Seed Germination, Easy to Difficult Seeds
Different species of plants have different requirements for germination. The ones most people are familiar with are the easy to grow ones...marigolds, beans, etc. Usually, annuals are the easiest: sow at the proper depth, provide consistent moisture and warmth and viola! You have seedlings. Annuals live one year and die. They usually profusely seed and their goal is to quickly germinate when conditions are right because they only have one shot at reproduction. They need to germinate quickly, grow quickly, and reproduce quickly (flower). These seeds contain very little if any germination inhibitor. The most important criteria for planting this kind of seed is getting the planting depth correct. Some seeds need light to germinate. Their seeds should be sown on the surface and not covered with soil. Sowing depth is information provided on the seed packet. If not, the general rule is not to cover seeds more than 3 times their diameter. For really tiny seed, just press into the soil an...