Germinating in paper towel vs Strait to organic soil??

[vitamin_green_inc]

I did an experiment that any one can do, but apparently no one has taken the time to try? Just go get some seeds, pinto, whatever-cheap. Then do a control and experiment. farmers sow 2-3x as many beans as will actually pop, we don't have that luxury with such expensive seeds.

Anyway, I did beans soaked 24 hours before-into paper towel/beans not soaked-into paper towel-soaking for 24-48 hours beforehand had much better germ rates. Also did dark in the paper towel vs light in the papertowel and light consistently performed better. The beans straight into the paper towel vs soaking and into the paper towel-soaking first gave more positive results. The ones that I did no papertowel or soak? The worst method by far.
In short, to each their own, but IMO these beans are too expensive to leave up to planting directly in the media, and we have the knowledge and tools to make this process easier so why not do something that may take a little more effort, but will produce results

Edit* it ain't hard to not damage the tap root, like come on, do you shake so badly or not have tweezers?

 

[Wavels]

I used the paper towel method for many years.
Now I simply put them directly into the medium.

I like to use either straight Pro-Mix or Jiffy Mix.
This is easier because it saves what I now consider to be an unnecessary step.
Saves time and works just as well, or better for me.

 

[FoilageTrees]

Im kinda with the guys saying go strait to soil, after all the guy that made this whole site instructs you to go strait to soil, he should know best right? unless someone had a super good argument against it. It looks to be a company that means well, so im going strait to soil, i dont think its some scheme to get you to loose seeds and have to buy more, and thats the only reason they would lie.

 

[New Age United]

How do they hatch corn seed? You really need to explain that process.

They do it with paper towel, I've seen a corn farmer show us on a school trip in like seventh grade, he has an incubator but used paper towel in tupperware containers to hatch hundreds of seeds at a time.

 

[bird mcbride]

I have placed unsprouted seeds in soaked rockwool and planted them directly into the flood and drain table with good results.

 

[noysy]

Ill just leave this here!

-proofs in the pooding

 

[bird mcbride]

I've got a bean growing in there the same way and some avacado as well

 

[Budley Doright]

They do it with paper towel, I've seen a corn farmer show us on a school trip in like seventh grade, he has an incubator but used paper towel in tupperware containers to hatch hundreds of seeds at a time.

Not to be rude but I think perhaps if that was the case the farmer wasn't planting very many plants. There is no way a farmer germinates his seeds before planting, thats just crazy talk lol. They use a seeder that holds about a ton of seed lol. Could you imagine planting row upon row of individual seeds lol. You would need to head to the local Home Depot every morning with a bus for seed planters lol.

 

[Cobnobuler]

Much to the chagrin of people like Uncle Ben and such, I've always used the paper towel and can't see needing to change that when I have near 100 % success rate with it. I only leave them in there long enough to get 1/4 - 1/2 inch of taproot and in the dirt they go. Popping seeds is the easy part. They would pop in a puddle of piss.
The harder stuff comes later.

 

[BM9AGS]

Not to be rude but I think perhaps if that was the case the farmer wasn't planting very many plants. There is no way a farmer germinates his seeds before planting, thats just crazy talk lol. They use a seeder that holds about a ton of seed lol. Could you imagine planting row upon row of individual seeds lol. You would need to head to the local Home Depot every morning with a bus for seed planters lol.

Growing up the fields for feed food for the cows were planted by machine.
Our personal crops were hand planted. It was back breaking work. Pretty sure that's why all the old farmers looked like hunchbacks.

 

[BM9AGS]

It's the natural way, but ask any farmer if they hatch their seeds before they sow them and you'll get a definitive yes. Because they know if they plant a thousand corn seeds without hatching them they'll end up with a hundred stalks of corn. I always have and always will use the paper towel method, out of hundreds of seeds soaked I've had maybe 10 that didn't hatch.

Where are you getting your farmer data?
I grew up farming and never ever pre hatched. We just tilled the fields then threw dirt over them. Nature did everything. 3 seeds per drop. Very rare to not see a drop grow with 2-3 stalks.
Winter before we spread manure in the fields.....which smells great

 

[FoilageTrees]

Planting strait to soil makes for a more vigorous plant

 

[Budley Doright]

Where are you getting your farmer data?
I grew up farming and never ever pre hatched. We just tilled the fields then threw dirt over them. Nature did everything. 3 seeds per drop. Very rare to not see a drop grow with 2-3 stalks.
Winter before we spread manure in the fields.....which smells great

So you didnt germinate the 2 tons of corn seed you planted? I find that hard to believe.

 

[New Age United]

@Budley Doright @BM9AGS This was by no means a big farm but I'm certain that he hatched his seeds.

 

[Budley Doright]

They do it with paper towel, I've seen a corn farmer show us on a school trip in like seventh grade, he has an incubator but used paper towel in tupperware containers to hatch hundreds of seeds at a time.

Sorry man but a "corn farmer" does not germinate the seeds. If your the same age as me perhaps you were smoking some really good 70's pot lol. Hell I've never heard of veggy gardeners doing it either, I know I dont. Anyways it all seems to work but my best results germing them first

 

[New Age United]

Sorry man but a "corn farmer" does not germinate the seeds. If your the same age as me perhaps you were smoking some really good 70's pot lol. Hell I've never heard of veggy gardeners doing it either, I know I dont. Anyways it all seems to work but my best results germing them first

Alright I still know where the farm is if you wanta come up here I'll prove it to you lol. No this is before I started smoking I'm certain of what I was seeing.

 

[Budley Doright]

Well then he was one fucked up corn farmer lol. Perhaps he had some form of ADD lol. Anyways If thats what you saw, then thats what you saw lol.

 

[BM9AGS]

So you didnt germinate the 2 tons of corn seed you planted? I find that hard to believe.

No that's insane! Mother Nature did it. Just like its been doing for millions of years or however long.

 

[Budley Doright]

^^^^^ lol.

 

[Cobnobuler]

Planting strait to soil makes for a more vigorous plant

I'm curious about this statement. I've heard it before but would like to see what kind of proof this might be based on. Maybe I can conjure up an expert himself and see if @Uncle Ben himself will weigh in on this ( again I know )