How Do Watermelon Seeds Germinate? Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods

Watermelon is a common and well-loved national fruit, with large-scale planting areas in various regions every year. Watermelon cultivation generally starts from sowing seeds, and seed germination can be done through seed treatment, so how to treat the seeds to make them germinate is also a topic worth discussing. Different varieties differ in germination time and other aspects. So comprehensive consideration is needed.

1. Sunning the seeds

Before seed treatment, the seeds need to be sunned. Do not sun them for too long; generally just a few hours, to dry off some of the moisture inside the seeds. During sunning, turn them so they are heated evenly and lose water evenly. Do not sun only one side. This makes the seeds easier to sprout and is good for soaking.

2. Soaking the seeds

For soaking, the seeds must be soaked in warm water, generally at a water temperature of around 50 degrees; for thinner-skinned ones the water temperature can be adjusted, but in any case it must not harm the seeds, and generally the water temperature will gradually drop. Soak with stirring; after a period of time, once the water temperature drops, you can stop stirring and just let them soak.

3. Keep warm to sprout

After the seeds absorb water and swell, they can be sprouted, roughly one to two days after soaking. Sprouting is mainly warm-keeping sprouting, and there are many methods. For example, a common one, if conditions allow, is to drain the seeds, wrap them in gauze and sprout them in an incubator set between 22 and 25 degrees, washing them once a day; after a few days they sprout, or use body-temperature sprouting, generally wrapping the seeds in a damp cloth, then wrapping that in a well waterproofed cloth bag, carrying it on the body, and relying on body temperature for sprouting; you can check on them, and remove them once they sprout. Most sprouting methods are warm-keeping sprouting.

4. Rapid sprouting

If the sowing period is almost over but you still want to sow, you can also sprout them urgently, sprouting quickly and then planting. But the seeds need some special treatment: after soaking, use small scissors to artificially break open the seed coat at the top end of the seed, just cutting a small opening, without damaging the inside of the seed. Then put them in an incubator to sprout, so they whiten and show the sprout relatively quickly.

5. Sowing

Seeds that have sprouted and whitened need to be sown. One thing to note: the sprout should face downward, or be covered with a thin layer of sand, otherwise the new sprout easily loses water and dies. It is best to sow in containers, not in open ground; container sowing is easier to manage and also saves seeds. After sowing, directly prepare a fine-sand growing medium, which makes growth easy and retains moisture. It is good for seedling emergence.

The seed coat of watermelon seeds is of medium thickness, so soaking actually does not need too high a temperature; the hot water is mainly for disinfection. You can also choose to soak them in a disinfecting solution. Sprouting is mainly warm-keeping sprouting, and is not limited to one method.