Seed Soaking

Hi All:

I have read quite a few threads where people have posted about soaking their seeds prior to starting them indoors. I have never done this and would be interested in getting some basic information on when this should be done, what veggies would benefit from soaking and basic do's and don'ts.

Thanks

BB

I've never soaked any kind of vegetable seed. Only a few hard-coated vines like butterfly vine and native clematis.

I usually soak my sugar snap pea seeds and my edamame (soybean) seeds before planting them. I soak them overnight and I plant them the next day. I find it helps speed up germination and it also helps the bean innoculant to stick to the seeds before planting them (I roll the drained seeds in the innoculant before planting). My only recomendation is to plant the seeds the day after they have been soaked. Don't let them soak too long (ie more than 10 hrs or so). Good luck,

LD :)

My daughters planted some peas last Thursday and they poked their head out of the dirt (much to the girls delight) three and a half days later. They are in dirt 7 days now and some are over two inches tall. I can't imagine how quickly they would have germinated if i had soaked them!

Does it matter what you soak them in?

I think your original question was about soaking plants to be started indoors and transplanted. I don't because I can maintain moisture levels in seed trays. Direct seeded plants , I will soak when the soil has a tendency to dry out and I need to get them started quick. Usually that means peas and beans.

Thanks Farmer Dill:

I was reading another thread and someone was raving about the results they got after soaking some pepper seeds.

I have had pretty good results without any pre-soaking

BB

If you have old seeds that may need a bit of help, soaking for 12 hours or so will help re-hydrate them. This helps the baby plant break through a hardened seed coat.

I soak okra..it has a tough seed and soaking overnight will soften it some and I get better germination.

It's personal preference, unless you have some really old seeds...(between 5 and 10 years)

I am currently working with two sets of old tomato seeds...14 years and 10 years. Soaked both and have them with gentle bottom heat...the 10 year seeds are germinating today. Both were planted 1 week ago. Don't know what kind of percentage I'm getting yet, but really proud to see those little guys sticking their necks up.

Melody, that gives me hope. I have some 6 year old squash seeds i REALLY want to germinate this year. I only have 7 of them, i am hoping to at least get one to make it. Do you use water or the water hydrogen peroxide mixture?

I use 1/2 strenth Miracle Gro...I think the peroxide would do the same thing...weak tea overnight will help also for peppers.

Don't soak more than 24 hours...plant sometime between the 12 and 24 hour window. If you have floaters, poke them down so that they are covered too. They may just be dry instead of dead.

Planted some curly red lettuce seed in an EarthBox. Seeds were dated 1989. Didn't have much hope. So many sprouted that I now have to thin. No pre-treatment. Seeds were held refrigerated.

Depends on the type of seed as to how long that it's viable. It varies by cultivar as to how long the seeds will be good. Some stuff will be good for ages...and other things have a much smaller window.

The oldest vaiety that I'm working with is something that I can get with a bit of searching, the other one is pretty rare..(not even listed in the SSE Yearbook this year)
The 10 year seeds have 50% germination after 8 days...got 1 out of 18 so far on the 14 year group.
Old seeds sometimes take longer than the usual time to germinate. Normally tomatoes take between 4 and 6 days for me. These are starting their second week, but I'll give them 3 weeks before I start figuring that they're done.

If it's something that can't be replaced, I'd hedge my bets by soaking if it's over 5 years old...if it's commonly available and you just want to use them, don't worry about any pre-treatment.

Melody:

Does it matter what the seeds are soaked in? Tap vs Distilled water? I even seen mention of a hydrogen peroxide solution or chamomille tea. Are these solutions helpful?

BB

I used 1/2 strength Miracle Gro on the tomatoes. Different seeds respond better with different chemicals. Gibberllic acid is a help in germination also. Some folks use hydrogen peroxide for some plants. I use weak tea (just the regular stuff) for peppers. I use the Miracle Gro on tomatoes because Carolyn said to..(good enough reason for me)

chalomile tea seems to have antibacterial properties and is used to prevent damp off.

I use tap water, but we have very good water here...I even drink it...*gasp*..

last year i soaked all of my seeds in this tonic ,it was really great everything was nice and healthy i have been using this mix for two years now never disapointed will use it again on my heirloom garden this year 1tsp of baby shampoo
1 tsp of epsom salts
1 qt of weak tea water

mix the epsom salts and the baby shampoo in the tea,put your seeds in cheesecloth or the toe of an old pair of pantyhose,lable them unless you want them mixed. Drop the bundles into the liquid and put the container into the fridge for 24 hours.
take them out plant and watch them grow



for the weak tea water:soak a used tea bag in a mix of 1 gallon of warm water and 1 teaspoonof liquid dish soap(not the antibacterial stuff) until the mix is light brown.
GOODLUCK!!!!
cindilynn

Very, VERY few vegetable seeds require either scarification or stratification. The seeds would have performed the same way had neither option to break dormancy been used.

Old seeds that are possibly somewhat dehydrated from storage are the only ones I feel a real need to soak.

I soak okra just because it hastens germination a bit, but I've planted it both ways with success.

Just because they're older, doesn't mean they need to be soaked. They are dry, so they *are* dehydrated. They'll get all of the moisture they need when they're placed in a planting medium, and watered. With vegetables as well as herbs, it's usually more important to pay attention to the seeds' needs for light, or a lack thereof, in order to germinate

Okra is one of the few vegetable seeds that benefit from (warm) scarification. Still, if the soil temperature is above 70°, scarification is probably not needed. As for vegetable seeds that require stratification, or a combination of scarification and stratification, I know of none.

I have found that soaking okra seeds in hydrogen peroxide for a day or two helps speed up sprouting.As soon as the first little bit of the white sprout begins to show, into the ground they go.

I usually sprout onion seeds by rolling them in a wet paper towel and putting it in a sandwich bag. They seem to sprout faster than if planted directly into soil. As soon as they have a "tail" I plant them. Besides, I just think it's fun to see them sprout..........gives me a little more confidence that they're really going to come up. hehe. "Oh ye of little faith".

I usually soak parsley and peas. Mostly because I'm in a hurry to see them germinate. Haven't noticed any improvement in either germination rate or quality of adult plant. just faster seedlings, which is reason enough, this time of year! I use plain old room temp tap water. But I have a spring. I probaby wouldn't use tap water from a municiple system. Too many chemicals.