Seed soaking solution

LOL the title just seems to amuse me as I sit on the seashore ....

I am just starting in seed propagation and noticed some differences in the solutions that people suggestion The three biggest one I've seem to run into is Saltpeter, Gibberellic Acid and Kirstenbosch. I've also read that vingear and a few others could be used. I've searched thru the last 200 post and could find anything like my questions so I thought why not ask.

1) Is one better than the other?
2) If you find instructions for one product how do you convert it over for use for another product? (I don't plan on buying one of each)
3) Is there any other hidden things that I should research (besides stratification periods and seed sources)?
4) Why am I still up?

Thanks guys, I'll look for your post in the morning.

G'nite

I don't know what seeds you are starting, for my BRUG seeds I just soaked 24hrs. in plain water, and it worked great

I have read where tree seed actually germinate better if pre-soaked in Saltpeter or whatever. Where I read this it also stated that seed germinate more uniformly. I actually got this information from Dr. Dirr's woody plant propagation book.

I used hydrogen peroxide and distilled water last year as a soak for a lot of my larger seeds and was very impressed with it.

Its much cheaper than the other suggestions and works really well depending on what you are starting.

I think probably the biggest question is what you are wanting to start and if its something very difficult.
I started brugs, daturas, morning glories, 4 o'clocks and probably have forgotten more than I am remembering. A lot of them sprouted in the waterbefore I ever got around to planting them.

There was also a great thread last winter on doing daylilies in that mixture and putting them in a jar until they sprouted. (I will see if I can find it for you)

I just found that great post you was talking about aknapp!

Thanks

Vinegar is often used as an herbacide so can't imagine it working to help germinate seeds.
I personally use 1x4 hydrogen peroxide/distilled water solution.

Thanks RikerBear

I always use just plain old water.

Hello again,

I'd like to try the distilled water/peroxide solution for seeds. Can anyone give me the liquid measures I would need, preferably in english measurements?

Does 1x4 mean 1 cup peroxide to 4 cups distilled water?

Sorry to be so slow and ask so many questions,

Maureen

Yes, I think 1x4 means 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water (but could mean 1 part peroxide in 3 parts water, making the peroxide 1/4). Personally, I use 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 9 parts water. Personal preferences, I think. I also use that same solution to prevent dampening off.

Thanks very much Darius!

Darius,

Do you mean that you water the plant with HP solution to keep from dampening off?

Yes, I do, Abby. Not every watering, maybe every second or third. It's also a wonderful solutionn to use on plants that have been overwatered... despite seeming contradictions of watering soggy plants, the HP solution actually brings oxygen to the soggy roots.

darius,
I use the same type of solution for sprouting seeds and watering my seedlings. Just double checking--do you mix your solutions up as you go so the Hydrogren Peroxide doesn't evaporate due to sunlight--or do you keep a bottle premixed?
I mix my solutions up when needed and soak my seeds in cups with waxpaper on their tops so light can't get to the solution. I thought this was the reason HP is stored in brown bottles?.... Just wondering if it really makes a difference....
Nancy

I use all I have mixed up at one time, mixing more if there wasn't enough to go around.

Have no clue about the effect of light; it has never been a problem for me.

That does make sense... I have never seen a bottle of HP that wasn't in a brown bottle.

Alright... we ought to bottle and sell it.... LOL

Call it "No G-nats, flower startin, overwaterin problem solvin' , fire and brimstone EXLIXER.

Abby

That is true, I read somewhere about the bottle being brown due to the effect of light....a good thing to remember.

Maureen

Will the peroxide work on iris seeds.
Maybe I should spray the roses I'm attempting to root w/ hp/water.What do you think?Thanks,Jody

I had iris seeds in flats (soaked 24 hrs first in plain water) that did NOTHING for 2-3 months until I started watering them with the peroxide solution. Then almost all of them sprouted.

darius,
thanks I have them all on the counter in little cups getting ready for the HP solution.Not well enough to get off the couch today.Worse part someone sent me butterfly bush cuttings.I don't know how to root them and am to sick to do it today.What about putting them in the frig?Thanks,Jody
Sorry to bust up your thread.Jody

Just stick them in water for now, Jody. Refrigeration will dry them out if not in water, but the cool will retard them in water until you can dip them in hormone and pot them up.

Last year I bought a bag of those small bathroom cups to soak my seeds in, probably like Jody posted just up above. They are great because you can write the name on the cup, and the cups are small enough not to need a lot of solution.

Do not try this with small seeds like tomato seeds or smaller. This works better on larger seeds. It disintegrated my tomato seeds overnight.

