Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Tips on Starting Banana Seeds?, 1 by bwilliams

bwilliams wrote:
I have only heard of micro waving stubborn seeds for 1 to 3 seconds which heats up the inner core and for a lot of seeds makes them sprout right away. I have never heard of cooler temps for banana seeds but I have never tried it. I have found that not nicking the seeds you can still get germination but not as many will germinate usually 1 out of every 10 or so if not nicked. Usually that number is a lot higher if the temperatures are very warm and the seeds will respond to the warm temps and bust through any ways also if it is very humid the humidity and heat will weaken the seed wall. I have seen very good luck on very fresh seed if quickly planted. It seems very fresh seed have not hardened up and the seeds tend to sprout faster due to the softened seed wall.

Here is a fresh banana I grew and to the right you can see a fresh seed. I clean the seeds and keep them in a paper sack till spring when I sprout them out.