You can grow fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers and much more on your own country plot. Every gardener knows how to properly germinate seeds and care for young shoots. But sometimes it happens that the seed does not sprout for no apparent reason. Why does this happen?
The thing is that the shell of some seeds is too thick. A fragile germ simply cannot break through it. To correct this situation, it is enough to scarify seeds for dolichos (germination) at home. This procedure does not take much time and effort.
What is scarification
When the seeds are inside dense shells, they cannot break through and take root on their own. Many gardeners, without seeing seedlings, decide that the seed is damaged and throw it away. However, do not rush, first you need to try a simple procedure.
Scarification is an artificial violation of the integrity of the seed coat. There are three types of this procedure.
Mechanical
If the seed looks completely lifeless, then you should try this method. Mechanical scarification is a special way of influencing the shellseeds, which is most often used on an industrial scale. In large industries, specialized equipment is used to perform this procedure. However, this does not mean that this method is not suitable for home use.
In order to mechanically scarify seeds, it is enough to take an ordinary nail file or a sharp knife with a serrated blade. After that, you need to carefully file the seed shell. You don’t need to cut it completely, just loosen the peel so that the seed makes its way out on its own.
Also suitable for mechanical seed scarification at home:
- kitchen grater;
- sandpaper;
- coarse sand.
In the latter case, you need to mix the seeds with sedimentary rock and grind them with your palms.
This type of treatment is suitable for the hardest seeds, which will not be affected by the next type of scarification.
Thermal
Temperature treatment can also be quite effective for dolichos. Thermal scarification is the thermal effect on seeds. Depending on the type of plant, the method of such processing will also differ. For example:
- If you need to germinate sweet pea seeds, aggressive heat treatment will be required. To do this, you must first scald the seed with boiling water, and then abruptly transfer it to cold water and leave it in it for a day.
- For hawthorn seeds, repeat the procedure several timesonce. First, the seed is placed in a cotton cloth or gauze. After that, you need to prepare 2 glasses (one with boiling water and the other with ice water). A seed placed in a rag must be alternately lowered into containers for 30-60 seconds. The procedure is repeated until the seed coat swells.
- If you need to germinate primrose, you will need to spend a little more time on the "bath" procedures. First you need to soak the seeds in a glass of cold water. After that, the container must be placed for 12 hours in a warm place (for example, next to the battery), and then in a cool place. It will take about 7 days for the seedlings to hatch.
Chemical
This dolichos method is considered very aggressive, so it is recommended to use it only in the most hopeless situations. Chemical scarification is a treatment with concentrated acid. Of course, any use of chemically hazardous substances can harm both the future sprout and the person. However, some types of seeds naturally germinate only after being exposed to the digestive juices of birds. With dolichos at home, it is impossible to get such a component, so you have to resort to chemical treatment.
Fancy crops that don't germinate until a bird lands nearby include wild rose and some varieties of hawthorn. To germinate them, it is necessary to prepare a 3% solution of hydrochloric or sulfuric acid and place the seed in it for 12 hours. After that, you need to thoroughly wash the seeds inwarm water. During the procedure, be sure to protect your face and hands.
Also, seed scarification can be done in a safer way.
Impact
This method of scarification is considered the softest. The impact is extremely simple. Seeds should be placed in any container with a lid, covered with coarse sand (optional) and shaken vigorously. During this treatment, the seeds will hit each other and against the walls of the vessel. As a result, their peel cracks a little, and shoots can freely break out. This eliminates the risk of damage to the sprout itself.
The disadvantage of this method is that some of the seeds are in too coarse a shell that cannot be penetrated by this method.
