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two simple questions

I have two questions and since I'm new to propagation and to this list they are probably pretty simple.

For the last five months I've been working at germinating three prairie species (E corollata, S integrifolium, and V fasciculata).  I collected the seeds last fall in Wisconsin.  I've tried a few different ways with each species and have had mixed results.  It feels to me like the most successful attempts are the ones where I come closest to reproducing what's actually happening on the hillside where I collected these seeds.  This make sense to me.  In fact it feels sort of like I'm in a battle of wits with these conservative little guys in which I'm trying to convince them they are still on the hillside and it is spring.

This leads me to my two questions.  In various books and comments on this list people talk about two things that I don't understand.  The first is the need to start seeds in a nutrient poor medium.  The second is the practice of covering the seeds with something opaque, like a folded newspaper, until they germinate.

I don't disagree with these but I certainly don't see any connection between either of these things and the conditions on that hillside in Wisconsin.  Can someone please explain to me why these two things encourage germination?

Jim MacDonald
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