Hot Water Scarification

Anyone who grows their own vegetables, flowers, herbs, or other plants starts some of them from seed in their garden. Seeds come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and protective coatings. You may need to treat some of the seeds you plant differently. 

In this article, we’ll go over what those treatments are, why they’re important, and how you can learn more about the seeds that could need aid germinating so you can apply the right treatment to the vegetable, herb, or flower seeds that need it.

Dormancy

Dormancy is a genetic mechanism that seeds establish within themselves to prevent germination, even when the soil, temperature, and moisture circumstances are optimum. Depending on plant structure and physiology, different species have varied inactive periods, and the length of dormancy varies from species to species.

Stratification

The term “stratification” refers to a process in which some seeds must go through at least one cycle of temperature variations before they are ready for planting and germination. Moisture is required for all stratification processes.

Stratification is a method of simulating natural circumstances in order to wake seeds from dormancy and hasten the sprouting process.

Gardeners utilize stratification techniques when they need to apply artificial means to simulate nature’s environment.

The time it takes to stratify seeds varies depending on the species. Most flower, herb, and vegetable seeds will sprout if moistened seeds are stored in a dark spot for at least two or three months at temperatures between 4 and 5 degrees Celsius (or 39 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit).

Scarification and Chitting

Some plant seeds have a rock-hard exterior shell that makes moisture penetration difficult, if not impossible. Without human assistance, seeds like this do not germinate properly. Common rodents nibble on seeds in the wild, and their sharp teeth may weaken the hard shell of the protected embryo, allowing it to absorb water.

All scarification methods aim to remove enough of the hard seed covering or jacket to allow the small embryo deep inside the seed to absorb water.

Scarification and chitting are both methods of pretreating seeds to ensure that they germinate and grow into healthy seedlings. Seeds with the hard protective covering will take a long time to sprout if they germinate at all without this assistance.

Scarification is the process of breaking through the hard shell of a seed with an abrasive material or a tool, allowing the seed to absorb water after planting. The following substances or tools are effective for chitting and scarification.

• Sandpaper
• A nail File or Other File
• A Triangular File
• A micro plane Grater
• Nail Clippers
• A sharp Knife

Hot Water Scarification

Some seeds have a hard “jacket” that can be softened by boiling water. To use this approach, heat a saucepan of water until it just begins to boil. The temperature of the water should be around 82 degrees Celsius.

Soak the seeds in the water until it cools. Examine the bottom of the container to see if any seeds have sunk. Seeds that do not sink to the bottom of the pot are not always viable and will not sprout.

Seeds that have been scarified with hot water must be sown on the same day they have been scarified.

Alternatively, the seeds can be frozen overnight before being dropped into a kettle of boiling water. Remove the pot from the heat and soak the seeds for several hours, or until the water cools to room temperature.

Cold Stratification

Cold water soaking, refrigeration, fall sowing, winter solstice sowing, outdoor treatment, and snow planting are the six methods of stratification. Seed stratification time varies by species, but in most situations, two to three months of wet storage at 39 to 40°F (4 to 5°C) is sufficient. Experiment with different approaches. Distribute your seed packet across several methods, start dates, and stratification lengths.

Cold Water Soaking

This strategy works best a few weeks before the last frost for medium and larger seeds. You’re attempting to replicate snowmelt. Fill a small jar halfway with cold water and add the seeds. Although this is not true for all seeds, viable seeds should sink. Many seeds that are flat or have edges float. You’re aiming to wash germination inhibitors out of the seed, therefore change the water every day. After two weeks, sow. Seeds can also be placed in a small muslin bag and suspended in the toilet tank. 

Fall Sowing 

In Europe, direct sowing in the garden or in pots in the autumn is the customary practice. Perennial seeds are naturally exposed to winter conditions using this strategy. Make a date and stake where you sow. During the winter, wood Popsicle sticks discolor and decay. Use larger stakes – black Sharpie-written plastic stakes endure the longest. Plant at the correct depth for the cultivar. Simply push on the surface of seeds that require light to grow.

Conclusion

Many seeds are beaten in nature by weather (frost, rain, and fire), sand, soil particles, and the digestive tracts of birds and mammals.

Seed abrading, also known as scarification, is a process in which tougher seeds, which we’ve carefully extracted, are roughened up to emulate nature.

Scarifying allows moisture to penetrate a seed, causing the latent embryo to awaken and begin growing.