What are the methods for pre-sprouting seeds of vegetables such as celtuce and lettuce?

Celtuce, lettuce and leaf lettuce are cultivated varieties of 1-2 year herbaceous plants in the genus Lactuca of the Asteraceae family. They originate from the western coast of Asia and the Mediterranean, and are vegetables that are relatively cold-tolerant, prefer cool conditions and fear heat. The seeds can begin to germinate at 4°C, and the suitable germination temperature is 15-20°C; when the temperature is above 25°C, germination is poor because the seed coat has difficulty absorbing water. Therefore, when cultivating in summer and autumn, because the sowing period is still in the summer high-temperature stage, the seeds often germinate and emerge poorly. The method of pre-sprouting before sowing can be adopted, and practice has proven that the following method gives good results in seed pre-sprouting.

Wrap the seeds well in fine gauze or bean-curd cloth (to prevent them from leaking out since the seeds are small); depending on the amount of seed, the cloth should be slightly larger to make it easier to wash the seeds during the pre-sprouting process. Place the wrapped seeds in clean cool water and gently rub and wash them several times with your hands to make the seeds fresh and clean, then soak the seeds in cool water for 2-3 hours, remove them and drain off the excess water, wrap them well in a wet towel and place them in the refrigerator crisper (5~10°C) for 24-36 hours, take them out and rinse the seeds and towel, wrap them well in a wet towel and place them at room temperature (about 20-odd degrees) to pre-sprout; generally after 1-2 days the seeds will sprout in large numbers.

Note that during the pre-sprouting process all items used must not come into contact with oil, and hands must not be oily either; let the seeds breathe and respire. The role of the wet towel is to retain moisture; if too dry it cannot retain moisture, and if too wet it affects the seeds' respiration, both of which are unfavorable to seed germination; it is best when water drips out when the towel is squeezed hard by hand.