Worldwide Beekeeping
Sustainable Living => Gardening => Topic started by: mamapoppybee on January 03, 2014, 12:59:45 pm
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I have some sunflower heads from last years crop so im going to run a germination test and see if i can use them to plant back out this spring. Hoping all gose well sure would be cool to cut my seed cost.
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Can you post pics and details of your germination test? It would make a nice post in this category.
Thank You
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just using about 10 seeds of what ever you what to test. a wet paper towl folded into fourths and a zip lock bag. I have it sitting in my south facing window i will wait three to four days for the radical aka leader root at that time i will count seeds at that will tell me if seed still had a good germ factor. you can do this with seeds that are up to three years old. after that germination drops past 40 percent and is hard to get good seed coverage.
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Top of the water heater is my spot. No temperature swings over night. There are a few seeds that need light to germinate best but not many. Lettuce is one of them.
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We do this with corn and beans all the time.. same method, wet paper towel, but use an egg incubator to control the temps.
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i have a brinsea but getting close to setting egg time soon. if i set the mid of january i should have chicks the mid of feb. my daughter loves the little puff balls
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Indeed! They are cute and fuzzy, but they DO make a mess!!
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i have a brooder in my shed where they stay! Out of the wind rain snow and a nice cozy heat lamp. My oldest is 12 and likes to see what chicks they will throw. Her madest creation yet in a naked neck barred cochin. But it teaches her lots about life doing all this.
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having to get new seeds only had two out of ten germinate yuck
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Thanks for this Momma! I am going to try this with the sunflower seeds we harvested last year too. I never thought about doing this. I just stuck them in the grown and waited to see what would come up. No wasted beds this year!
love,
ziffa