Should vegetable seeds be soaked just prior to planting?
Monday, March 1st, 2010 at
9:36 am
When I start my seedlings this year, would it do any good to soak them for a few minutes before planting, or just water them in the potting soil? Is there any difference in germination?
Filed under: Planting
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Some seed do well to be soaked over night and other do fine just planting them. Some require being nicked or abraded. You should be able to find the proper techniques for different seeds on many on line sites. Beets, for instance, will do best if they are crushed with a rolling pin to separate the clusters of seed into individuals and so require less thinning. When the time comes to thin them wait till they are large enough to make good use of the plants pulled for salads or steaming. Celery seeds should be soaked over night. Also parsley seeds. I’ve forgotten which require nicking but it’s all on line. Have a great garden for the coming season.
I didn’t when I planted mine, and I had carrots and potatoes-a-plenty!
Wetting the seeds makes them too hard to handle, as they stick together in clumps, especially if the seeds are small. Some larger seeds (like beans) can be soaked, but those will say so on the package. Otherwise, plant them in the soil dry, then water and keep the soil moist. That is all the water they will need.
If you want to, you can put them in a moist paper towel, but the towel in a little zip-lock bag, and put the towel in a warm dark place for about a week. That will give the plants a head start, and you don’t have to worry about planting them deep enough. On some plants, like tomatoes, it is a good idea to leave bits of the paper towel on each plant, as tearing them from the paper towel completely will tear off the roots. You can then plant the seedlings in a growing medium. Some plants, like cool season crops, will need temperatures around forty degrees to germinate. Warm season plants, like tomatoes, will need seventy.
No, it’s not necessary unless it says so on the package.
I don’t but I use a seed starting mix, no soil, and get it wet and moist 2 to 3 days before planting my seeds. Always make sure the planting mix is wet before you plant the seeds, don’t water after you plant.
Most of the common ones you’ll grow dont need it. The exceptions are beans and okra. They have fairly heavy seed coats and you will get better/faster germination with an overnight soak.
Every one of them will germinate without being soaked or nicked. The seed doesn’t know the difference between being in water or moist soil and as someone already pointed out, getting them wet makes them that much harder to handle.