Back to nature with seeds and container gardening

1. Back to nature with seeds and container gardening Seeds are the means in wish most plants reproduce, from trees, flowers to fruits and vegetables. The mighty Oak tree produces acorns only after fifty years of growth and we all take the seeds out of our oranges. Our vegetables also have seeds, at the end of the growing process of lettuce or greens, they produce a small flower followed by a seed pod. Nature’s way of replacing herself. Purchasing the seeds However, for our container gardening, most of us purchase our seeds from our local nursery or hardware store, catalogs and even from one of the many online seed producers. All of these places are loaded with a wealth of information needed for you to be successful in your container gardening adventure. Be sure to read and ask questions. We have found over 2,000 varieties of seed available for purchase all of which can be found on the web. Container gardening One very important factor of container gardening is seeded need time to germinate, germination is a fascinating process. Seeing a tiny seedling emerge from a single seed and watching its growth and transformation, is observing the mystery of life unfolding. The first sign of germination is the absorption of water. This activates an enzyme, respiration increases and plant cells are duplicated. Soon the embryo becomes too large, the seed coat bursts open and the growing plant emerges. The tip of the root is the first thing to emerge and it’s first for good reason. It will anchor the seed in place, and allow the embryo to absorb water and nutrients from the surrounding soil. One of the major problems or failures in not only container gardening but gardening, in general, is sowing the seed too deep. The embryo stores just enough nutrients for a limited period. Planting too deeply may exhaust all the nutrients before it has a chance to reach sunlight. The smaller the seed the fewer nutrients or food it has in store, larger seeds can be sown deeper. Germinating the seeds Always remember this point too much of anything can be harmful to plants as well as humans. When we purchase seeds they are in a dormancy state. A simple way to help your seeds to germinate is Take a paper towel, fold it in half, then fold again into a square. Wet the paper towel and place seeds on it. Then fold the towel in half again, place the paper towel into a ziplock sandwich bag, seal the bag and set aside at room temperature for approximately a week or if you know the germination period of that seed. Once the seed has germinated it can be placed in a container, root end facing down. Products for Germination There are now products out there to help your seeds through the germination process. One such product is Cape Super Smoke Plus is an absorbent paper that is impregnated with fynbos-smoke-saturated water. The

2. paper is then dried and sealed in a polythene packet. When dormant seeds require “smoking”, a predetermined volume of water is added to the paper in a suitable container and the seeds are “smoke-primed” by soaking in the smoke-water solution for 24 hours. To have the maximum effect in breaking seed dormancy, a range of natural germination stimulators has been added to the smoke solution to overcome other forms of seed dormancy found in many species. For planting seed directly into the pot, once you have planted and watered (Note: water should be at room temperature. ) your seeds, it’s a good idea to place a clear film of plastic over the container. This helps hold in the moisture and acts as a sort of greenhouse for the germination process. Once the plant emerges through the soil the plastic can be removed. Your adventure with plants has begun!