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[Mandrake]

I think this was a good introduction to one little known topic.

Seeds of more than 1200 plant species respond to smoke. The first evidence came from studies with annual species from California chaparral whose germination was promoted by burned woody material (reviewed in Nelson et al., 2012). In 2004 it was reported in a brief communication in Science the identity of a molecule present in plant-derived and cellulose-derived smoke that was able to promote germination of different plant species.

Source of the Article

Regards,

Mandrake

1 Like krsnakat likes this.

[Cannettuce]

That is awesome! Do u know if cigarette or krerek smoke works?

[Seed Collector]

Thank you very much for this. 

[CheshireCat]

I knew that after a forest fire there is a lot of new growth very fast, but that the smoke itself can induce germination is a very interesting finding. Thank you for sharing! 

[Mandrake]

That is awesome! Do u know if cigarette or krerek smoke works?

The byproducts of combustion that are mentioned by research are a result of burning cellulose, which is of course present in all plant material, including smoking paper and tobacco. So this would suggest it does work. However, I'm not sure if potentially toxic compounds, such as vaporized nicotine, could have any negative effect on seeds...

If I was to try the application of smoke on dormant seeds or seeds with low germination rates, I would rather use woody twigs or bark than solanaceae leaves. Building a simple device to "smoke" seeds while protecting them from excess heat should not be complicated, and it might be an interesting alternative to try instead of using other germination boosters like gibberellic acid.

By the way, if anyone has access to past issues of Science Magazine (2004 Aug 13) to get a copy of the first research paper quoted, that would be very appreciated.

As for krerek, I have no idea what that is 

Mandrake

[Cannettuce]

Kretek is a clove cigarette, it has less tobacco and more clove, so its a little more mellow than an average cigarette

[Sunshine]

Edited- Misunderstood the topic

It would be best to use a relatively benign plant to produce the smoke such as leaves or grass clippings.

One could smoke damiana or mullein and blow the smoke on the seeds.

If you pack a bowl, light it, then put your mouth over the bowl part you can blow through it and produce very thick clouds to blow on the seeds.

[New Wisdom]

=If you pack a bowl, light it, then put your mouth over the bowl part you can blow through it and produce very thick clouds to blow on the seeds.

If you want burnt lips you can do that too!

Hehe.   

[Sunshine]

*Shrugs*
If you got a deep bowl. Maybe not...
OK OK! I admit...it was a poorly thought out idea. I'm just spit balling.
Lets see you come up with something better! :p

[Cannettuce]

Roll mullein like a cigarette, light, then flip around and blow through the cherried end, flood with smoke, rinse and repeat. In other words, powerhit

[Mandrake]

Some ideas... Smoke absorbent paper, or make up cleansing tissues, spray water on them, then use them as germination base. Or for direct sowing, once seeds are planted cover the soil with a thin layer of smoked vermiculite or other granular substrate. Water will carry the chemicals into the soil

Cheers,

Mandrake

[olyd88]

Wow, this is very interesting fact, well it reminds me about an ayahuasca shaman smoking a mapacho and blowing it through your body and head. Pushes out the negativity and the lights come in , anyway thanks for the information!

[yurem]

Maybe this is a natural response from the seed, since the soil gets a lot of nutrients from the ashes right after a fire or something like that. So, when the seed receive the "smoke signal" it would start to germinate to seize some of that nutrient, that will be washed in the first rain.

[Greentoe]

I smoke out my plants and seeds I just start all the time. I've seen plants open up new leaves while smoking them out its pretty cool.

[Auxin]

One could smoke damiana or mullein and blow the smoke on the seeds.

Keep in mind that one should use a filter when smoking mullein, as the hairs that cover it can cause lung damage.
Good time of year to find free mullein tho (its a very easy to spot 'weed' thats person size in its second year).

I've used 'smoke hormone' two different ways- both of which seemed to work. Either I exposed the seeded pots directly or I blew smoke into a jar 1/4 full with water and shook it up real well before using the water as a spray onto seeded pots.
It can be a fun way to use up excess herbage and it can smell great too, I think my favorite was mixing mexican oregano, sage, and ashwagandha leaves. It was like incense, lol.