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The seed coat or outside of a seed protects it during dormancy. Hidden inside that coat is the radicle or beginning of a root, the hypocotyl or beginning of a shoot, either one or two seed leaves or cotyledons (the seeds’ food supply), and the epicotyl, which will become the first true leaves. The seeds of some plants have a second food supply, called the endosperm. Plants with one cotyledon are called monocots. Those with two are dicots.
Spring like conditions soil that’s wet and beginning to warm up, and longer days and stronger sunlight signal the seed to break dormancy. Light triggers germination of many small seeds, while other seeds germinate best in darkness. Some seeds prefer warm temperatures, others cold. Such differences are a reflection of biodiversity. Simply, plants native to areas with warm conditions produce seeds that germinate best in warm soil, while those native to cold places prefer cool soil.
Know what conditions your seeds naturally prefer, and try to emulate them.
Water does two things to a seed. First, it activates enzymes that stimulate the release of food energy stored during dormancy. Second, it splits the tough seed coat open so that oxygen gets in. Energy stored in the cotyledon `burns’ and is used only in the presence of oxygen, powering the seedlings’ cells as they begin to divide and grow. This process is called respiration.
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