Do I need to soak seeds before planting?
Don’t soak your seeds unless the package specifically directs you to. Most seeds don’t need to be soaked and it can actually be detrimental, causing them to rot or mold. Seeds with hard casing like peas do benefit from soaking, but the package directions should tell you if a specific seed type needs it. If you’re direct sowing seeds (planting them outdoors), water at least once a day. In hot, dry, or windy climates, you may need to water 2–3 times daily to keep the soil from drying out. Tip: Use a gentle spray, like the streams from the Garden Grid™, to avoid washing seeds away.For seeds to germinate, you need to keep the growing soil damp but not too wet. Learning how to water seedlings is pivotal for success. Many seed starters cover the container to keep soil moist until seeds germinate. Once seeds sprout, do not miss a watering.Soaking. Soaking is beneficial in two ways; it can soften a hard seed coat and also leach out any chemical inhibitors in the seed which may prevent germination. Anything from 1-3 hours in water which starts off hand hot is usually sufficient. If soaking for longer the water should be changed daily.Most of the microgreen’s seeds that require soaking are the more humongous ones with coarse exteriors including sunflowers, peas, mung beans, lentils, and chickpeas. Soaking such seeds loosens the hard shell in order to enable water to enter it and hasten the germination process.For seeds to germinate, you need to keep the growing soil damp but not too wet. Learning how to water seedlings is pivotal for success. Many seed starters cover the container to keep soil moist until seeds germinate. Once seeds sprout, do not miss a watering.
Should you water seeds right after planting in pots?
Once the seeds are in the pots (and labeled), give them one more easy watering, just to make sure the very top layer next to the seeds is wet and to help the soil settle in around the seed. If you’re direct sowing seeds (planting them outdoors), water at least once a day. In hot, dry, or windy climates, you may need to water 2–3 times daily to keep the soil from drying out. Tip: Use a gentle spray, like the streams from the Garden Grid™, to avoid washing seeds away.It’s as easy as popping your desired amount of nuts/seeds/grains/legumes into a bowl and covering with water for 8-24 hours. Grains prefer an acid medium to help activate the enzymes; while legumes are better soaked in salt as acids can reduce the texture and flavour of the pulse.Wait at least 8 hours, but 24 is even better, but make sure to keep it moist the whole time. You can do this with larger seeds, but for really large seeds, I worry that the paper towel is not enough to soak it, and I prefer to soak them in a bowl, before putting them on paper towel.
Which seeds should not be soaked before planting?
Only larger seeds with tough exterior coatings should be soaked. Tiny seeds with thin outer shells do not require soaking. Soaking tiny seeds can cause them to clump together, making them almost impossible to sow. The seed coat that protects the embryo within, stays intact until the conditions, temperature, light and moisture, are suitable for germination. Seeds are dry and need water to initiate germination. The water softens and breaks the seed coat and may leach away germination inhibitors.Scatter the seeds over the soil surface, and then rake again gently to distribute them. It would be beneficial to add a thin layer of planting mix or compost to help keep the seeds moist. Be sure to keep the seeds moist and thin out the seedlings as they develop.Seeds are meant to germinate when they’re moist, and hibernate when they’re dry. That’s why it’s important to dry your seeds after you harvest them. Open-air drying is the best way, and there are several methods for creating just the right conditions for perfect seed drying, using ordinary household items.
Can I put seeds straight into soil?
Another option is just to push your seeds into the soil at the correct depth and spacing. You could use a stick or dibber for this. This can be simple to do, but it will be harder to know where you’ve planted and tell your plants apart from weeds later. Another type of direct seed sowing technique is broadcast sowing. An old, not-very-secret trick gardeners have is to soak seeds overnight before planting; it softens the seed coat and makes seeds sprout 2 or 3 times faster than normal.