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Fortunately for eager gardeners, many of the chicest annual flowers can be started quickly and easily from seed. Sunflowers and cosmos, for example, usually emerge within 3 or 4 days of sowing. However, some perennials, trees and tropical plants have seeds that require long periods of stratification to germinate. If you’re wondering how to germinate seeds of this species, keep in mind the following villainous sounding tricks I try to get faster results when starting seeds indoors.
I pour seeds into hot water.
Soaking speeds the germination of a wide variety of seeds, whether you are starting seeds indoors or outside. How long to soak and how hot to make the water can vary depending on the plants I’m starting. In your book Theory and practice of seed germinationNorman Denot often recommends several days of soaking for seeds that are enclosed in a fruit pulp, such as those of asparagus. This helps wash away the pulp and the germination inhibitors often present in it. Soaking overnight can loosen the tissue paper-like covering on some seeds, such as coffee beans, so you can remove it easily and allow the seeds to absorb water.
I’ve also poured boiling water over hard-shelled seeds like canna seeds, letting them soak in the cooling water overnight before planting, which can soften the seed coat and make them germinate within 5 days. I had heard of Professor Roger Coyd finding that flowering maple seeds germinated faster if soaked in 140 degrees Fahrenheit water before sowing, so I tried this trick on the closely related pavonia as well. I have also tried it on small, kidney-shaped seeds of non-resistant hibiscus plants. They can all germinate in 2 or 3 days after such a hot bath.
When using boiling or hot water for plant propagationi usually put the seeds in styrofoam cups where i can easily write their identity. To soak the seeds in room temperature water overnight, which is enough to halve the germination time of morning glory, I simply add water to one of my small plastic zip-top bags used for envelopes saved seeds.
I stab or rough the seeds.
The purpose of drilling hard-shelled seeds (a process called scarification) is to make a hole through their shell to break their dormancy and allow water to enter. (Moss-covered seeds sometimes also benefit from this treatment, as the moss repels water.) Sometimes I can get away with just sanding shiny seeds, wearing away their shiny outer shell enough to reach the matte inner shell. For larger seeds I use sandpaper. I place small seeds in an empty garlic or baby food jar lined with sandpaper, rough side in, and shake the jar until the seeds look cracked.
If seed company the instructions call for scooping out the seeds instead, I usually hold the seed between needle nose pliers while I cut out a small piece of its husk with the tip of a butter knife. Toenail clippers will sometimes work for trimming as well. Having read recently that citrus seeds will germinate faster if soaked overnight and then peeled to remove the pits, I used scissors to cut the tip off one end of each seed to make peeling easier.
I throw acid at the seeds.
This sounds scarier than it is; i use gibberellic acid (GA3)a plant hormone that often improves or accelerates germination. I only use it on seeds that I suspect won’t germinate without it, as it sometimes causes weak and elongated seedlings. I have found that GA3 works very well for fuchsia seeds. It can also speed up the germination of sweet violet seeds as well as help various other challenging species that I can get like free seeds.
I usually dissolve 100 milligrams of the white powder in a little less than 1 cup of water to make a 500 parts per million (ppm) solution, mixing it a day or two before I need it, since the powder can take a while to dissolve in water. I then soak the seeds in water overnight before planting them.
I leave the seeds in the cold.
For seeds that I haven’t found shortcuts for, I usually make things easier on myself by stratifying them in wrapped damp paper towels that I can easily move from box to fridge to warmer conditions once their ‘winter’ is over. However, some seeds, such as iris, seem to require fluctuations in outside temperatures to germinate.
Since the obvious solution of sowing them outdoors in the fall can result in them being eaten by rodents or washed away by spring rains, I often plant mine in a container and place them in a clear ice cream bucket with a lid on my front porch. This has worked well enough most winters, although I’m still waiting to see if this year’s seeds survived last winter’s freezing temperatures.
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