How long to leave ungerminated seeds?

[esbo]

I wouldn't give up on them yet, but then I'm told that I have the patience of Job. I'd sow some more "just in case" and then whatever happens, you have enough

Yes but it is a bit of on issue of space and available compost.
It is pretty clear to me that those planted are not going to germinate.
I just unearth some and there was no real sign of life, one seemed to have turned to mush.
The thing is others planted from the same batch are 5 inches high.
But it look like only 1 in 5 germinated.
Well 2 out of 5 broad beans, 1 out of 5 of anther type an 0 out of 5 on a final type.

On at basis I need to plant a lot of seeds to see result, I am used to getting 75% germination
on other seeds, these are 20% on average.

[esbo]

That's a good question and I've often wondered the same thing myself. With seeds sown outdoors I always wonder if the slugs got them or whether the seeds were duff. It's pretty hard to know.

Well these were indoors in compost.

Maybe they are bad or old seeds.

I have some tobacco seeds which are a few years old and most types will not germinate
however I the seeds form the plants I let go to seeds will germinate very well.

I think some of the seeds may be old stock mixed in with some new.

They were cheap seeds from poundland 3 pea types in a pack.

[Kristen]

There are peas no spuds

Or am I showing my ignorance?

Spuds you can just put in a shallow box, in the light, and they will chit.

Seeds need moisture - I put them on a couple of sheets of moist kitchen paper towel in a Tupperware box (needs to be enclosed, otherwise the paper towel will dry out - e.g. you can stretch cling film over a container)

When the seed chits, and a root/shoot appears, then prick out the seeds. This is very fiddly if the seed is small, so best only to do for larger seeds like Peas and Beans. I do also do it for things that are slower to germinate, like Parsnip seeds.

Make sure that the humidity is high after pricking out - perhaps mist the potting compost regularly - as the seeds are at a critical point in germination, and if they dry out they are likely to die.

[esbo]

it depends on temperature (esp with runners/French), sunlight and age.

I'm having a few duds this year, but with old seed. I never go by the "sow by" date, but seed can get too old to grow.

I've also had germination problems in the last fortnight which has been cold & dark. Previously we had warm sun and things shot up, but cold dark clouds have slowed everything considerably, and lots of the more tender seeds (again, French beans) have simply rotted in cold compost

Thing is the seeds are all in the same tray in the same place, 3 germinated 2 weeks ago, I don't think the rest are going to suddenly spring into life now!!

I notice one of mine had rotted, another looked rather weird and it split in my hand
not sure if it was germinating or rotting, it did not seem very alive.

[Kristen]

Thing is the seeds are all in the same tray in the same place, 3 germinated 2 weeks ago, I don't think the rest are going to suddenly spring into life now!!

Indeed, just you might get better germination (higher overall percentage germinate, all germinate more evenly, all germinate more quickly) using the Chitting method. More faff though ... and there is risk that they are mollycoddled during chitting, such that you are not able to maintain "ideal" conditions after pricking out, and some/many succumb then (but with practice that part can be perfected )

[esbo]

I had enough of waiting and yesterday tipped out everything that had refused to grow. I had given them roughly 8 - 10 weeks. Only one thing came out of all the pots - a cucumber which I hastily re-potted. No idea what was taking him so long as the rest have shot up and sprouted away - a late riser perhaps? But I've had no luck with cucamelons, lemon balm or creeping thyme, oh, and lavender (which can take up to 5 months to germinate) and it's had at least that. How do you chit seeds by the way?

Funnily enough I have just noticed a new cucumber seed sticking it's head above the compost!

However it was not one of those whcih was lying dormant for ages ( planted a batch about 6 weeks ago and only 2 germinated ). It was one from a fresh batch of seeds I put in not so long ago.


Trouble is it is a bit difficult of keeping track of what was planted when, I had written on the side of the pot "cuc 2014", not sure why I put 2014 as they all were planted in 2014!

AT the time what I write on the pot seems enough to identify them but when several weeks have past I am often struggling to figure out exactly what I meant!!

I have a couple of strawberry plants roots I planted which look they turn out to be duds like the ones I got last year!!!

[esbo]

Indeed, just you might get better germination (higher overall percentage germinate, all germinate more evenly, all germinate more quickly) using the Chitting method. More faff though ... and there is risk that they are mollycoddled during chitting, such that you are not able to maintain "ideal" conditions after pricking out, and some/many succumb then (but with practice that part can be perfected )

I thought you could only chitt potatoes, didn't realise you could do it with peas. Apparently you can do it with most seeds, I will have to try chitting them and look up how to do it best.

