How to germinate winter melon seeds? A detailed guide to the latest methods

Winter melon is one of the vegetables we are familiar with, but when planting it, its seed germination rate is a real headache. Because its seed coat is a cuticle layer that is relatively thick and has weak water absorption, germination takes an extremely long time. That is why growers always germinate the seeds first. Now let's follow the editor and take a look at the methods for germinating winter melon seeds.

1. Reasons for difficult germination

The germination of winter melon seeds requires a large amount of water and a well-ventilated environment, while the seed coat of winter melon is composed of thick-walled cells and soft spongy cells, which makes its water absorption weak and its air permeability extremely poor, so germination is difficult. In addition, its seeds need extremely high temperatures to germinate, and germination takes a long time. Planting is done in spring and winter, when the temperature cannot reach its germination conditions.

2. Seed coat breaking method

We have all cracked open sunflower seeds with our teeth. Before germinating winter melon seeds, you can crack open a small slit in the seed coat, but be careful not to damage the internal structure, so as not to affect the germination rate. Then wrap the seeds in a sterilized towel, being careful not to wrap them too tightly, so that poor air permeability does not cause germination to fail, and keep the towel moist. In this way, there is no need for seed soaking treatment. Place them in an environment of about 30 degrees, and they will germinate in about 3-4 days, and the young sprouts will also be relatively uniform.

3. Boiling water scalding method

Before sowing, first soak the seeds in cold water for half an hour, rub and wash the mucus on the seed surface clean, then pour them into hot water of 60-70 degrees, so that the seeds are not scalded to death directly by boiling water, and stir while pouring. When the water temperature drops to 30 degrees, stop stirring and place them in an environment of about 30 degrees to soak for one day. After they have absorbed enough water, scoop them out and dry them, then wrap them well with palm bark, place them in a 30-degree environment, and they will sprout in about a week. After sprouting, they can be sown.

4. Precautions

During the germination process, when the seeds germinate they produce strong respiration, absorb oxygen, and release a large amount of carbon dioxide. If this carbon dioxide is not discharged in time and accumulates in the seed pile, it will cause the seeds to suffocate and be poisoned, resulting in the phenomenon of “seed retting”. Therefore, during germination, good air permeability must be maintained, and the seed pile should not be stacked too thickly.

The above is an introduction to the methods for germinating winter melon seeds. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.