I've always soaked larger seeds (beans, peas, corn, etc.) overnight before planting. I was recently told by another gardener that doesn't help germination and just makes planting seeds "messy". I've never run from a mess in my life, but I am wondering what people on the Stew do--soak or not?
I almost never soak my seeds anymore. However, this year I soaked some peas and pepper seeds. No action yet, but I’ll let you know.
We always soaked okra but its a hard tough seed ! I would say it depends on how moist the soil is at planting ! If you have had plenty of rain its probably not necessary ! But if dry,,it helps with germination ! Just common sense !
I haven't soaked runner bean seeds, but I have with sweet peas, I don't think that it makes any difference. But they say soak chillie seeds in cold tea to break dormancy but they only rot for me.
QUOTE="mart, post: 394486, member: 9093"]Mother tried the tea too ! Made no difference ! Pepper needs no soaking ! What kind of chili seed ?[/QUOTE] The very hot ones, carolina reaper, komono dragon, armagedon and Trinidad Scorpion. I just save seed off my own plants that are in the conservatory, can't grow them outside the season is too short. Or i buy some Chillies from the supermarket.They germinate that way.
I do soak pepper seeds before putting them on the heat mats. I do have better germination with them. it might be helpful for a very dry garden but truthfully beans as soon as they swell will fall apart so the only way I can see it would work is if you are hand seeding. I use an earthway seeder for almost all my rows of seeded crops. Logan superhots take a long time to germinate and grow very slowly. a heat mat helps tremendously to get them started. I usually start mine in Jan to plant in the garden in June.
Good advice, Carolyn. I have also noticed this tardy-development characteristic of peppers. My Cayenne’s are just now producing their little first leaves, but the ring of fire ones are giving no sign. I am beginning to be a tad uncomfortable because I also have some toms in that incubator on the heating mat. I may have to plant those toms on before removing the tray from the heating pad. It is a bit inconvenient this year, and I did it to myself. I thought the pepper soaking would allow the peps to sort of catch up to the other things in the incubator. Netty— what sorts of beans are you pre-soaking?
The very hot ones, carolina reaper, komono dragon, armagedon and Trinidad Scorpion. I just save seed off my own plants that are in the conservatory, can't grow them outside the season is too short. Or i buy some Chillies from the supermarket.They germinate that way.[/QUOTE] You are brave,, those are little firebombs ! Hottest I ever use are Habanero !
I don’t pre soak for the most part and seem to get decent germination in an expected time frame Interesting about peppers though. I wonder if they’d be further along if I had? They are taking quite a long time. But I don’t have a heat mat, so there’s that...
Nefret, if you don't have a heat mat, do you have a heat pad used for a human's sore muscles? We have an old one that we use under seed cells. Or, you could put them on top of the refrigerator (it's warm up there) or on a folded towel on top of a radiator. Gardeners are very inventive!
[QUOTE="Netty— what sorts of beans are you pre-soaking?[/QUOTE] I soak my Blue Lake and Rattlesnake beans. as well as my sugar snap peas for an hour or so before I plant them. I am planting by hand, but if you were using a seeder it probably wouldn't work because the seeds would stick together.
Those are two bean names that I do not know. I do hope that you will post a pic when they are blooming and when they are beaning. I soaked my sugar snappers over night this year. It may have been too long. Thanks for letting me know those bean sorts.
