I bought some seeds and the directions on a couple of the packages said to use G3 to help with germination. I don't know what G3 is. Does anyone know what this is and where I can get it?
G3
It's gibberellic acid. It's an acid that simulates the seed going through the digestive tract of animals (mainly birds) and breaks dormancy so that the seed can germinate.
Here' a fairly cheep bottle on ebay - http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibberellic-Acid-(GA3-90%25-)-Growth-Hormone-1-Gram-Kit--_W0QQitemZ320303271790QQcmdZViewItem If you do some searching, you can probably find it cheeper.
Make sure to read the description and do some research on the different types.
I hope you have good luck germinating your seeds!
Sorry, the hyperlink's not working. Just copy and paste to browser and make sure to get rid of the " at the beginning and end
"http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibberellic-Acid-(GA3-90%25-)-Growth-Hormone-1-Gram-Kit--_W0QQitemZ320303271790QQcmdZViewItem"
Thank you for the link.
You can also get it here.
http://www.jlhudsonseeds.com/GibberellicAcid.htm
broots,
Thanks - I didn't know that. And that's where the seeds came from. Well I went to ebay and bought the g3 right away because I want to get started. Thanks for your help.
Rose
A little bit of a clarification. Gibberellic acid while chemically is an acid, is actually a plant hormone that can break seed dormancy in some species. It has nothing to do with digestive tracts of animals.
GA3 is very active at very low concentrations and can cause some unintended results if used incorrectly. Use it only at concentrations that have been determined for each individual species, and do not use it as an general germination treatment. If used at the wrong concentrations, it can cause excessive cell growth and stem elongation which may last through the life of the plant.
It was first discovered in the 1930's on rice plants that were infected with a pathogen that caused rice to grow so tall it fell over and died.
To learn more, google GA3 and do some reading.
Thanks for the advice. There's no indication on the seed packets how much to use so I will have to google it.
As trc65 says it is not a good thing for alot of plants so only use if recommended.
I appologize, I was thinking of sulfuric acid. That's the one that simulates an bird's digestive tract.
Roserairie, on the paper that was enclosed with my order of GA-3 from Gardens North it states
Quoting:
The amount that will fit on the end of a rounded toothpick in a few drops of water normally constitutes one application for one batch of seeds. GA-3 can harm, weaken or kill certain seed (most annuals, for instance), so unless you are willing to risk losing your seed, experiment with some caution.
It also recommends getting Norm Deno's germination books as he has done the research on the effects of GA-3.
Wow, that's really a small amount. I'll try it on bath of seeds and then do the rest without it. Maybe I didn't need it at all. I'll look for that book too. Thanks so much for the help.
Rose
This has to be ordered directly for Norm Deno.
Quoting:
GERMINATING SEED
Seed Germination Theory and Practice
Wish I had some years ago when I first tried to grow plants from seed aquite incredible book, paper back, Seed Germination Theory and Practice by Dr. Norman C. Deno. The book is based on his work with 145families, 805 genera and about 2500 species. The book is priced at 20.00postpaid anywhere in the world. Send orders to Norman C. Deno 139 LenorDrive, State College, PA 16801. I am very sure you will not bedisappointed. He gives a procedure for use of gibberellins that does notrequire a chemical balance and expensive equipment.A truly remarkablecollection of information! Merrill Speeter in Kalamazoo.
Merrill E. Speeter.
While the beneficial effects of GA-3 in stimulating germination have been known in the scientific literature since the early 20th century, Dr. Deno is the first person to study them in depth and make his findings available to the ordinary home grower. He has also discovered other gibberelins (GA-7) are required for the germination of species whose germination pattern until recently has remained a mystery (Sanguinaria canadensis- Bloodroot).
There are also 2 subsequent Supplements, for $15.00 each. In addition to continuing the work begun in the original book, they also include extensive information on the germination of cacti and orchids. My own research is quoted in the 1st supplement.
Dr.Deno has now ceased the specific work on germination and is working on the issue of seed viability and storage.
Kristl Walek.
2nd edition
by Dr. Norman C. Deno Price: (incl. S&H) $20.00
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