For a seed to germinate…
3 requirements must be there:
- Have seeds viable;
- Reproduce the environmental conditions appropriate;
- raise the dormancy.
La viability seeds varies depending on the species and storage conditions. If you store your seeds in a warm, humid place, their germination rate will decline more quickly than if you store them in a cool and dry.
Un conducive environment at germination also differs from one species to another. Some seeds need light, but others require complete darkness. Some like a little coolness and others, a good warmth. However, they all need water and oxygen.
In a natural environment, the dormancy allows seeds to germinate at the right time.
- Coniferous forests regenerate naturally after a fire, because the intense heat promotes disarticulation of cones and release of seeds.
- In northern climates, seeds expect a cold period to only germinate when warmer weather returns.
- Some seeds protect themselves thick integuments (the seed coat) to prevent water from penetrating and delay their germination. The viability of these seeds is very long.
- In general, cereal seeds (wheat, barley, oats) are impermeable to oxygen at temperatures above 25°C. As they need oxygen to germinate, they wait for cooler temperatures which correspond to the conditions conducive to their growth.
Cold stratification
This method makes it possible to break the dormancy of seeds which only germinate after a period of exposure to cold and humidity. Cold stratification, which is similar to what nature would do in winter, alters the seed coat that surrounds the seeds and protects them from air and water. There is no need to freeze the seeds however, a cool temperature between 0°C and 10°C is satisfactory.
- The seeds are sown in a tray in a mixture of slightly moistened living soil, at the depth recommended for the seed.
- Cover the tray with a dome or place it in a waterproof plastic bag.
- Place the container in the refrigerator at a temperature of 4°C.
- Once the recommended stratification period is over, take out the tray and place it in the germination conditions recommended for this species.
- For large quantities of seeds, stratification can also be done on a sheet of damp paper towels placed in a small airtight plastic bag. Once the recommended stratification period is completed, they will be removed from the refrigerator and sown indoors.
Recipe of living soil ecoumene gardens
| Potting soil organic ready to use | Biochar fine-grained (structure) | phrase black soldier flies (activator) | Inoculant mycorrhizal | |
| Germination soil (sowing) | 1 L | 20ml (10g) | 8ml (5g) | 0,25 g |
Few ecoumene garden seeds need stratification, you will find them on this page. Specific instructions for stratifying each variety are always listed on the back of the seed packet.
Scarification
To break the dormancy of very hard seeds, we must damage the integuments so that the water can pass through.
- For finer seeds, rub them on sand paper and they are germinated between two wet absorbent papers.
- For large seeds, we practice notches in their envelope without reaching the embryo, then we put them to soak 24-48 in water at room temperature.
- The scarified seeds are then sown in trays according to the recommendations for the variety.
- Le sea kale Lily White is an example of a seed that needs scarification to germinate.
Should we sow outside or in the house?
Indoor sowing
The varieties sensitive to cold, who request a long period of culture or which require germination conditions impossible to reproduce outdoors are sown indoors.
- Those that tolerate transplantation well can be sown online in a tray filled with potting soil and transplanted later into the garden or into individual containers.
- Those that do not tolerate their roots being moved are sown in pocket.
Outdoor sowing
We sow directly in the garden the varieties which poorly tolerate transplantation, but whose growth cycle and cold tolerance allow it to reach maturity before winter.
The cool season crops are also sown directly in the vegetable garden early in the season or at the end of summer.
- Le row sowing is practiced for the majority of vegetables.
- Le seedlings in pockets applies to bushy species — for example, squash and other cucurbits — or climbing species — climbing beans, among others.
- Le broadcast sowing suitable for green manures, certain fine herbs and leafy vegetables that you want to harvest very young (spinach, lettuce, mixed greens).
The different techniques
Sowing in line
This common technique allows you to create a regular space between the rows of vegetables, which makes it easier to pass the hoe to weed and decompact the soil. It applies to outdoor sowing, but also at indoor sowing in trays.
- Using a board or something else, print a line in the soil. Adjust the depth to the size of the seeds to be sown (see the sowing depth on the bag).
- Sow fine seeds with a seeder and larger seeds by hand respecting the recommended distance between seeds.
- Bring it back potting soil sides on the seeds and pack the earth with your hand or a board.
- Water in drizzle.
Sowing in poquet
- put 3 to 5 seeds by containers or cavities (multi-cells, small production pots, egg carton cells, etc.) or by hole directly in the garden.
- Cover them with potting soil according to the sowing depth indicated on the bag and pack the earth with your hand or a board.
- Water in drizzle.
- When the seedlings have 1-2 pair of real leaves, eliminate the weakest to keep only 1 to 3 plants per container or per hole.
- Respect the recommended distance between the plants on the bag between the pockets.
Sowing at flight
- sprinkle the plot to be sown with the seeds, distributing them as evenly as possible.
- If necessary, add a little potting soil to the seeds or mix them with the surface soil by raking with a leaf broom.
- Pack the soil with a lawn roller for large areas or using a board or hand for smaller areas.
- Water in drizzle.
Growing season: the importance of temperature
Not all varieties like the same temperatures. Some cultures are “ cool season » others, of “ hot season » and still others from “ very hot season ». Contrary to what one might think, even among Quebec's native plants, some grow as soon as the ground thaws and others wait until it has warmed up. Also, for good successful sowing, we must take into account the growing season of each variety.
Outside
Be sure to sow each variety when the soil reaches the temperature indicated on the packet. Seed germination depends on it! Use a soil thermometer to know the exact temperature.
If you sow your radish (cool season crop) and your cucumbers (very hot season crop) on the same day, one of the two crops will inevitably suffer from the cold or the heat!
Inside
Some seedlings thrive in room temperature at home to germinate, but warm-season varieties are genetically programmed to thrive in a warm floor. This is the case of tropical species, such as squash, peppers, tomatoes, melons and eggplants. However, the refroidissement caused by evaporation on the surface of the soil reduces its temperature by 3 to 5°C compared to the ambient air. The big one majority of seedlings therefore benefit from a little background heat!
How to provide heat?
The seedling boxes can be placed on a heat source (heater, water heater or refrigerator), but the temperature is then impossible to control. Of the problems such as potting soil drying too quickly or see-sawing heat with peaks too high and lows too cold can arise. THE mini greenhouses and heating mats solve this problem by emitting even heat which can be adjusted with a thermostat for optimal germination.
Adding a thermostat allows you to regulate the temperature and maintain it at the desired level. In some cases, young plants require some heat during the day and a higher temperature cool at night ; the thermostat then proves to be very useful!
The essential ventilation
Did you know that good air circulation accounts for 80% of the success of your seedlings? Using a fan designed specifically for seeding helps reduce losses and achieve better harvests.
Advantages of ventilation:
- Better air circulation prevents damping off.
- Shoots exposed to the wind from a young age build muscles! Shorter cells result in stems much more robust and less brittle.
- When transferring young plants outside, acclimatization is done much more easily and quickly. Less fragile plants adapt better to external conditions with an almost zero mortality rate.
- Less stressed plants establish themselves more quickly in the vegetable garden and begin to produce earlier than etiolated and soft plants grown without ventilation.
- Plants ventilated during early stages of their development are generally more productive.
May 25, 2023: article updated. Added links in the article and modified the 'Cold stratification' section.
