Give seeds a good soak for quicker germination
Q. I have heard that soaking seeds helps them germinate quicker. Is this true?
A. Soaking seeds is an old-time gardener’s trick. When you soak seeds before planting, you can significantly decrease the amount of time it takes for a seed to germinate. In nature, seeds encounter harsh weather conditions and their coating serves as their defense to survive. When you purchase a packet of seeds, they have been pampered. By soaking the seeds, you help break down the seed’s natural defense and speed up germination.
To soak seeds, fill a small bowl with hot water, and place the seeds inside the bowl. Allow the seeds to stay in the water as it cools down. It is recommended that you soak most seeds for 12 to 24 hours and no more than 48 hours. After soaking your seeds, plant as directed.
Large seeds or seeds with particularly hard coats such as morning glories and nasturtiums can benefit from scarification before soaking. Scarification means to damage the seed coat so that the water is better able to penetrate the seed.
The easiest way to do this is to rub the seed on fine grain sand paper or a nail file to help crack the seed coat. Scarification is not needed for small, fine or straw-like seeds.
Q. Can hay be used as mulch?
A. Many times hay and straw are used interchangeably. However, they are not the same. Hay is an assortment of forage grasses that can include seeds of grasses and broadleaf weeds. And yes they can contain seeds that might be a problem, However, you can rid the hay of seeds by opening the bail of hay on the driveway and tossing bunches of hay up into the air; most of the seeds will fall out.
While hay is better suited for feeding livestock, it can be used as a good summer mulch when used at about 2 inches deep around vegetables and flowers. At the end of the season in the fall they can then be worked into the garden as an added source of organic matter for soil improvment.
On the other hand, straw is a collection of the stems of field crops such as wheat and oats. After the seeds have been threshed, the dry husks are sold as straw. It rarely contains weed seeds. It makes a good winter mulch because the hollow stems hold air and act as insulation for the plants below.
Ÿ Provided by Mary Boldan, Mary Moisand and Donna Siemro, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. Send questions to Ask a Master Gardener, c/o Friendship Park Conservatory, 395 W. Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016, (847) 298-3502 or via e-mail to cookcountymg.com@gmail.com.