Need for seed

I have been sowing seeds for ages, but it never ceases to excite me when I see the first signs of green. Because of the chooks, and my inclination to declare I’ll remember where I put them and then promptly forget and plant something else on top, I normally sow my seeds in punnets. In addition to making it easier to keep track of them, it makes them easier to water and tend to while they’re still young. It also makes for one exciting place to check every morning to look for signs of life!

My seedling bench - I have an automatic watering system that mists them every morning which makes for much more reliable germination!

Seeds can be temperamental little buggers, and nature has made them capable of germinating when the conditions are juuuust right. Some are more goldilocks than others - and when you’re usually sowing zinnias and lettuce and broccoli that are pretty much guaranteed to come up within two weeks, it can be tempting to give up on punnets that have been sitting there for months! If it’s a punnet of lettuce, then maybe it’s wise to start again, but other seeds need time.

There are lots of different mechanisms nature uses to make sure sprouting seeds have the best start in life. Some seeds have hard seed coats that need lots of water to soften them up and start germination - which ensures there is lots of water for the little seedlings; some need to be frozen and thawed, ensuring they’ll germinate the following spring when they have a long warm period to grow; and others benefit from being partially digested and deposited in their own little parcel of fertilizer (a.k.a. bird poop), which is generally some distance away from the mother plant and helps the species spread!

While a ‘sow it and see’ approach can work, sometimes it pays to do a little research on how a seed germinates in its natural habitat. It’s also wise to pay attention to the time of year and warmth of your soil - what might germinate in 2 weeks in summer can take all winter before you see the tiny green specks emerge!

Ruby saltbush (Enchylaena tomentosa) germinates with two leaves. The true leaves are just starting to form in the centre.

At germination the first leaves that come out are called cotyledons or ‘seed leaves’ - these leaves look different to the ‘true leaves’ that come later. The seed leaves are formed in the seed and when they emerge, are able to photosynthesise and start making energy for the plant to grow. Depending on whether your plant is a monocot or dicot, there are either one or two of these seed leaves. Monocots include things like lilies, grasses, orchids and onions - they often have long strappy leaves with linear veins and will have one seed leaf. Dicots are most of your trees and shrubs and have a more complicated vein network in their leaves and they will always have two seed leaves!