Piercing seeds

I have some stubborn seeds. I've tried scraping them with a nail file but that doesn't seem to be helping. The seed packet says "nick with a file or puncture with a pin" but darned if I can figure out how to hold onto the little things and achieve this without risking puncturing myself. Any suggestions?

I like to use fingernail clippers. I can usually get a nick in the seed coat by using the corner part of the clippers. For larger seeds I use the bigger clippers for toenails :)

It works pretty good if you can hold onto the seed. Soaking seeds might be enough to soften the coat too. What kind of seeds are you haveing trouble with?

I just use a pair of heavy duty nail clippers & nip off a bit if there is a edge, otherwise I just use the corners of the clippers to dig in a bit. All your trying to do is get water inside. A couple of times I went in a bit too much & all that happened was my first set of leaves were a bit deformed.
If your determined to use a needle, maybe hold the seed with pliers or tweezers.
Good luck
Donna

With seeds like Moon vine, I use
my small craft pliers & just pinch the end till they crack.


Honeybee

Thanks to everyone for their ideas, I'll try them.

poppysue, I'm trying to germinate some wild roses (Woods Rose). Boiling water, soaked two days, put in damp mix in fridge for three months, and they are still a no go. I understand roses can be slow to germinate but I'm hoping I'll get *some* response out of them before spring.