How long do I soak the iris seeds for?Jody

I have no clue, Jody, as I didn't soak mine first because I didn't know to do so. I'd say at least 24 hours.

darius,
thanks
Jody

Should ALL seeds be soaked before you plant them? I have never done this and have successfully grown vinca, impatiens, and coleus (all fairly small seeds) Would I have even better success if I soaked them, if only for an hour? I'm excited to try the HP/Distilled Water Solution! I would love to know how you all treat your annuals seeds, which is what I'm most interested in growing :) Do you treat the seeds you plant outside with this solution, as well? Just wondering. I'm just starting to get into "propagation" and have LOTS to learn!!

Leslie

Allie, I usually do not soak small seeds so I cannot offer advice. Maybe try soaking the seed starter mix with the HP solution might be an advantage...

I don't plant many annual seeds, just buy starts st the local college garden store.

I wouldn't soak small seeds, but instead spray them after you sow them with the solution Darius recommended.

Good idea Michelle, I hadn't thought about that. I didn't use it on any of my small seeds either, even though I would have liked to.

If I am trying to sterilize seeds for storage, I do a 1:10 mix of bleach in cold water, and agitate for 10 minutes. Rinse very well and let dry spread out on a flat surface(like a plate) under a fan.

If I want to sow the seeds, and am ready to sow them, I use a different method that makes them sterile from any microscopic mold and fungus spores, as well as hasten the swelling:
I run water through my automatic drip coffee maker and pour it over the seeds. I let them soak until they swell, and then sow.
The heat makes them swell faster, and is actually perfectly harmless to the seed. You many want to test your water temperature before you try this, as 160 degrees is perfect, but over 168 and up to 180 will kill the seed/embryo. This method seems to work the very best with tropicals and big seeds. Regular really hot tap water is rarely hotter than 140 degrees, which will not kill all the mold and fungus, and boiling is way too hot, and will kill the seed.

Remove them when they swell. Do not let them continue to soak, once they've swollen, or they will absorb too much water and are likely to rot.

I've done this for years, and reall works well. I read this in a scientific study/journal when trying to read up on germinating some really rare seeds, that I couldn't afford to mess up on...glad I did.

I also heat/cook my soil, for the same reason. Years ago, when I first started winter sowing, I lost a lot of things to damping off and mold. Now, I use those cooking bags, and heat my starter mix to 160. I use a meat thermeter to watch the temperature. Once it is removed from the oven and cools, you are ready to sow your seeds.

Hope this helps

-T

Great information.
What seeds work with this method?
What seeds have you sown this way?
I'll give it a try.Jody

Jody-
pretty much any seeds...but especially big seeds, and tropical seeds, as far as aiding the swelling. For killing the spores, it is good for any seed.
...they ones I have started this way would be way too many to list! lol...
-T

Thanks,Jody

I found this discussion stimulating (excuse the pun). I have some "difficult" salvia species that I will use the GA-3 on as soon as I receive my order. Thanks everyone!

Joseph

I've never tryed growing salvia yet.lol.But I have several kinds of salvia seeds,I'll give them a try.I'm concentrating on mostly daylilies and iris seeds this year.
I was also given info to spray my rose cuttings w/ 1:19 to keep down fungus and mold.Going to spray them tomorrow.Hope it helps them survive rooting.

What does dampening off mean?
Thank You!

mmesamantha, welcome to DG!

I could answer your question, but here's a better tip to using some of the features of this site. Up at the top of the page there is a tab for Garden Terms. Click on the tab, then type damping off (not dampening off) in the search box to the right. You will find this tool very useful as you stroll through the garden here,

JodyC-
I read to refrigerate your cuttings for 24 hours, to cause the mold spores to go dormant. I tried it, but seemed they didn't stay dormant long enough! lol...

I then read and tried dipping them in a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. (This is also the strength recommended to soak your propagation containers in too, by tthe way). I winced as I stuck my precious cuttings in the solution. It said to let them soak for 5 minutes. I was just sure they'd dissolve,shrivel, or turn to mush before my eyes, but nothing like that happened. They were just fine, and went on to root.

Thank goodness the way you were going on,I thought you were going to say it killed them.lol.I'll give it a try.Thanks,Jody

darius, Thank you for the warm welcome! DG is proving to be essential to a novice as I.

I never heard of using HP/Water solution in germinating seeds. I always used tap water. Is there a rule-of thumb in using HP/Water? I assume HP/Water solution helps prevent bacterial disease or fungus known as damping?

Thank You,
Samantha