My germination

            Throughout the last 2 weeks I have attempted to germinate seeds. I have done so by placing some seeds into a moist paper towel and I have kept it wet throughout the weeks. I have decided to become a scientist and try to figure out what the best approach for growing the seeds is. I placed some seeds by the light and some in  the dark. I actually found that I had a much hard time keeping the seeds in the sin light wet, I had to consistently water them unlike the seeds in the dark. On day 1 I found no change in the seed. When I looked a few days later the seeds had started to get slightly larger and one had even cracked open. I did not see any other big change in my seeds. I was starting to get concerned a week into the process, many of my seeds had opened and a goo started to come out. One of the seeds did have what looked like a little tail coming out. That one seed I thought might end up growing. I kept at it watering the seeds and keeping an eye on them. Nothing else happened to my seeds. The seed with the little tail decided t o stop growing and I got very discouraged. There was no significant difference between the seeds that were placed in the light or the dark. In fact the seed that sprouted was in the dark which was against what I ha hypothesized. I wish I was able to get the seeds to grow and it is unfortunate that they didn’t, but I learned a valuable lesson. If you are going to do this lesson in your classroom you should make sure that you provide are always prepared. Start germinating seeds at home in case a seed fails to sprout you can always replace it without the child knowing.

GENERAL RULES of SEED SOWINGSeeds need water and oxygen to germinate, so are best started in a light, loose soil that will not compact, get soggy, or crust over. Free flow of water & air are a must. Cover seed with 2 - 4 times their thickness of soil, unless they require light to germinate. Sow shallowly in cold wet spring, more deeply in warm dry summer. Large seed can be soaked overnight and planted singly. Barely cover small seed, and sprinkle fine seed on the surface and water by misting. Plant flat seed edgewise and winged seed with wing uppermost or broken off. Sowing too thickly wastes seed and weakens the crowded seedlings, but some kinds sprout best if crowded. Lightly tamp soil to insure good contact with the seed, unless heavy. Keep soil moist, not soggy, and do not allow to dry out.
Common causes of failure are soil too heavy, wet or cold, or allowed to dry out, not giving slow seeds long enough to come up, pests eating the seeds or seedlings, and not giving dormant seeds the proper pretreatment. Careful attention to the instructions in the catalog and on the packet will help insure good results. Common causes of seedling loss are damping off due to poor air circulation & overwatering, drying out or burning due to placing in full sun or outdoor conditions too quickly, transplanting shock (best done on a cool, moist day), and predation by insects, slugs and snails at night.