Seed Popping

There are some great answers here, I just have to opine with Schrodinger's seed... If I germinate in substrate, no matter what, that tap root is coming out up side down. For that reason, I vote germinate then into substrate.

Loaded question, easier in the long run to put it directly in a substrate but not if it's in its final pot. There are more factors to consider when placing it in the substrate that could cause problems but in the end, it's less handling, if you make yourself aware of what can go wrong then I'd advise you place it directly into the substrate in controlled conditions. Just throwing it in any old muck and expecting results will not work or will greatly reduce the chance of germination. The whole in a cup of water for X hours is more or less just to soften up the shell, I've had some that would never open in water, some that broke out and had 2-inch tails after 18 hours, which can be tricky and risky to handle tiny seeds with long tails too, something I was personally never fond of if your hygiene isn't on point or one slip and its dead. Over time I've drifted away from any pre-soak and concocted a simpler and just as effective method that works directly in substrate, but it needs to be pre-amended slightly. Phosphorus is the number #1 nutrient a seedling needs when it is first sparked into life and dips its little tail into the soil, like the milk of a mother teet. I am not saying fill the soil with loads of P, but if one starts the seeds in tiny cardboard or coir pots 3,4,5 inches I add a little drop of P to the water solution I use to soak the medium prior to the seed going in, a seedling deficient in P at early seedling stage can affect yield later in life. As well as releasing oxygen created during photosynthesis, plants need to absorb oxygen to perform respiration – i.e. to make energy. Since plant roots are non-photosynthetic tissues that can’t produce oxygen, they get it from air pockets in the soil or grow medium. These air pockets can vary in size based on the makeup of the growing medium, and also on the water saturation levels of the medium. Root oxygenation and soil aeration play an important role in both transpiration and cellular respiration in all plants. This means that plants are highly dependent on the growing medium that holds the optimal amount of oxygen within. Make sure not to overwater, as roots in compacted soil or fully submerged in water with low O2 can cause irreversible damage if left unchecked. Dont use regular soil for the 4-inch pots, use a seedling starter, A seedling starter is basically just fluff with no rocks or sticks, take a sieve and shake the seedling starter medium into however many pots you want to fill, DO NOT compress, DO NOT PAT IT DOWN, let gravity just fluffily build it up till the pot is full. Next, you will need to find a small dish to sit your pots in, fill it with a little distilled water and a drip of P, and let the pots sit in the water in the dish for a while, this will slowly soak up from the bottom into the medium. Do not water from the top, this compresses soil removing oxygen pockets from the medium and making it harder for seeds to break free, . Calcium and magnesium can react with phosphorus in soil, making it less available to plants. However, calcium and magnesium are also essential nutrients for plant growth adding tap water too soon can replace a lot of the P, with Ca, and Mg. This is why I use distilled just until she is ready for fertilization, P is king for a seedling. Soil pH affects the availability of phosphorus. In alkaline soils, calcium and magnesium react with phosphorus to form low-solubility compounds. In acidic soils, iron and aluminum react with phosphorus, making it unavailable to plants. Poke a tiny hole in the top of the pots, add seeds, sieve sprinkle a very light coating of the medium on top, no soak no nothing, place the dish on a heat mat, plop on a dome if even needed, soon as you see any green whatsoever you take that dome off. This will give you the most robust seedlings I've been able to spark into life, I pre-soak in coconut water myself but only for 4 hours or so, coconut water is a natural amniotic fluid. The use of coconut water arises due to similarities in its composition to hemoglobin allowing quick absorption of electrolytes, mainly potassium. As soon as she is out of the seedling stage you pop her in the final pot. Getting established quickly in a high P environment(for a seedling) is important , keeping the medium of a large pot in optimal conditions for seedlings is trickier and often harder to maintain the consistency required for seed germination. “Results of the experiment revealed that formulated coconut water could be used as alternative fertilizer. The following were observed: (1) The formulated coconut water is comparable to the commercial liquid fertilizer based on the physico-chemical tests conducted; (2) Formulated coconut water is as effective as the commercial liquid fertilizer in terms of its effect on height, fresh weight, and number of leaves of pechay; (3) Commercial liquid fertilizer and formulated coconut water are almost comparable in terms of their effects on soil pH, soil organic matter, and soil available phosphorus.” *** “The results obtained from this study, revealed that the rooting of … cuttings was enhanced when dipped in coconut water for 5 minutes” **** “For plant height, plant cultured on medium supplemented with coconut water from fresh green fruits had height of 18 cm but those cultured on medium with BAP had a height of 15 cm at 16 weeks.” ***** Good luck. Just my 2 cents on the matter.

I use root riot plugs and plant the seeds directly in them. I've had better luck using root riot plugs for germination than I have using any other method. It's not that other methods don't work ... it's simply that root riot plugs work the best. I've tried germinating in paper towels. It works pretty well, but not as well as the root riot plugs. Too often, you'll see the seed germinate and show it's tap root ... and then just stop growing once you've handled it and planted it in the dirt. I've tried using jiffy peat pellets. They work ok, but not as well as paper towels and not even close to as well as root riot plugs. I wouldn't use a humidity dome either. So yes, either plant your seeds directly in soil or use a root riot plug. Other methods seem less reliable over the years I have been growing.

Directly in soil.........no handling ebryonic roots, no chance of damage. No pre-soaking, just seeds into soil and keep moistened............no "humidity domes" either.

It's really not about finding your own "truth" Keep it simple. reduce risk by not handling a recently germinated seed or exposing a nascent taproot to light, etc. Direct to substrate is best. Soaking may or may not help but as long as you don't overdo it won't harm anything at least. the percent success is not going to be drastically different if you want to use another simple method. avoid touching roots and expose them to as little light as possible, if you do something else. some people like to see the germination, but then it's more about them than what's good for the plant, lol.

My best rate is seed straight to soil, no presoak, no playing around.

We at Zamnesia prefer directly into soil. But you will find many different way's of germinating here on GD, and it is like All_our_small_plants said, It is what you prefer.

Just like All_our_small_plants Said, it's all about finding the method that works best for you. Personally, I think pre-germinating increases your success rate because you’re starting in a more controlled environment. When germinating directly in soil, there are more environmental variables at play, plus the soil could have too many nutrients for such an early stage. But hey, each method has its pros and cons, so the best thing to do is plant two or three seeds and try different methods, experiment and see what works best for you!😉

Das ist glaube ich eher eine Philosophie Sache. Ich mache sie direkt in die Erde, so wie es in der Natur auch passiert. Aber mann kann beides machten. Ich mache das so damit ich sie so wenig wie nötig anfasehn muss und sie nicht beschädigen oder mit Keime kontaminiere. Aber du wirst hier viele verschiedene Meinungen und Möglichkeiten hören