Have you ever wondered why a seed germinates? What does a seed need to germinate? You can say water and sun, but there is actually so much more to this “magic”.
That is why today we are going to pause for a moment to tell you about the seeds and everything you need to know about them so that you know exactly what they need to germinate. Dark?
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Various seeds and various ways to germinate
As you know, many seeds have a particular way of germinating. Some must be in the water. Others straight to the ground, others just need you to throw them and they grow on their own…
Really seeds are unique, but the truth is that almost all of them follow the same process when it comes to germination: absorbing water.
When you have a seed and you put it in water, meanwhile its only function is to absorb water (that’s why they tend to swell). If it is not in water and you plant it the reason it is said to water immediately after is that it needs a moist medium to germinate as it does the same thing as if you put it in water: it absorbs water from the soil to the cuticle of the seed to open it.
Once the seed opens, you will see that the first thing that comes out is the root. This is responsible for anchoring it to the ground, that is to say, fixing itself to the ground in order to restart the process of water absorption by the root.
Only when operational does the seed allow the stem to grow. And that’s why you see how it emerges from the earth.
What does a seed need to germinate?
For all that has been said before, chances are that right now you think that a seed only needs water to germinate. but it is certainly not like that. There’s a lot more that comes into play that you need. Specifically, the following:
Temperature
As you know, seeds have time to germinate. You can’t always find plants whose seeds can be planted at any time of the year (unless you have a greenhouse).
The reason is that they need an appropriate temperature to germinate. For example, you will not be able to achieve this in the middle of winter if what you want is for a typical summer plant to be born. The heat, the ambient temperature affects it and since the soil or the water where you put it is not at the right temperature, the seed does not come out. Or yes, but it is so weak that by removing the seedling and receiving this insufficient time, it ends up dying irretrievably.
Humidity
Moisture is the first thing you think of when we ask what you need to germinate a seed. Water is important, both that in which the plant is immersed for it to germinate, and that which is poured into the pot when it is planted. But really, It’s not that they need a liquid medium, but moisture that causes the seed to grow from the water it absorbsbreak the cuticle and the growth process begins, first with the root, then with the stem.
In fact, when you water too much, what you can cause is that the seed “drowns”, that is, it does not have enough space to go little by little and, as you know, excesses are bad.
Oxygen
Have you ever thought of that? We recognize that this is not something you usually think about when you go to plant a seed. How will you need oxygen? And yet, we are becoming more and more aware of it.
You will see, by oxygen we mean you need the seed to have room to grow. When you plant it in soil that is too compact, when the root comes out, it can’t stick, let alone grow, because it doesn’t have the space to do so. Keep in mind that the first root is very fragile and has little hardness or strength to push through hard ground.
Therefore, when planting, it is recommended to use very light soil and accompanied by good drainage. This one, once put in the pot, creates small oxygen holes, like pockets of space. And when the root of the seed is born, it has a place to grow and look for those water reserves that it feeds on.
Otherwise, it could not grow.
Light
As you know seeds cannot be in full sun at first (except for some specific plants) as this is too intense and will kill the small plant (or seedling) within a few hours.
However, they need light. This is why we say that when the plant comes out, you should leave it in an area with light, but not direct. The goal is for the plant to be nourished by the light and, at the same time, to grow stronger to support it.
After a few days, when we see that the plant reacts well and even asks for more light (leaning towards the area where there is the most light), we can move it to leave it in this area . But this is something each seed and plant does individually. Not everyone needs direct light because not everyone wants to be in the sun.
What must be taken into account is that all will need sun because that is what makes them grow (as well as other factors such as soil, water, oxygen or temperature).
Not all seeds germinate
Although you can cover all these needs, the truth is that you will find seeds that do not finish germinating. And it’s not really because you failed and they don’t get everything they need, but because there are more influencing factors:
- The seed has dried out too much.
- That he was in bad shape.
- Too much time has passed for it to germinate.
That is why it is always recommended to plant several, as some may not come out.
Has it become clear to you now what a seed needs to germinate? Some “green” lovers also add one more element: the love you can give it. There are studies in which it is said that when you talk to the plant or put music on it, it reacts positively. So whether you are skeptical about it or not, you can always give it a try.