What are the methods for quickly germinating flower seeds?

Promoting rapid germination of flower seeds is a headache for many people, so today I will share with you what methods there are for promoting rapid germination of flower seeds.

There are many propagation methods for flowers, including sowing, cuttings, division, layering and grafting, among which the sowing propagation method is simple, produces a large number of plants, and the seedlings have complete and strong root systems, grow robustly and live long. For different types of flowers, due to differences in their seed coat structure and physiological mechanisms and many other reasons, the germination period of sown seeds also differs; some can germinate in a few days, while others need several months or even years. For example, because lotus seeds have a water-impermeable seed coat, when buried deep in the soil their dormancy period can reach a thousand years, and once the seed coat is damaged and water enters the embryo, they can germinate immediately. In cultivation, this characteristic of long-term dormant seeds brings inconvenience to sowing and raising seedlings, so artificial germination promotion is needed to shorten the seed dormancy period and promote rapid germination.

The methods for promoting rapid germination of flower seeds are as follows:

1. Water soaking treatment: For seeds with a short dormancy period that germinate easily, such as redbud and pearlblossom spiraea, soaking the seeds in warm water (40-60°C) or cold water for 1-2 days before sowing allows them to be sown directly. In addition, increasing the water temperature (for example, initially soaking in 90°C water and letting it cool naturally for 24 hours) can soften and allow water absorption by some gelatinous or waxy seed coats, after which they germinate.

2. Low-temperature treatment: For flowers cultivated outdoors in the north, some seeds need to undergo a certain period of low-temperature (0-10°C) treatment to promote after-ripening, break embryo dormancy and germinate. Mix the seeds with sand at 60% moisture (that is, sand that holds together when squeezed by hand and then falls apart when released), then put it into a plastic bag, tie the opening tightly, place it in a flower pot, and bury the pot together with the pot in open ground 40-60 cm deep. Alternatively, place the seeds in a refrigerator at 3-5°C for 60-90 days, then take the seeds out in spring and sow them directly.

3. Alternating temperature treatment: Some flower seeds, such as fringetree, tree peony and herbaceous peony, have the habit of double dormancy of the radicle and hypocotyl, that is, their radicles need to pass through a high-temperature stage of 25-32°C for 1-2 months or longer before dormancy is broken and roots sprout, but at this time their hypocotyls are still dormant and need conditions of 3-5°C for 1-3 months to release dormancy and sprout shoots. For such seeds, before sowing, mix them with wet sand, subject them to a certain period of high temperature, and then transfer them to low temperature, so as to promote the seeds to germinate within a short time after sowing.

4. Reasons why seeds still do not germinate after treatment and points to note during seed treatment: When treating seeds by the water soaking method, change the water frequently so that there is sufficient oxygen in the water; insufficient oxygen will cause the seed embryo to die. In addition, the time at excessively high soaking water temperature (60-90°C) should not be too long, within half an hour to 1 hour, and afterward the water temperature should be lowered to below 40°C, otherwise the seed embryo is also prone to dying. During low-temperature treatment, the seeds must be thoroughly and evenly mixed with wet sand; if the sand is too dry during treatment, the seeds are also unlikely to emerge after sowing. During alternating temperature treatment or freezing treatment, because the high-temperature period or freezing period is often not long enough, the seeds are also unlikely to emerge after sowing.