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[Roze]

I've found this method in a old book:

" There is always a certain amount of wastage when sowing seeds because not all of them will germinate. In particular certain crops that may have erratic rates of successful germination. One solution is to sow a large number of seeds and thin out the seedlings if necessary. However, a more economical and reliable method is to pre-germinate or "chit" the seeds.
 To chit seeds sprinkle them on to moistened kitchen paper in a plastic container. Cover the container with newspaper and keep it in a warm place at 21*C (70*F). Germination should begin within 2-3 days and the seeds can then be transferred to individual pots."     

My question is: will this method works or improve the germination of some "hard seeds" or is outdated?

[Sunshine]

In my experience I've noticed that plants that drop seeds in patches such as poppy and tobacco don't transplant well and need the root support of fellow seedlings to grow well and stay upright. I don't know about other patch seeds. If you have a ton of patch seeds and you don't have enough space to grow them all then they're going to lose viability after a while anyways so you might as well just plant them in patches so they grow well.

1 Like Roze likes this.

[Auxin]

It depends on several factors.
If seeds are of unknown or low viability and you dont want to under or over plant its a good idea at times. Right now I'm chitting a hundred Acacia seeds before planting in seedling pots, to be sure-er I get the right number of seedlings in a tight time frame.
Similar for seeds with known dormancy issues- pre-germinate for more reliable growth.
If a seed makes a big plant and you want it growing as soon as possible it can speed things along. I'll pre-germinate squash/zucchini seeds before planting out as soon as the weather allows. Or if I have loads of seeds I'll pre-soak and plant too many and eat he extra vines.
If moisture might be inadequate seed can be pre-soaked at least until they swell to give them a better start. Like instead of sprinkling basil seeds in a row you can pre-soak until the root tips are just beginning to poke out, load in a sandwich bag, cut the corner off, and squeeze out little goo-blobs of seeds on down the row.
If moisture isnt so much an issue and lots are being sewn chitting or pre-soaking can be trouble for no benefit. Planting lots of mustard or kale, for instance, they dont mind a late frost and they get going with just a week of really reliable moisture so I plant them dry. Similarly if starting in pots and your not really tight for space or time, just sticking the chilli or tomato seeds in without even pre-soaking can be much faster and almost as good.
And if your hands dont handle delicate little things well thats also a consideration.

No universal answer on chitting, think it out for each plant and each situation.

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[Roze]

so... do you recommend this method to break dormancy or do you have a more viable one?

[Auxin]

Well, technically, chitting is not a method of breaking dormancy. Its the seed germination that occurs after dormancy has been broken by some independent means.
For some species just soaking in water can break dormancy better than planting because it washes out dormancy hormones.
Some species wait for a specific number of freeze-thaw cycles or a specific length of time in cold moist soil.
Some species wait on butenolide hormones in smoke.
For some species gibberellic acid is good at breaking dormancy, others are best done by their natural way.
And its hypothetically possible to use cheap and available acid naproxen (or a salt thereof) to prevent a forming seed from building the capacity to be dormant, tho I've never seen this put to the test... its on my list of things to do someday unless I talk about it enough someone beats me to it
Whatever the mechanism, a seed wont germinate until any dormancy it has is at least partly broke. Then if it germinates before planting thats the method of chitting.

Plants are complicated critters

[New Wisdom]

GA3 is good for breaking dormacy.

[Roze]

 One teacher said to me that Ga3 only improves 10%the germination and may not  worth the expense. Do you agree with him?

But, I'll give a try on GA3 to take my own conclusions

[New Wisdom]

I dissagree with that statement. It differs with every species of seed and every batch of seed. I've gotten 60% increase in germination with it in the past. And if seeds are dormant it will start their growth cycle up.  Plus it's very cheap. Definitely worth it.

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[Roze]

Ok!  Do you recommend any source on-line?

[Sunshine]

I find ebay to be a good place when shopping for almost anything. Its a marketplace that encourages competition and as a result the consumers get the best deal possible.

This one is pretty cheap- http://www.ebay.com/itm/gibberellic-acid-kit-5-grams-90-technical-grade-plant-hormone-powder-GA3-/131061193159?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e83db19c7

And this one-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibberellic-Acid-90-GA3-Granular-1g-Technical-Grade-/231059884162?pt=US_Hydroponics&var=&hash=item35cc3e0882

The former is a better deal, price per unit wise.

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