Priming, Scaring, and Pre-Sprouting

They say, “a watched pot never boils”. Let me translate this into gardeners’ lingo.  “Staring at a spot where you planted a seed will not make the seed sprout any faster.”  But – we gardeners are impatient by nature.  Once a seed is in the dirt, we can hardly wait until we see that first tiny green speck emerges.  But wait we must.  If “patience” isn’t in your gardening vocabulary, “priming”, “scaring”, and “pre-sprouting” are three ways to speed up seed sprouting.  Before rushing Mother Nature with these techniques, it is important to understand how seeds work.

Hard Outer Seed Cover (also called a testa)
Protects seeds from external elements.
Hilum
Scar on the outer seed covering.  The Hilum is where the seed was attached to its mother plant.  I like to think of the Hilum as the seed’s belly button.
Micropyle
Tiny hole on the outer seed covering that allows water to enter the seed.
Endosperm
The tissue that surrounds and nourishes the embryo inside a seed                
Cotyledon
 Embryonic “leaves”.  The Cotyledon will be the food source as the plant grows.  Some seeds have one Cotyledon (e.g. Corn); some have two.
Plumule
Part of the embryonic plant that will become the first bud. The plumule usually has two  Cotyldon “leaves”.  These are a food source and cannot perform photosynthesis.
Radicle
Part of the embryonic plant that will become the root.
Abscisic Acid and Gibberelli
Hormones that prevent seeds from sprouting inside the fruit.

Here’s how gardeners can use these seed structure to greatly speed up sprouting.

 

KNOW YOUR SEEDS

Before diving in, two caveats are in order. 

One – the following techniques work best with larger, easily handled seeds.

Two – Different seeds have different germination requirements. For example, some wildflower and tree seeds require a minimum period of cold temperatures (chill hours)  before germination will occur.  For these varieties, Seed Stratification methods simulate winter by refrigerating seeds. Seed stratification can be incorporated with any of the following methods. 

  Seed Priming
 Here’s a much studied, well proven method for increasing germination rates and times. The   idea  is simple.  Soak seeds overnight to soften the outer shell and allow the solution (plain water, distilled water or compost tea) to soften and penetrate the seed’s outer shell.  After the overnight soak, lay the seeds out to dry a bit before planting.  They should be moist but not sticky.  Seed priming works very well for spinach – a crop that’s easy to grow but can have spotty germination rates.

 

Pre-Sprouting
Pre-sprouting seeds takes seed priming one step further.  After seeds are soaked overnight, cover them in the folds of a moist paper towel.  Keep the paper towels moist with gently spritzing.  In a day or two the seeds should start to sprout.  Plant seeds when the root (radicle) is 1-1.5 inches long. When planting, care must be taken not to damage to developing root.  One technique is to use tweezers when moving pre-sprouted seeds

Scaring
With seed scaring, things get a little more intense.  With scaring, the goal is to remove, crack, or weaken the outer seed covering so that the endosperm is exposed but not damaged.  Seed scaring takes somepractice.  Sandpaper or file can be used to scar seeds.  For hard seeds like okra, a toenail clipper works well.  Always scar seeds on the side opposite the Hilim (this reduces the chances of damaging the Radicle or Plumule.

 

 

 

If you find yourself toe-tapping, nail biting, and pacing as you wait for you seeds to sprout, don’t worry.  You’re not alone.   You don’t need professional help.  Just try priming, pre-sprouting, and seed scaring.  You’ll be glad you did.