Hi, I am trying to germinate some seeds. After cold stratifying them for 3 weeks in the freezer, I took half out and am trying to get them to germinate, the rest I am leaving in for another 2 weeks. So I put them in some soil, keeping them in dark, around 80F. This white spider web type material is forming on some of them, is it mold, is it the seeds somehow, does anybody know what it is?
Hi SilverOrange and welcome to Dave’s Garden!
Well, from the pictures, the white stuff appears to be mildew. Mildew is a form of mold. Mildew grows best in places that are warm, dark, and moist. Mildew grows best at temperatures above 77 degrees F. While trying to germinate your seeds, you have supplied these exact conditions.
It looks like you’ve used some sort of peat or coir pellets. These pellets are enclosed in some kind of netting and it looks like it’s that netting that has mildewed.
What kind of seeds are you trying to germinate? Why the darkness and why 80 degrees?
Art
It is Monkshood, or wolfsbane. I have been trying to get it to germinate for a couple of months now, and when I saw the mildew I thought I had finally got it to grow. If you have any tips, they would be greatly appreciated. I am using a mini greenhouse thing where you inflate the pellets with water, and put the seeds inside the peat, and cover it up with a plastic enclosure and it creates a nice humid warm place for the seeds. It doesn't have to be 80f, but I saw online that I was supposed to keep it dark for some reason (don't know why).
Hi again SilverOrange :-)
Not being familiar with Monkshood, I did a little web searching. I saw that they do not require light to germinate, but really did not see that ‘darkness’ was actually needed. I read that the seeds are hard to germinate and could take quite a long time, if successful at all.
Since I’ve never grown these, it’s hard to make any recommendations. However, if it were me, I’d start by removing the seeds from those moldy peat pellets. Many people have problems using them since it’s so hard to keep the moisture level fairly even. Soil that is too wet has killed many more seedlings than soil that is too dry! Maybe plant the seeds in those small plastic cell packs instead. I’d also keep the temperature around 75 degrees and would not place the cell pack in darkness. Keep in mind that mold/mildew grows best in darkness and with temperature above 77 degrees.
Another possibility would be to use the “Deno Method”. You can easily find info about that method on the web. If your seeds are not real small, that method works fine and you’ll be able to see when the seeds germinate.
Art
Thanks :) I will do that I haven't had luck with the last 3 batches I tried to grow in the peat pellets. I am going to try to buy some good starting soil, switching the seeds to that, and keeping it moist but not drowning.
Watering with dilute hydrogen peroxide may also discourage mildew, at least a little.
Others sprinkle powdered cinnamon, or water with cold chaomille tea.
If you try peroxide, dilute drugstore peroxide around 1/16 or 1/32. Since the drugstore peroxide is around 3%, this will give you 0.1% to 0.2%.
1-2 ounces per quart.
By the way, when seeds need stratification, they usually need cold, MOIST stratification. The freezer is an unconventional method of breaking dormancy, though I have read some people have succeeded using it with some seeds.
Usually stratification means spending some weeks (or even months) moist and below 40 F. The "Deno method" is put seeds in a damp paper towel inside a plastic baggie in a refrigerator.
If the seeds germinate before you expected, you can see the radicle (baby rootlet) emerge and know to move that seed to soil in a pot. Otherwise, wait as long as those seeds are said to need, then move them into soil and keep them warmer until they emerge.
Or look up "wintersowing". Some people sow seeds that need stratification in sealed or vented plastic tubs with moist seedling mix or coarse vermiculite. Then they put them outside in the wintertime, so they will get months of cold or freezing temps alternating with cool te4mps. The theory is that "Nature knows best" and the seeds will germinate when the weather is approximately what they want.
You have to keep them from overheating once the snow cover melts off, and keep them from drying out or flooding. Shade can help with that and might help protect them from an unseasonably warm spell followed by a cold spell.
The plastic tub or jug protects the seeds from insects, birds and rain. The sterile seedling mix helps reduce rot and damping off.
Jonna Sudenious perfected a method with sealed tubs and coarse vermiculite. Avoiding vent and drain holes means you don;t need to control drying or watering, but you DO have to get the moisture level right before you snap the lid closed.
Jonna found that vermiculite "holds" seedlings well after they germinate and emerge. They seem to stop growing while still small, and wait for you to have time to prick them out and pot them up.
http://www.seedsite.eu/articles/sowing
Hm.. Ok thanks. I read somewhere that pricking the seed with the needle breaks dormancy, as well as soaking them in acetone? Any opinions on that?
I never heard of soaking in a solvent such as acetone. If I was going to experiment with that idea myself, I would probably start with isopropyl alcohol as being less likely to be toxic. And I would soak at most for 5-10 seconds, as if to dissolve a waxy coat.
Acetone seems like an extreme measure.
Have you tried things like overnight soaks in warm water? Or dilute hydrogen peroxide (1.5 tsp per cup)? Or germinating Deno-method on a paper towel in a baggie at 70F? Or Deno-method cold-moist stratification at 40F for weeks? Or winter-sowing?
Poking with a needle, scraping with a knife, or nicking with scissors or fingernail clippers is common for big seeds with hard coats. Or you can rub them against sandpaper or an Emory board. (And then soak overnight in warm water.)
I have tried the deno method, put in a refrigerator for a month and a half, then took it out and tried to plant them. I think I had it too wet though, I had the paper towel submerged in water. I am trying a batch now, I started them today, I soaked them in warm water overnight and today I put them in a MOIST paper towel in the fridge. I also put a few in a moist paper towel at room temp. (Both are in baggies)
I haven't tried the dilute hydrogen peroxide, I will try that as well. I actually tried winter sowing in Colorado but i think it was too dry and cold, they never grew.
I ordered some quality germination soil (Black Gold brand), and also some vermiculite (Espoma brand) instead of the peat pellets I was using. I think that will give me better chances as well since the peat pellets either stayed super wet or super dry.
I don't think I've heard many people say they used peat pots TWICE. I bought some peat pots and some pellets around 3-4 years ago, and still have most of them unused. I should crumble them up and mix them into the soil.
>> I think I had it too wet though, I had the paper towel submerged in water.
I bet that was too wet.
Stratification means cold treatment, scarification is nicking the seed coat.
Seeds needing stratification usually come from cold winter areas, and the seed needs to recognize the difference between winter and spring/fall. And yes, the cold treatment is supposed to be just ABOVE freezing, 40F +/- . I always thought stratification was a dumb word for cold treatment, since it means layering. I rationalized that if it means layering, maybe is supposed to mean fluctuating temperatures. So I have started some by moving them from the freezer to the fridge every time I was in one or the other. But this is based more on my knowledge of linguistics rather than botany. I start them in a seed tray made out of an egg carton, so they are less likely to be damaged by moving.
Seeds needing scarification come from areas with a rainy season and a dry season, and they have to be able to tell when the rainy season starts. In nature they get washed and tumbled over sand/gravel in cloudbursts. So they need a thorough soak &/or the seed coat nicked.
