Why seeds do not germinate and how to make them germinate quickly

Contents

Reasons for low seed germination
Seed pre-treatment
Popular questions and answers

It happens that they bought seeds in a trusted store, produced by a well-known company, sowed according to the rules, but they do not germinate. Or they rise, but with difficulty – for a long time and unevenly. Why is this happening? The reasons are many. But we’ll fix it. You just need to prepare the seeds before sowing

Reasons for low seed germination

Recently, summer residents have been complaining more and more often: they bought expensive seeds, 5 pcs in a bag, and only 3 pcs came up. And even less. Or they didn’t come up at all. And they begin to scold seed producers, they say, they are deceiving us, gullible gardeners. But is it really so? Who is to blame for the fact that the seeds do not germinate well?

In nature, it rarely happens that seed germination is 100%. And there are many reasons for that. In many cultures, it is within 80%. And this is laboratory germination, when the seeds are germinated under optimal conditions. And field germination, when the seeds germinate on the beds, is 15-25% lower than the laboratory one. Therefore, make it a rule to buy seeds with a margin.

But there are a number of reasons why seeds can have even lower germination.

Early fruit harvest

Not all seeds have time to ripen – it depends on the weather and the time when the fruits set. For example, the very first tomatoes turn red under optimal conditions. And the upper brushes are often dosed already in the cold and with a lack of light.

It is clear that the seeds of the very first fruits will be better. And in our garden we can select just such. But in mass production, all tomatoes go under the knife, so the sowing quality will always be lower.

Culture features

In nature, everything is balanced – the task of any plant is to leave the offspring as many chances of survival as possible. A good example of this is peppers. Among the wild species, whose homeland is South America, there are no sweet ones – they are all spicy. It’s protection from competition. Sweet fruits would be eaten with pleasure by animals. And animals have a limited habitat – they beat around the bush. And if the seeds of peppers along with the droppings were distributed in the same places, the chances of the plants surviving during weather disasters would be negligible. So they came up with protection – capsaicin, which is responsible for the burning. Animals won’t eat it. And birds – easily, they do not feel sharpness. And spread the seeds over long distances.

However, this device, useful in nature, played a cruel joke on summer residents: capsaicin prevents the germination of hot peppers. It disappears when the seeds pass through the stomach of birds – acid dissolves it. What should we do? Banal soaking of seeds does nothing – germination will be very low. But if you warm them up at a temperature of 32 ° C, it rises sharply. Few people know about this trick. As a result, the seed producer is “to blame”.

There are still such cultures that he calls tight-looking. These are usually aromatic plants: dill, parsley, celery. They sprout very poorly, because the abundance of essential oils prevents germination. In nature, everything is simple: the seeds are shed in the fall, they are frozen in the winter, they are washed by melt water in the spring, the oils disappear. But we sow them in the spring – all the oils are available there. However, even here the matter is fixable: it is enough to soak the fragrant seeds for half an hour in hydrogen peroxide, and the germination rate increases sharply.

Features of the variety

Breeders have many tasks when breeding varieties. The fruits should be tasty, the plants should be early ripening, resistant to diseases and pests. And lately, exotics have been in fashion. Of course, no one thinks about the germination of seeds during selection. Few people know, but the popular colored varieties of carrots (yellow, white, purple, black and two-color) have a germination rate of only 38 – 40%! This is never written on the bags, because the law does not require it. And summer residents are upset: less than half has risen. But for such varieties, this is normal.

Seed preparation methods

Sometimes growers prepare seeds for sowing in a special way. For example, small ones, such as petunia, are dragged to make the seeds larger and easier to sow. Carrot seeds are often glued to tapes – it also simplifies sowing. But such seeds have a big problem: if they were sown in the soil, watered well, but then the earth dried up (this happens if summer residents come only for the weekend) – there will be no seedlings. If the dragee or paste is swollen and then dried up, the seeds die.

Improper storage of seeds

Most seeds should be stored at 14-16°C (1) rather than at room temperature. But there are those who need the cold. For example, peonies and fruit crops – they should be kept in the refrigerator. But in stores they hang in the trading floor, warm. And at home too – we often simply do not know about these features. Bottom line – the seeds do not germinate.

