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applestar
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Re: Pre-germinating/pre-sprouting pumpkins and squash -- any

:D it'll be an interesting experiment to see what happens 8)

Those seeds looked like this in the morning. You can clearly see the squash roots starting to differentiate and the root hairs in the other one (can't tell if that's a Cherokee Long Ear popcorn I missed or a watermelon)
image.jpg
image.jpg

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jal_ut
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Update: This morning six of the ten seeds had a root protruding about 3/8 inch.

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applestar
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What will you do with them now?
My last average frost was yesterday, so I sowed a couple of the germinated seeds in the warmest part of my garden and stuck a cut off milk jug over them. My other ones were sown in more or less pint-sized containers of potting mix. I've kept them upstairs (about 72°F) or on the heat mat at night, and taken them outside on sunny days to heat up in the sun, and they have been sprouting:
image.jpg

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jal_ut
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What will you do with them now?
I am going to leave them for another day to see if others are going to germinate too, (and I want a picture of them with good tails.) then I will plant them out in the garden. I have reserved an area for pumpkins this year.

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feldon30
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Just did an admittedly small scale test and started 12 watermelon seeds in seed starting mix. It was 6 seeds each of Moon & Stars and Orangeglo. For each variety, I scarified and soaked 4 of the seeds for an hour. The other 2 seeds got a 3 minute dip in water. All 6 seeds of each variety came up virtually at the same time (about 36 hours after planting).

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applestar
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That's pretty good! Fresh -- packaged for 2014 -- seeds? Did you use a heating mat? Approx. what temp?

I'm getting miserable germination rate from my oldest watermelon seeds. I'm going to start another batch.

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applestar
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I soaked for a couple of hours then drained and nicked with nail clippers a bunch of watermelon and melon seeds to put in the sprouter last night. I decided watermelon seeds may not have good viability so dumped the few that were left in the old packets together. If any of them germinate, it will be bonus. :D

BTW two of the previous batch of pre-germinated watermelons have sprouted in the pint size containers of potting mix. Two more are still sleeping.

Also soaked and drained a bunch of cucumber seeds.ALL OF THESE ARE SEEDS I NORMALLY SOW DRY SEEDS DIRECTLY IN THE GROUND but in the name of experimentation, I'll see what happens if they are pre-germinated first. :wink:

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jal_ut
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Image

Here ya go. Ten seeds started, ten seeds germinated. Who said you can't pre-sprout pumpkin seed?

I took them out in the garden and planted them.

Since I was planting, I also planted some other pumpkins and squash. Hope the weather cooperates. I usually don't plant squash until the 5th of May.

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applestar
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100% germination -- Excellent! :D
Did you mark where you sowed the pre-germinated ones?
It will be interesting to see if there is a difference between these and the ones sowed dry. 8)

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feldon30
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applestar wrote:That's pretty good! Fresh -- packaged for 2014 -- seeds? Did you use a heating mat? Approx. what temp?

I'm getting miserable germination rate from my oldest watermelon seeds. I'm going to start another batch.
2014 seeds. No heating mat. 72 degrees F.

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jal_ut
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Did you mark where you sowed the pre-germinated ones?
Yes, I marked the spot.

gardengirlbrooke
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thanks for all the germination tips I'm going to use my sprouter that I used to make alfalfa sprouts for sandwiches and see how that works out

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applestar
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Great! Report back and tell us how they did. :D

James, how are they doing? With mine, it looks like for the time being, the ones grown inside in containers and then transplanted are currently much further along than the two Pre-germinated seeds I planted in the ground.

Further progress of my winter squash are documented in this thread.

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jal_ut
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Those pre-germinated pumpkin seeds came right up in three days. Wouldn't you know, we then had that 30 degree night and it damaged them a bit, but I think they are going to grow in spite of it.

I pre-germinated 75 watermelon seeds and planted them out two days ago. We will have to wait for a report on them. It is probably not warm enough here yet for germinating watermelon seeds in the ground, but I was hoping to get a head start for some early melons.

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jal_ut
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Just a note about my sprouting method: I first soak the seeds overnight, then drain them. I then take damp paper towels and put the seed in them then into a plastic ziploc bag and then to the top of the refrigerator. (a nice warm spot) It only takes 3 days to get tails on the ones I have started.

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sheeshshe
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This year I took my melon seeds and I put them in paper cups with soil. Then I wet the soil and placed them in a rubbermaid/sterlite type clear bin, with the lid on. Put it out in the sun. Most of them have come up quickly. I'm trying to get ahead of the cutworms this year! In hindsight, I should have started them a few weeks earlier than I did. :( Oh well!



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