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mrpepper_gw

Would like your input

mrpepper
15 years ago

I just discovered an in-expensive, natural, and super fast way to get seeds to sprout.

How fast? Well, I just sprouted Evergreen Bunching Onions in two days, Tomatoes in two days, Garlic in one day, and Jalapeno Peppers in three days.

The method I have discovered uses every day household products. My question to you is have you found a faster way of sprouting seeds naturally, and if not what do you think a product like this would sell like?

Thanks in advance for all constructive comments.

Comments (8)

  • grizzman
    15 years ago

    I haven't found my methods faster though I'm not surprised to see tomatoes germinate that quickly. personally, I get germination of peppers and tomatoes in less than a week.
    I doubt there will be much market for it because the difference between 2 days and 5 days is minimal except on your first run. after that you know about how much time to allow for germination.

  • nateb123
    15 years ago

    Well
    My seeds germinate within a week If I don't use a heating pad it can take longer
    If you could guarantee successful germination in any environment that would be something
    but if it uses every day household products why would I buy this if I already have everything?

  • mrpepper
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I sprouted Bell Pepper seeds in three days. This method is not something an average person would build. For people on this forum, they could easily build their own.

    BTW, I do not use heat, chemicals, or any kind of fertilizer or product other than water.

    Sounds like it is not a big deal to most folks to wait the normal 10-12 days for germination on some seeds. I am impatient, so if I can save a few days, or cut that time in half, it is a big deal to me.

  • nateb123
    15 years ago

    When you say sprouted
    can you tell me are you saying
    seedling broke medium in 3 days
    or seed cracked without any media and I can see the roots forming
    Because thats entirely different
    It usually takes about a week to see emerging seedling break the medium but if Im using say diluted H202 to crack seeds than I can usually see roots forming in a matter of days

    Dunno if you have come upon some amazing new method or whatever, I am intrigued to say the least although I would never buy something like this because I am incredibly cheap ;)

    Like I said, if your method could guarantee germination even if I keep my house at 65 degrees mid winter than that would be something As far as time Ill admit I can get impatient but Ive come to a point where I usually have 99% successful germination with pretty much every seed, so waitings not to big of a deal

  • grizzman
    15 years ago

    I'm not saying 10-12 days isn't a big deal. I'm saying that after a couple of seasons, you just learn to start your seeds germinating a week or two before you're ready to put them in a system.
    Why don't you just post a picture of the thing or some instructions or something. All this cloak and dagger is for not. bottom line, you're probably not going to sell the concept to many people. but if its cheap to build go ahead and market it to death. maybe you'll turn a profit.

  • freemangreens
    15 years ago

    I have germinated "Little Gem" butter crunch lettuce seeds in 2 to 12 hours. The 2 part is when the calypse (sp?) pops and the 12 is when there is a root at one end and a stem at the other. Germination depends a lot on cultivar.

    For the record, I germinate in nutrient at 2.0 EC, then drop it back to whatever the cultivar likes once there is a root and a stem formed. For lettuce, by the way, that would be somewhere in the vicinity of 1.2.

    Soaking seeds in luke-warm Lipton tea works wonders for many seeds too. Then again, you can sprout beans overnight between a couple wet napkins.

    Everyone has had a moment or two of self discovery and we all applaud you. If you're willing to share your secret, please do!

    What cultivar exactly are you germinating, by the way?

  • mrpepper
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    To clarify some of the questions so far, what I mean is seeing the root start to emerge from the seed.

    I have then taking these seeds and put them into potting soil, peat pellets, and rock wool media, and in one to two days, seen the leaf part sprout out.

    The seeds I am trying to grow were the Ferry Morse Organic Evergreen Bunching Onions, which for me typically takes a minimum of 7 days to see anything regardless of previous attempts at sprouting them using all the methods listed here and elsewhere that I have found.

    I took a seed pack and split it out on different seed sprouting methods. Under the same conditions I tried: the wet paper towel trick, the heat trick, the tea trick, and even Hydrogen Peroxide treated water trick. The new method I found cuts the sprouting (root immersion) time down in half.

    Since I am still playing with it, I do not want to get too excited, and make statements that are not true. I also want to try different seeds, especially hard to sprout seeds like some of the hot peppers, peppercorn, and spinach.

    What I have found so far, is that this may be an incredible way to grow tubers. However, this is just the infancy stage of these seeds, and tubers; so who really knows what other issues may crop up.

    To give you an idea of some of the growing conditions, I have purchased a florescent bulb (one of those new bulbs that is bright blue light, uses 25 watts and has more lumes than a 100 watt incandescent light); and put this light into the range light above my electric cooking stove. My house keeps at 70 degrees F, and there is little natural light coming in during the day. Since I do not use my stove to cook with (hey I am a bachelor and prefer restaurant food).; it makes good use of space. :-)

    The point to the above paragraph is to show that the seeds and tubers are being started under this low light situation, which I have no idea if it helps or not. No this is not the new method of trying to get the seeds and tubers to sprout, just an idea of what the environment is like.

    Rest assured if there is no marketability in this, I will share everything with everyone on this site. I would just like to have some real notes to compare to first.

  • wordwiz
    15 years ago

    No offense and it sounds as though you are excited but from a grower's standpoint: who cares? Days to germination don't count, at least to me. All it means is a few more trips upstairs to see if anything has come up.

    Now if you develop a foolproof way to guarantee 100 percent germination, you sir, will be rich!

    If you think your idea will fly, write it out, time-stamp it, get it notarized and post your method for "beta" testing. People here will try it to see if they can duplicate your efforts and if so, you can sell the formula to Reamers or some other company.

    Mike