Botany Quiz: What is scarification?

No one else yet?

I chose:
To nick or scratch a seed coating to hasten germination

Knew it anyway!
~* Robin

I don't know but I am guessing, I looked up the word scarify, and it meant to scratch. So I am taking a stab at it:

To nick or scratch a seed coating to hasten germination.

But for me the obvious is usually wrong.

To nick or scratch the seed to hasten germination.
Not only that, but in some cases to slash the entire seed coating. I have done this on Texas Mountain Laurel seed after soaking and it speeds the germination tremendously.
I have also done it with Coral bean seeds, although they are not as hard as Mountain laurel.
You have to be careful not to damage the seed itself, and do the slash away from the eye.
Josephine.

OOps I read it wrong. Thought it said stratisfication.

I guessed...

frostweed: What a lovely hyperlink to enjoy in this time of hectification! The music is calming and beautiful. Thank You and Happy 2005!

I actually knew this one. You hafta do it to MG seeds in NY or they germinate just in time for the first snow. Actually they are too hard to scratch but one can nick them and soak 'em to hasten the sprouting.

Josephine, what a wonderful treat to view your Web page! Pics are so beautiful and informative.
Scarification of seeds does help with germination, if seeds are planted in quality soil.
Thank you for your hard work and sharing results.

My college days repay me, once again.....

I thought I recognized it from the recesses of my ancient and failing memory. Looks like I did good. ;)

Gwen

I knew this one because I use the method. As frostweed says - be careful to avoid the eye and don't go too deep. Best way I've found is to rub the seed on a piece of sandpaper just until a small spot appears through the outer hard shell - that will be enough for water to penetrate and reach the germplasm.

Josephine, I shall definitely bookmark your website. It is so calming, beautiful & relaxing. I knew the answer, too because of the scarification. Stratification confuses people but scarring is different.

I scarify my seeds on sand paper. It's easy and quick, but be careful not to 'scarify' your fingers.
Happy Holidays and a bountyful New Year

Yeah I actually knew that one without having to look it up. (grin)

Scarification==To nick or scratch a seed to hasten germination.

Gitagal

I knew this one! LOL!

Me too, I got it right too... heehee ~Blooms And I added your site to my favorites list Frostweed-Josephine, it's lovely.

I'm in the 'new it' category - probably for the first time! lol

But ya gotta admit the other answers are pretty reasonable sounding! (*grin*) (I get scarification and stratification twisted in my mind, tongue and fingers, too ;o)

yeah, ya did good! I had to read them over carefully...

I learned this in 195?????? from my father and it stayed in my memory bank. marilynne

I scarify a lot of seeds, so if I got this answer wrong I'd have to turn in my gardening trowel and be banished from the yard forever!

I'm safe - for now, but the next question might not be so easy???....

I knew this one too! I learned that from trying to grow brugs from seed. I take a fingernail clipper and clip a very little part of it.

I choose to nick or scratch, but it was a good guess!

YAY!
At last one I didn't have to guess at!
LOL!

Nancy

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY SCARIFICATION!

I HAVE SEEDS OF PRIDE OF BARBADOS WHICH HAS TO BE SCARIFIED..........SO I'LL TRY NAIL FILE, OR NAIL CLIP.
AFTER PENETRATION OF TOUCH SEED COVERING, I'LL SOAK SEEDS 24 HOURS BEFORE PLANTING IN GREENHOUSE.

THANKS TO ALL FOR GOOD INFORMATION. (Sorry, forgot to use lower caps, as requested) It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
Cheers!

I didn't know, but felt that the name 'scarification' suggested itself to meaning 'to scar', so I guessed that.

as a Cycad enthusiast this is an easy question: To nick or scratch a seed coating to hasten germination.
George in San Antonio

I voted for the scratching of a seed to hasten germination.

However, I would have liked to be able to vote for two options, as in my dictionary (Collins), the word can also be used to describe "to loosen and break up (soil) to a shallow depth", so I think there is also the possibility that c. is correct as well.

Also, certainly in the UK, you can buy a 'lawn scarifier' which rakes out the dead thatch and moss etc, though that wasn't one of the choices *grin*

I have used sandpaper mostly for scarification, works best before soaking. Donna

Hello Sunrize, Sudiegoodman, Buttoneer and BloomsWithaView; Thank you for your kind words about my website. We are trying to bring to the forefront the beauty of native plants.
Sincerely, Josephine.

I was just studing scarification this last week.

this is sort of a trick question. stratification vs. scarification. lol!

I knew this one because I need to scarify my canna seeds before planting them. I have tried many methods for scarification. Sandpaper, cement bricks, which is rough on the ends of your fingers and nails when the seed pops out of your hand and your fingers are still going with the motion of scratching.

I have used toenail clippers, knives and lost more seed from clipping too far and having them snap open in half.

The best thing I found to use was dog nail clippers. I hold the clippers open and just rub the seed back and forth across the blade a couple of time. Was kinds tricky at first and managed to knick my self a time or two while trying it. But after I got the hang of it, I found you can do a whole lot of seed in a relatively short time and after you do the first couple of seeds you can count strokes so you beasically know how deep your going without damaging the emerging embryos inside.

Starlight--dog clippers for scarifying, love it! Have tried all the same things you had, with the same (ouch) results. My best efforts were using tiny needlenose pliers and sandpaper.

....just tried the dog clippers; I must have a different kind, couldn't get them to work.

It also means to put scars into a person. (Yikes!) Everyone to her own kicks, I guess. Along with tattooing, it is a means of carving or creating patterns in skin.

Much better to keep it to seeds where it actually does someone some good!

One you didn't think of Dave? Or are we just being "Plantocentric" :-> Guess it comes with the territory.

And you use Canna seeds starlight? I'm always hacking Cannas right out of the ground and trying to give them away. Maybe you're trying a little creative crossbreeding?

Oh, and and I've read that it sometimes can be done with acid on seeds (can't remember what kind of acid or seeds - anybody know?). But I'm not up for that.

Chilko... I just use them dog toenail clippers I got from Walmart. I just open em up and hold the seed between my finger and rub it back and forth about 3 or 4 times on the blade. Then plop it in a dish and start on the next one. Make sure the using the side of the clippers with the shaper side. I used the wrong side the first time I tried. LOL

Doss... I haven't tryed to hrbidize any of them myself. I let the bees do there number. Most of the seed I have is from the species Canna. I had seed pods formed on my other cultivars, but they did not take right. They all dried up and turned to dust inside. I may give it a try this year, wil have to wait and see how things go.

The acid is hydrochloric and I do not recommend it. It is very dangerous if not properly handled and shoudl only be used in a lab. I have used it before and you have to have a weak strength and watch that you dont get it on your hands cuz it will burn you too, plus if you leave the seeds into long it can damage the embryo. Then your trying to get rid of acid which is not good on pvc pipes if you happen to forget.

Thanks for the advice! Luckily, I only grow annuals from seed packets. I barely manage to take care of what's here now and so I haven't gotten to that yet. It's a whole new world out there! So I just keep dividing my Cannas and giving them to the neighbors - and grasses, Watsonia, daylilies, Iris..............I do take cuttings sometimes. Like from flowering maple. Those are easy. I stand in awe of seed experts. You have my greatest respect!!!

I use a rough emery board, do nails at the same time :)