[esbo]

Spuds you can just put in a shallow box, in the light, and they will chit.

Seeds need moisture - I put them on a couple of sheets of moist kitchen paper towel in a Tupperware box (needs to be enclosed, otherwise the paper towel will dry out - e.g. you can stretch cling film over a container)

When the seed chits, and a root/shoot appears, then prick out the seeds. This is very fiddly if the seed is small, so best only to do for larger seeds like Peas and Beans. I do also do it for things that are slower to germinate, like Parsnip seeds.

Make sure that the humidity is high after pricking out - perhaps mist the potting compost regularly - as the seeds are at a critical point in germination, and if they dry out they are likely to die.

Yes potatoes are easy. Hard to stop them not chitting I have several that have chitted I never intended planting!

I will have to chitt some peas ASAP!

[Two_Sheds]

put them on a couple of sheets of moist kitchen paper towel in a Tupperware box (needs to be enclosed, otherwise the paper towel will dry out - e.g. you can stretch cling film over a container)

I've done away with the paper towel now, because the roots can get tangled in the paper, leading to snapped roots if one has fat fingers

this is sweetcorn, chitting

This is very fiddly if the seed is small,... like Parsnip seeds.

for parsnips, toms & chillies (small seed) I use the paper towel, and cut/tear the paper apart, planting the paper+seeds in a 3" pot.

it is a bit difficult of keeping track of what was planted when

I write the sowing/planting date on the back of the name label

I will have ... look up how to do it best.

you don't need to, Kristen explained it perfectly


True potato seed is a little different: I've found it works best in water, rather than in a tupperware box

[Kristen]

the roots can get tangled in the paper, leading to snapped roots if one has fat fingers

I'm very familiar with that Need to get to them quickly as soon as they chit, but if they chit at different rates (as is likely, at least "a bit") then have to prick-out in batches, and then they are not together on the staging ... Blah Blah Blah ... Nuisance!

this is sweetcorn, chitting

How are you doing that TS? Just in water? My Sweetcorn (Supersweet) rots easily - it even comes coated with fungicide to give its germination a fighting chance! Or are you doing something equivalent to "flood and drain"?

For more demanding seed (ornamentals rather than veg, I don't know of any veg that needs stratification or suffers from double dormancy!) I use ziplock bags and damp vermiculite - that has no issue then with roots growing into paper-towel, tip out the vermiculite and separate out the germinated seedlings and standing the little bags up in a box means that the germination stage takes up very little space - plus for those blighters that need a period of "Winter" in the fridge I can hide a Tupperware box, of ziplock vermiculite bags, in the fridge - whereas if I put a gravel tray of seed trays in there Mrs K would have a fit!

[Two_Sheds]

sweetcorn? in tupperware, just "rinse & repeat". I don't soak them for long, they do rot, as do white beans.

our weather's been dark & cold the last fortnight, & I started losing a lot of seeds to rot, so I started putting the chitting beans & corn in the heated prop, and am back up to 90% germination again

[esbo]

Well I have some in microwave boxes with a bit of tissue paper at the bottom and the seeds on top, hope that works,

[Kristen]

sweetcorn? in tupperware, just "rinse & repeat". I don't soak them for long, they do rot, as do white beans

Thinking about it both those germinate in just a couple of days, so "rinse and repeat" sounds excellent. I have had rot on paper towel, so I suspect that rinse and repeat would keep them drier (so to speak) and reduce that chance. Putting them somewhere warm is going to accelerate the germination speed too.

Thanks.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I've also had germination problems in the last fortnight which has been cold & dark. Previously we had warm sun and things shot up, but cold dark clouds have slowed everything considerably, and lots of the more tender seeds (again, French beans) have simply rotted in cold compost

Likewise up here on the east coast in Aberdeen. I've sown Brassicas which normally germinate in a matter of days but I'm drumming my fingers waiting for the wee blighters to get their heads above the surface.

I noticed someone mentioned beans with a very poor germination rate. It's important to make sure the compost doesn't get too wet with them as they quite simply rot.

[RaptorUK]

Likewise up here on the east coast in Aberdeen. I've sown Brassicas which normally germinate in a matter of days but I'm drumming my fingers waiting for the wee blighters to get their heads above the surface.

I'm trying to chit some Sea Kale, have you ever chitted Brassicas ?