harmful since the dreaded fungi could appear, which could seriously endanger the seed or the seedling.
Only perlite can be used as substrate (or any other material that facilitates drainage). With this you will avoid fungi (although it is worth preventing with an ecological fungicide, such as copper), and thanks to regular fertilizers, you will have a plant that will grow healthy, and above all fast. From the second year you can pass it to peat without problems.
