Re: HYB:Harvest Time Planting
From: John I Jones <jijones@ix.netcom.com>
StorYlade@aol.com wrote:
>
> I wondered what your experiences have been with planting seed straight out of
> the pod? My normal practice is to dry the seed and wait for cool weather to
> plant. If they germinate immediately, I might cheat by a year.
>
I have been wondering about that too. AS I understand it, one of the things
that happens as seeds dry out is that the concentration of sprouting
inhibitors in the seed coat increases (which is why a lot of people soak their
seeds - it leaches out the inhibitors). I was planning to try planting fresh
seeds this year as well just as an experiment. Unless you have an unusually
long summer fall growth season, I doubt that you will get bloom the next
spring. (One of the advantages of my California weather is generally mild
winters up through Jan, and early spring compared to most). Of course one of
the reasons the natural sprouting process of the seeds delays over winter is
that if the seeds sprout too early in a natural setting, they may not build a
strong enough root system to survive the winter.
Another issue that may or may not have an impact on the sprouting is the light
cycle, i.e., the decreasing length of the day may also inhibit seed sprouting.
I don't know about that issue. Maybe the erstwhile Bill Shear will chime in
here since I am clearly in his territory... :>))
John | "There be dragons here"
| Annotation used by ancient cartographers
| to indicate the edge of the known world.
________________________________________________
USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay)
Fremont, California, USA
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Director, Region 14 of the AIS
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