slow germination

[neil1280]

all my seeds to date have been very slow to germinate except for peas and courgette

A friend suggested to put them in the airing cupboard, but dont they need light?

also, my peas keep rotting at the bottom but they still grow why would this be?

thanks, neil

[chris]

Nope, as a general rule seeds don't need light until after they've germinated. The seed embyro is inside the seed casing, so it doesn't see light. It needs miosture and some need a humid atmosphere to germiante (so moisture can penetrate the casing, etc).

Try chitting your peas - plenty of threads about it, but stick them in a take away plastic box for example, either on damp tissue paper or rinse the box out so there's still some water in there (i.e. don't dry it).

Rinse the peas too, or even better give them a soak then rinse - that'll remove any germination inhibitor/virus/fungus spores etc. Bang 'em in the box - lid on, sunny windowsil and give them a rinse / change the water daily. As soon as they germinate, you can plant them!

[Two_Sheds]

he said it all ^

don't overwater, or your seeds will rot before they show

[Kristen]

Cling film, or a pane of glass/similar, over the seed trays will help keep the humidity up and prevent the surface drying out. If you've sown in pots then put the pot in a clear plastic bag and tie the top. Remove cling film / glass, or untie the bag (and remove after a day or so) as soon as you see signs of germination. This is the same as using a propagator with a clear plastic dome (only cheaper!)

Putting them in the airing cupboard will help as the extra heat will bring them on, but unless they are in a very cold spot I wouldn't expect that to be necessary this time of the year - although it will help for things that are very tender - such as Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squash

[neil1280]

thanks thats very helpful, I have some in the airing cupboard right now, many thanks