IronLung
10-01-2005, 12:12 AM
Out of curiousity, i developed a new way to germinate my seeds (in this case i would actually refer to the seed as an embryo). What i did was carefully remove the embryo from the shell and germinate the embryo itself. I germinated the embryo and then planted when ready. Here is a step-by-step procedure of the germination method:
1. Materials: new sterilized razor blade, shallow dish or cup, water, some paper towel, rubber band, cling wrap
2. First, take your seed and find the crack between the two segments of the shell. Take your razor blade and very carefully cut along the crack with the tip of the razor blade. Be careful not to puncture the delicate embryo inside with the blade. After the cut is made around the whole seed, gently seperate the two shell halves. You can use the blade, some tweezers, or your fingers(VERY CAREFULLY) to seperate. Remove the embryo.
3. Immediately place the embryo in a shallow dish or cup filled half-way with water. Place the cup and embryo in a dark area. Check every 6 hours to see if the leaves started to open; you will know this because you will see a thin opaqe covering from the embryo floating around. Now is when you must put the embryo in a moist dish.
4. Quickly, the embryo must be placed in a moist environment. Take a sheet of paper towel, fold it to fit your dish or cup, moisten it with luke warm water, and place it in the bottom of the dish. You can add a little water to the bottom of the cup to insure proper moisture(not to wet). After the moist paper towel is in place, gently place the embryo on it. Take another sheet of paper towel, moisten it, ect. Place this paper towel on top of the embryo. Cover with some cling wrap and seal it with a rubber band. Place in a dark place and make sure the towel stays moist. After a day or so the two leaves should be about 25% of the way open. When the leaves start to get a hint of green, or when the taproot is about 3/8", you must plant in a soil medium. Pay special attention so you do not damage the young plant.
This process should take about 2-3 days. I hope this helps someone. Give me input on what u think.
1. Materials: new sterilized razor blade, shallow dish or cup, water, some paper towel, rubber band, cling wrap
2. First, take your seed and find the crack between the two segments of the shell. Take your razor blade and very carefully cut along the crack with the tip of the razor blade. Be careful not to puncture the delicate embryo inside with the blade. After the cut is made around the whole seed, gently seperate the two shell halves. You can use the blade, some tweezers, or your fingers(VERY CAREFULLY) to seperate. Remove the embryo.
3. Immediately place the embryo in a shallow dish or cup filled half-way with water. Place the cup and embryo in a dark area. Check every 6 hours to see if the leaves started to open; you will know this because you will see a thin opaqe covering from the embryo floating around. Now is when you must put the embryo in a moist dish.
4. Quickly, the embryo must be placed in a moist environment. Take a sheet of paper towel, fold it to fit your dish or cup, moisten it with luke warm water, and place it in the bottom of the dish. You can add a little water to the bottom of the cup to insure proper moisture(not to wet). After the moist paper towel is in place, gently place the embryo on it. Take another sheet of paper towel, moisten it, ect. Place this paper towel on top of the embryo. Cover with some cling wrap and seal it with a rubber band. Place in a dark place and make sure the towel stays moist. After a day or so the two leaves should be about 25% of the way open. When the leaves start to get a hint of green, or when the taproot is about 3/8", you must plant in a soil medium. Pay special attention so you do not damage the young plant.
This process should take about 2-3 days. I hope this helps someone. Give me input on what u think.