An infallible way to germinate seeds?
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:38 pm
Have you ever wished that your garden plants would germinate a lot faster? Some seeds like parsley, cilantro (coriander), sea kale, even spring onions, seem to take forever before we see any shoots appear above ground. The answer, of course, is to pre-germinate those seeds before you sow them.
You might find this idea useful. First, take a plastic margarine tub with a lid. Second, fill it to an inch of the brim with perlite or vermiculite. They're sterile and, although an investment, can be re-used endlessly. (Just run boiling water through them for a few minutes.)
Third, soak the perlite (etc) with water and tip away surplus water. Now scatter your seeds on top. Tiny seeds like onions need just a sprinkling of perlite dust on top. Big seeds can be sunk a half inch deep.
Fourth, re-moisten the surface gently and replace the lid. Put the pot somewhere warm. (Note: your airing cupboard is too hot! But around 75-85F will germinate anything.)
The very moment a speck of green or a crooked shoot appears above the perlite, take off the cover and place the pot on a bright windowsill. Mist the surface with room temperature water and mist every day thereafter till you see one pair of leaves.
To transplant the seedlings into pots, don't grub around their roots! Just toss the perlite onto a sheet of newspaper gently and pick out the seedlings by their leaves. The perlite falls away and you'll find that every seedling will retain amazingly long unbroken roots.
Then drop the roots into a hole in a compost-filled pot.
Amazingly, it works. You can germinate any seed this week in seven days, even parsley. (Alas, it doesn't work for coconuts. They must float in the sea for three years...)
You might find this idea useful. First, take a plastic margarine tub with a lid. Second, fill it to an inch of the brim with perlite or vermiculite. They're sterile and, although an investment, can be re-used endlessly. (Just run boiling water through them for a few minutes.)
Third, soak the perlite (etc) with water and tip away surplus water. Now scatter your seeds on top. Tiny seeds like onions need just a sprinkling of perlite dust on top. Big seeds can be sunk a half inch deep.
Fourth, re-moisten the surface gently and replace the lid. Put the pot somewhere warm. (Note: your airing cupboard is too hot! But around 75-85F will germinate anything.)
The very moment a speck of green or a crooked shoot appears above the perlite, take off the cover and place the pot on a bright windowsill. Mist the surface with room temperature water and mist every day thereafter till you see one pair of leaves.
To transplant the seedlings into pots, don't grub around their roots! Just toss the perlite onto a sheet of newspaper gently and pick out the seedlings by their leaves. The perlite falls away and you'll find that every seedling will retain amazingly long unbroken roots.
Then drop the roots into a hole in a compost-filled pot.
Amazingly, it works. You can germinate any seed this week in seven days, even parsley. (Alas, it doesn't work for coconuts. They must float in the sea for three years...)