There are many plants that do not germinate immediately after they have fallen to the ground or have been sown. This is because they are in latency period whose duration varies depending on the species; In fact, thanks to the fact that they have remained unchanged, we can currently enjoy plants that we thought were extinct.
But of course, when we acquire seeds we are interested in them germinating as soon as possible, so we will proceed to do it pregerminative treatments.
In gardening the following are used:
- Thermal shock: It consists of introducing the seed 1 second in boiling water and 24 hours in a glass of water at room temperature in order to produce micro-cuts in the shell and thus be able to awaken the embryo. The seeds that can be subjected to this treatment are those with a round or oval and hard shape, such as Albizia or Acacia.
- Scarification: consists of sanding the wall of the seed. It is the perfect treatment for the Delonix, for example.
- Stratification: this treatment consists of putting the seeds in the fridge for a short period of time (generally 2 months) so that they are cold and can germinate without problems when the time comes. All those species from temperate or cold climates that want to be cultivated in slightly warmer climates will have to be stratified.
- Glass of water: Introducing the seeds in a glass with water not only helps us to discard those that are not viable (that is, those that remain floating), but it is also very useful to wake them up and thus shorten the germination time. It is undoubtedly highly recommended for garden plants, flowers, and aromatic plants.
As we can see, there are different types of pregerminative treatments. Depending on the plant species in question, it is convenient to choose one or the other in order to achieve a higher germination percentage, which will mean a greater number of plants 🙂.
a month ago I bought a super nice rue to put in the entrance of the house, but the leaves are drying and I was reading the recommendations and umm for there is a few green stalks that would be
Hi Angela.
How often do you water it? Rue is a plant that tolerates drought quite well, but not waterlogging. Space out the waterings more, so that the substrate dries completely before the next watering.
To prevent fungi, it is highly recommended to also apply chemical fungicide. This will prevent fungi from affecting it.
A greeting.
Hi, I have a question regarding pregerminative treatment. I have gotten some Japanese cherry tree bonsai seeds and according to what I have been told, I must first leave the seeds in a glass of water for about 24 hours to hydrate. Subsequently, I must perform hot stratification for 30 to 60 days and then cold stratification for 90 to 120 days in a plastic bag and with sand, vermiculite, perlite or peatmoss. My question is which mixture of minerals is most advisable for stratification, it is the first time that I am going to immerse myself in the world of seeds and I do not have much experience. Greetings and thank you very much 🙂
Hi Jose Antonio.
All correct, although you can go straight to cold layering. The substrate to be used must be very porous, so I recommend mixing vermiculite and perlite with 10-20% peat or coconut fiber.
By the way, bonsai seeds as such do not exist, but they are plant seeds that can be worked as bonsai.
Good luck 🙂.