Germinating Seeds
Germination can be done in different ways. Our favorite way is between paper towels. This way you can see which seeds have germinated and which ones have not before you give them their definive place so you won’t have dropouts.
We germinate them in this way:
- Take a plate and put two layers of paper towel on it.
- Put the seeds on them and then put two more layer of paper towel over them.
- Make everything wet with lukewarm water.
- Tip the plate to the side so the excess water can run off.
- When you don’t see any water coming off after about a minute or 10 then it has the ideal humidity.
- Cover the plate with kitchen foil and put it in a warm place between 20 and 26 degrees.
- After 24 to 72 hours the most seeds would have a little white tip or tail. That tail is the root.
- Place the seed with the tip downwards gently in a wet plug or little pot with a medium like soil. It doesn’t have to be covered but a propegator or something that holds a little off humidity would be nice.
- After a short period the root will grow downwards and the stalk will grow upwards. At this moment the seeding will need a lot of light to avoid stretching.
- The seed pod is pushed off by opening the leaves. If this doesn’t happen and the little plant continues to grow you could gently remove the seed pod of the little plant. Be carefull not to damage the leaves.
The seeds that do not germinate within 72 hours do not necessarily have to be written off. Some seeds just need a little longer to germinate like bigger seeds or seeds with a thicker Shell. If you have old seeds, bigger or with a thicker Shell it can help to use a bit off peroxide. The easy plug is also a perfect medium to germinate with or for pre-growing.