With a little prep, you can increase your seed germination rate, AND help future plant generations to survive.

If you collected seed last year, now is the time to start preparing some seed for germination.

Some seeds need a signal that says it is okay to germinate. It commonly involves doing one of the following:

• Scarification (nicking, scratching or weakening the seed coat)
• Stratification (usually a cold, moist treatment)

Why?
Because, many native or heirloom plants have tough seed coats. Tough seed coats are nature’s way of protecting seeds from accidentally sprouting early. If water were to penetrate the seed coat as soon as the seeds drop, the seed could be triggered to germinate at the wrong time, like just before the arrival of winter, or during a devastating drought.

So, to increase their chance at survival, some plants have developed thicker, tougher seed coats for their offspring. This allows the natural freezing and thawing cycles of winter (or exposure to a rainy season in warmer climates, or even passage through an animal's digestive tract) to slowly soften the seeds up first, hopefully increasing the chance that the seed will germinate when it has a better chance of survival.

To encourage germination at home, we need to copy Mother Nature and by doing this you are helping future generations of that plant to survive. Because, if no pre-treatment is used, only those seeds with the softest seed coats will germinate, weakening their chance of survival in our harsh prairie conditions. Yuck!

Click here to find out how we stratify our seed at Prairie Flora Greenhouse and download our list of common native plant, vegetable and herb seeds and their recommended pre-treatments and germination times.

Did you know pre-treating carrots can help increase their germination?