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Powhatan,virginia

what is this and how do you do it?

4/16/2008 9:12:49 PM

Minnesota

It takes the place of a rag or dish towel, they came out with the idea about 30 years ago, when your done you just throw them away. (joking) It speeds up the sprouting,hmmm, after you soak your filed seed you place the seeds in a paper towel under a heat source for 24-48 hours until the seed breaks the shell. I suggest you use the site search in the top right corner of the page, there are better explanations and tutorials on how to do it.

4/16/2008 10:00:46 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I use a regular paper towel folded twice (quartered). Dampen & squeeze it almost dry. Place the seed(s) between the fold so there are 2 layers on each side. Place it into a regular zip-loc sandwich bag & place it into the 85* cooler (or similar insulated container) until they pop. Usually in 2-4 days.

4/17/2008 1:17:23 AM

Fairport,NY

Tremor,After they"pop" do you place them on their side or tip down into seed starter?How deep?
thanks

4/17/2008 8:34:41 AM

Powhatan,virginia

thanks ive been having trouble test germinating two of my seeds i will give this a shot

4/17/2008 9:12:50 AM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

A soak helps speed things up to. Have a look here: http://gvgo.ca/articles/rivington_germ_tut01.html

4/17/2008 5:11:33 PM

San Jose garysand@pacbell.net

"Tremor,After they"pop" do you place them on their side or tip down into seed starter?How deep?"

Place root side down, about 1" deep to top of seed

keep an eye on them, dont let the root get too long, it is a pain to try to put in the pots

4/19/2008 2:09:07 PM

Utah

I plant mine on their side - flat- about an inch down. The seed coat comes off easier that way.

4/19/2008 2:42:06 PM

Webster, NY

I've planted them both ways and they both worked out all right. I use a germination mat instead of an insulated container. I put a towel in between the mat and the baggie. This keeps the seeds at near the right temp and they usually germinate in 2 to 4 days. Watch out for higher temps as they will roast the seeds and nothing will happen.

4/19/2008 7:22:10 PM

Roblin, Manitoba

I experimented this year with the paper towel method, and it worked really well. I removed the seed coat first so it was just the embryo (carefully with a small paring knife), and had most seeds sprouted within 24 hrs, the earliest was about 17 hrs I think.

4/19/2008 7:22:15 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Ditto Gary & Gordon. One inch down on an angle which seems to help them shed the shell. We put them in the soil-less mix as soon as the root emerges. That root (radicle) is delicate so the sooner the better.

4/20/2008 12:41:31 AM

milford, CT,

I did 6 test germinations using the baggie and then put the seeds 1" down tilted in the starter mix. All 6 shed their seed coat by themselves....I will be going this route...Mark

4/20/2008 4:01:15 PM