Re: Nick seeds

Jim,

Since I moved south, I haven't nicked bushel gourd seeds, nor those of others for which nicking was recommended, and they've done fine. Nicking may be a way to speed up germination in colder soils to get them off to a faster start.

When I lived up north, that extra day or so seemed to make the difference between success and failure. Down here, it seems superfluous for direct seeding, and is apparently needless for germination on a heat mat. Maybe try some both ways and see?

Back when I used to do such, I'd alternate methods depending on how many seeds I needed to deal with. Mostly a scratch with a nail file would open the seed coat enough for the seed to imbibe.
If I had a lot of seeds to do ( never had a lot of bushel gourds, but did of others) I'd place them on a piece of sandpaper, then put another piece of sandpaper on top and rub it back and forth a few times.

BTW, I rarely soak seeds anymore either, except when direct seeding into dry soil. Warm, moist soil-less mix or warm, damp ground does the trick.


d (the lazy gardener)



----- Original Message ----- From: "james singer" <islandjim1@verizon.net>
To: "Garden Chat" <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 3:57 PM
Subject: [CHAT] Nick seeds


I've got some seeds--bushel gourd seeds--that need to be nicked before they're soaked. So, how's the best way to nick seeds and, in particularly, these seeds [which are fairly large]?
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