In my opinion, seeds are the singular most amazing thing that you’re gonna come across once you start gardening. The fact that a tiny little kernel, such as this one, contains the power to grow into a plant like this, or even how the seeds contained in this guy can grow into something this amazing, is nothing short of astonishing when you think about it. But when seeds don’t sprout, or worse, they sprout into spindly little sticks that quickly die, well, that’s not amazing. Other than being left empty-handed and not getting fruit at the end of a crop’s life, poor seed germination is one of the worst feelings in gardening. The time, the effort, the costs involved, to end up with nothing, can often drive experienced gardeners bonkers, or worse, turn the beginner gardener off of gardening completely. So let’s fix the five most common mistakes that gardeners make when planting their seeds, to ensure that you receive the highest germination rates possible, giving your plants the best start at life. And it starts right now.
First mistake
The first mistake that some gardeners make when planting new crops is using either old or unviable seed. Seeds most definitely have a shelf life, some longer than others, but no food crop seeds last forever. Testing the viability of seeds is super easy.There’s many ways to do it, but it essentially boils down to giving the seeds an extremely moist, warm, stable environment, perfect for germination but not necessarily for anything else. The most common method is to put a fraction of the seeds that you want to test in between layers of wet paper towel, and then either put that in a plastic bag or even leave open air if you can maintain that moisture level. Most seeds are going to germinate within a week, but it’s very important not to let them dry out beforehand. Remember, all seeds sprout at different rates, and temperature plays a huge role. Try to keep the seeds at room temperature or slightly above. I do mine open air because it forces me to check on those seeds daily to see if they’re still moist, and then when they do sprout, I can do that viability count to see if I trust using that batch of seeds or not. Count the seeds that sprouted versus the ones that didn’t, and you have your percent viability for that batch of seeds.
Second Mistake
The second mistake that we can often make with our seeds is planting depth. Not all seeds like to be planted at the same depth, and some seeds might even perish if planted too deep. Seed packets almost always give the planting depth instructions right on the back of the package, and if you can’t find it, make sure to check online for the suggested planting depths before sowing your seeds. Trust me, it’s worth the extra 10 seconds that it takes of preparation to look up that seed planting information. But if you’re in a pinch, if you’re out in your garden, and that info isn’t readily available, the rule of thumb for seed planting depth is you can put the seeds down about twice the width of the actual seed itself. Now, it’s a bit of a generalization, but across the board, it seems to work for most seeds. My advice is, however, just spend the time and look up the information beforehand. And speaking of planting, let’s talk soil. Seeds require certain characteristics in their soil mix to give us the high germination rates that we so desire, and not just any soil mix will do. You know, grabbing soil from your compost or dirt from your garden is usually going to result in poor germination rates. A good seeding soil is going to be both lighter and finer than any soil you’re going to find in your compost or garden, as well as even most potting mixes. The tiny young roots of our seedlings cannot navigate the heavy compacted soils of our gardens, and the lighter weight also allows the initial world of leaves to burst through that soil surface with ease.
Another factor where seeding mixtures differ is that they don’t need any nutrients. Seeds contain all they need to grow for their first few days or even weeks of life. The nutrient-rich mixes that we use in our pots and our gardens that are so sought after can actually be a detriment to seed germination. You’ve got to get this part right, you know, the soil that you use, the mix that you use to germinate these seeds, is probably the single most important factor outside of watering. Speaking of water, nearly every seed in the world needs moisture to germinate.
In fact, water is considered a requirement to seed germination by a process called imbibition. Like the swelling of a dry sponge in water, dormant seeds absorb moisture, causing the seed coat to actually burst and allowing that first root radical to escape. Without moisture, that seed remains dormant. Obviously, however, too much moisture, i.e., a soil that’s too wet, seeds will quickly be subjected to an anaerobic environment and that can easily cause them to perish. It is vital for seeds to be in a constantly, consistently moist environment without being wet or waterlogged. This isn’t so much of an issue when you’re direct seeding in the garden, but when you’re using those seed germination trays or even small pots, it can definitely be a problem.
Our final tip on maxing out your germination potential is temperature. Most seeds will grow over a scope of temperatures, now and then a seriously wide reach. At the point when the dirt temperatures are cooler, the seeds are about to take a piece longer to grow, and when they’re hotter, the seeds will use and grow quicker. However, fall too far out of this range, either too cold or too hot, and the seeds won’t germinate at all.
Extensive research has been done into optimal germination temperatures, and it’s actually quite surprising. In almost all cases, the optimal germination temperature range of a plant is higher than its optimal growing range. Very interesting. Take carrots, for example. Their optimal growing range is about 15 to 25 degrees Celsius.
Conclusion
However, their optimal germination temperature is actually 29 degrees Celsius. But knowing the optimal range that our seeds need to germinate is probably the single biggest factor outside of soil quality governing our success rates. So whether you have to provide supplemental heat to your sprouting trays or wait until the right time of year to direct sow outside, be mindful that temperatures can play a huge part in how your crop gets started. Also remember that down in the soil where your seeds are planted, the temperature there is almost never the same as the air temperature above, especially outdoors. I hope I was able to shed some light on seed germination and how the different parameters can affect our success rates
