Subject: SEEDS: Germination problems!!

From: [email-masked] (Brian Lo)
Date: 6 Mar 1995 05:22:28 GMT

How long does it take to germinate seeeds that has been
in the solil for a month?

After a months, would the seeds ever germinate.
e-mail
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Bob Batson)
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 1995 15:46:00 -0600

>After a months, would the seeds ever germinate.

Whether the seeds germinate or not depends upon the kind of plant the
seeds came from. Some seeds, like those from tomatoes, will germinate in
about a week or less. Other seeds will take years to even germinate. All
of this is assuming your keeping the soil (and the planted seeds) warm
and moist.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Bob Batson                              L 39 12 14 N  94 33 16 W
[email-masked]                    USDA Zone 5
[email-masked]
---
 þ MR/2 2.11 #243 þ I got lost in thought.  It was unfamiliar territory.

---

From: [email-masked] (Bob Batson)
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 1995 15:46:00 -0600

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: 6 Mar 95 11:51:17 -0600

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Brian Lo) writes:
> After a months, would the seeds ever germinate?

Seeds need water, oxygen and warmth to germinate.  Too much or too
little of any of these can keep the seed dormant or kill it.  How
much is enough of any of these factors depends on the species of
seed.

To tell if a seed is dead or just not germinating yet, if the
seed is moist, squeeze it slightly.   If it's firm, about like
human flesh, it's still alive, and either dormant or still in the
germination process.  If it goes squish-ooze, it's dead, and the
fungi have moved in to do their recycling thing.

BTW, average seed germination times for most crop plants are in the
7-21 days vicinity... in wild plants, it may be up to a couple of years.
(more in the case of deeply dormant seeds in unfavorable environments).

Kay Klier  [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Martin Tom Brown)
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 10:08:20 +0000

> much is enough of any of these factors depends on the species of

Some seeds also require "maltreatment" to trigger germination by removing
a germination inhibitor from the seed. Tricks to break dormancy include:
	Soaking for 24 hours.
	Stratify by leaving very cold & damp for 4-12 weeks.
	Nicking or chipping the outer seed shell
	Smoking them (or adding essence of smoke)
	Treating with chemicals
	Waiting a very long time

> (more in the case of deeply dormant seeds in unfavorable environments).

Yes. It's very true that domesticated plants tend to have very reliable
germination times usually less than a month (esp for agricultural crops).
However, if you are growing exotics or wild seed (many exotics are), then
no effort will be spent on getting uniform germination times. The effect
is that some seeds may germinate quickly and others can take many months.
In the wild this can be a great advantage to the survival of the species.
Some rare cactus seeds will germinate more than a year after sowing!!
If you have space it's always worth hanging on in case they grow.
Good luck!

Regards,
-- 
Martin Brown  <[email-masked]>     __                CIS: 71651,470
Scientific Software Consultancy             /^,,)__/