SEED GERMINATION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 August 1939, Page 3

SEED GERMINATION

CAUSE OF FAILURE. “Why do my seeds fail to germinate?” This question is often asked and is very hard to answer. Of course, bad seeds will not germinate under any treatment, and sometimes good ones fail to do so, even when every convenience exists for their proper treatment. There are several causes for failure, not deep enough, a common one, too much water, which is a more frequent cause of failure than too little.

Now<to be successful, it will easily be seen that the happy medium must be maintained in each case. If it is, there will not be many failures, but with a certain amount of moisture we must also have heat. If seeds are sown in a very cold soil at this season, many may perish in it, especially if the soil is kept very wtt. Seeds of the more tender kinds of plants require a warmer temperature than those of the hardier kinds.

For instance, cucumber or melon seeds would soon decay if they were treated in the same way as peas or beans, but on the other hand if these seeds were given the same treatment as that given to cucumbers, they would germinate very quickly. There is another thing to consider when dealing with seeds, and that is the season of the year.

It is necessary to give them a moister soil in the summer time than it is during the present month for instance. Such fine seeds as begonia, for instance. should be sown on a moist surface with a covering of sand. Celery seed should have about an eighth of an inch of an inch of fine soil to cover them, which can be pressed down. Cucumber seeds grow readily with an inch of soil over them, especially if they are planted with the sharp end up. Peas should be planted nearly two inches deep, gradually increasing the depth as the warm weather advances, until in the hot summer they are four inches below the soil.

Beet seed is sown quite one inch in depth, but if cabbage seed is put down as deeply as this little of it will germinate.

Some gardeners when sowing seeds in boxes and pots, cover the boxes or pots with glass and paper.