Even high-quality seeds may partially fail to germinate due to storage, drying out, or a natural decrease in germination. Experienced gardeners know how important it is to spend 15-30 minutes doing a simple check before sowing. This helps to avoid “bald spots” in the garden bed and save time on reseeding.
It is important to understand that even fresh seeds do not have 100% germination. It varies across cultures – this is normal biology, and not always a marriage.
1) Visual inspection
Select seeds:
- with cracks, stains, traces of mold;
- severely wrinkled or too light;
- sharply different in color from the main batch.
2) Salt test (for large seeds)
Suitable for cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, beets, radishes.
How to check:
- Dissolve 1 tsp. salt in 1 glass of water.
- Soak the seeds for 5-10 minutes.
- Floating ones are most often empty – they are removed.
- Rinse the settled ones with clean water and dry them before planting.
This method is not suitable for very small seeds (carrots, lettuce).
3) Express germination (if there are 2–3 days)
- Place 10 seeds on a damp cloth.
- Keep at room temperature.
- Estimate how much has sprouted.
If less than 60–70% germination occurs, it is better to increase the sowing rate or replace the batch.
Do not keep the seeds in the saline solution for more than 10 minutes and be sure to dry them before sowing. Even a short check helps to get smoother and more friendly shoots.