The same will happen if you bought them in the winter, from your hands, on the street. The seeds of most crops easily tolerate frost. The Svalbard world storage facility, where seed samples of major crops are collected, is kept at -18°C all year round. But if you bought them on the street in a frost of -30 ° C, there is a high probability that they died.

Seeds will not sprout if they were soaked during storage and then dried.

Sowing conditions

Each crop has its own sowing recommendations. Seeds of cold-resistant plants (carrots, dill, parsley) germinate at a soil temperature of about 5 °C. Others, such as beets, need more heat – 10 – 15 ° C. Heat-loving for germination need even more – 20 – 25 ° C. Admit it, who stuck a thermometer into the ground before sowing seeds in the beds? And sometimes it’s warm outside, the sun is shining, and the ground is frozen. So the seeds don’t germinate. Or they weren’t watered properly.

Seed pre-treatment

The natural germination of seeds cannot be increased. But it is possible to increase the so-called seed germination energy. There are several options for pre-sowing seed preparation, let’s look at each of them.

Soaking

If the seeds are stored in a room that is too warm and dry, or has been lying for several years, they lose moisture. If they are sown in this form, soil moisture may not be enough. It is best to soak them before sowing. This is the easiest and most affordable way.

How to do it. Place the seeds in gauze in a vessel with water so that it barely covers the seeds.

Soaking time and water temperature depend on the crop (2):

zucchini, watermelon, cabbage, radish, lettuce – 12 hours (20 – 25 ° C);
tomato, beet, carrot, parsley – 48 hours (20 – 25 ° C);
peas, beans – 6 hours (20 – 25 ° C);
black onion – 6 – 8 hours (40 ° C);
cucumbers – 2 hours (50 ° C).

Leave for a day. After that, dry a little – and you can sow. During soaking, the seeds are saturated with moisture and sprout faster.

Warming up

This is a must for hot peppers. Their seeds contain capsaicin, a substance that gives fruits their pungency. And it prevents seeds from germinating. At room temperature, they will sprout for a whole month, or they may not sprout at all – this often happens. Heating will help rid the seeds of capsaicin.

How to do it. Wrap the seeds in a damp cloth and put on the battery for a day. The temperature around the seeds should be 32 °C. You can regulate it with layers of fabric – the fewer, the hotter.

Scarification

Some seeds have such a hard shell that water cannot get inside the seed. And they don’t come up. This problem occurs in momordica, castor bean, pelargonium, lotus, gazania, sweet pea.

In order for such seeds to sprout, their shell must be slightly damaged (scientifically, this process is called scarification). However, if you bought seeds in a store, you do not need to scarify them, they are already prepared for sowing. But if you collected it yourself – you have to work.

How to do it. There are several types of scarification, but two of the simplest are enough for a home:

mechanical – this is an option for large seeds: all that is needed is to lightly rub the seeds with sandpaper, scratches on the shell will help water penetrate inside, and the seeds will germinate.
thermal – this method is used for small seeds: they are placed in a cloth or gauze bag, dipped for a few seconds, first in boiling water, then in ice water, the procedure is repeated 2-3 times.

Treatment with stimulants

You can treat any seeds with stimulants, but good ones will sprout anyway. But if the seeds are more than 4 years old, then you can’t do without “doping”.

There are two classic stimulants, the effectiveness of which has been tested over the years and scientifically proven: Zircon and Epin-extra. You can also use aloe juice.

How to do it. In all cases, the seeds are soaked:

in Zircon: vegetables – 2 drops per 100 ml of water, flowers – 3-4 drops per 100 ml of water for 6-8 hours days before);
in Epin-extra: vegetables – 1 – 2 drops per 100 ml of water for 4 – 6 hours, flowers – 4 drops per 100 ml of water for 8 – 10 hours;
in aloe juice: put the lower leaves of an adult aloe in the refrigerator for a week, then squeeze the juice, dip the seeds in the juice and let stand for a day, sow without washing.

Germination

It will be possible to immediately select seeds that do not germinate: the root does not peck – throw it away.

How to do it. Wrap the seeds in a thick cloth, place in a plastic bag, inflate it and put it on a cutting board. And the board – on the battery. Seeds should be inspected daily. As soon as the roots sprout, you can sow.