In my previous post, Plant Seed Basics, I described the germination process in very general terms. A seed lands on the ground, absorbs water, and germinates. It is all so simple – or is it? In this post I will have a closer look at something called seed dormancy. What causes it and how do you overcome it so the seed germinates.
Seed Germination Process
Consider a seed is from a plant that goes through a winter cold period – a time when it is too cold for the plant to grow properly. What happens to such seed?
The seed will be produced, land on soil, take up water and germinate. Just as things are getting going, winter sets in and kills the seedling. Any cold climate species that went through such a process would soon perish, so these plants have developed a better way – seed dormancy.
Seeds produced in cold climates do land on soil in the fall, and then might absorb water, but most don’t germinate. They remain dormant until certain environmental and physiological changes take place. Some seed just waits for several months in the hope that spring will be there when it germinates. Other seed requires a drop in temperature to turn on certain chemical changes before germination starts.
Seed dormancy is a term that describes these delays in germination. Understanding the cause of seed dormancy is frustrating when you are trying to grow a plant, but it is also what makes seed germination so interesting and challenging.
What about seeds produced in warm climates? They can also have a dormancy but it usually does not require fluctuation in temperature.
See Are Seeds Really Dormant?, for a more in-depth description of seed dormancy.
Do All Seeds Have a Form of Dormancy?
Yes, but most have simple forms of dormancy that are short in duration. If you are starting out growing plants from seed you will find that most things you try to grow, will grow just fine with water at room temperature. As you get more adventurous, you will find that quite a few of the less common and more interesting plants have a more complicated dormancy, which means they are harder to germinate.
What Causes Dormancy?
Dormancy is both simple and complex. There are some fairly simple reasons why a seed remains dormant and they are easy to understand. At the same time the subject is complex for two reasons. Firstly, every seed has it’s own reason for dormancy and there have not been enough detailed studies for most seeds to understand them. The information that is available is mostly from amateurs and is anecdotal. Secondly, there can be more than one reason for a seed to be dormant. So what seems like a complicated system may actually be two or more simple dormancies, that just look very complicated.
Understanding the reasons for dormancy will help you understand the methods used to overcome dormancy – the subject matter for the next post in this series.
Water
Dry seeds are dormant and almost all seeds need to absorb water as part of the germination process and it is usually one of the first steps needed to break seed dormancy. Seeds are like freeze dried food that needs to be re-hydrated in order to make a meal.
Once you have added water to seed, they should never dry out again. Even if you do not see any external evidence of germination, internal chemical processes have started. Once they start they can’t be reversed. Drying too much after absorbing water, will kill the seed.
Overcoming Water Dormancy
This can be done in a pot of moist soil, in the baggy method or with a soak as described in this video.
If you can’t see the above video, use this link: https://youtu.be/dhL57pqnHHQ
Immature Embryo
In many cases collected seed is not fully developed. It looks ripe, and all external characteristics say it is fully developed, but internally the embryo is not fully grown. In this case the seed needs some more time in order for the embryo to complete it’s development. Then and only then will it germinate. You just have to wait.
Overcoming Immature Embryo Dormancy
Embryo development might take place before water is absorbed, or after, depending on the type of seed. Some seed just needs to site for a while before it will germinate.
Chemicals On The Seed Coat
Some seed has a natural chemical coating on the seed that prevents them from germinating. Most fruits surround the seed with fleshy fruit material, and this can contain chemicals that prevent germination. For example, tomatoes do this. It is important that all organic matter be washed off seeds to remove the chemical inhibitors. The best way to do this is with tap water.
Overcoming Chemical Dormancy
Iris seeds are formed in a seed capsule without fleshy fruit material, but they do tend to have chemical inhibitors on the seed. They are usually soaked in water for 24 hrs. and then rinsed. This is repeated for a week to remove the chemical coating.
Some seed has a waxy outer coating which may contain chemicals that prevent germination or it might just be a physical barrier that prevents water from entering the seed. Waxy coatings can be removed with soapy water or you might need to wash them in alcohol.
Hard Seed Coat
Some seeds have a very hard seed coat (i.e. the outer layer of the seed). Think about the walnuts we eat. The hard corrugated outer shell is the seed coat and it prevents water from being absorbed by the seed.
In nature, physical abrasion by soil and rocks will eventually wear a hole in the tough seed coat and then water can enter. Birds also eat seeds and the acid in their stomach will help soften tough seed coats.
Overcoming Seed Coat Dormancy
One of the best ways to handle tough seed coats is to use a form of scarification (pronounced ‘scar’, not ‘scare’). You can do this with some sand paper, nail clippers or even a file. The goal is to make part of the seed coat thin enough so that you see the seed inside.
When you use nail clippers or a file to scarify seed, it is important to stay away from the embryo side of the seed. On most seed you will see a small scar left at the point where it was attached to the mother plant. The embryo will be close to this scar, so nick the seed on the opposite side. If you don’t see a scar, stay away from any pointed end of the seed and nick the round part of the seed. The second half of the video below shows various seeds and their embryo which will help clarify this point.
A milder treatment works for some tough seed coats and this is done by dropping the seed in very hot water, and letting the seed sit there for 24 hours. The hot water helps break down the tough seed coat enough to absorb water.
For a detailed explanation of scarification, have a look at this video:
If you can’t see the above video, use this link: https://youtu.be/icB9HrqdQqU
Internal Chemical Inhibitors
In some cases the mother plant adds a chemical inhibitor into the seed as it is forming. The inhibitor is there to prevent the seed from germinating. As long as the amount of inhibitor is high enough, the seed will not germinate. Germination can only take place once the level of inhibitor goes below a critical level.
Why would a plant do this? Think of it from a plants point of view. You want your seeds to produce as many offspring as possible – that really is your only purpose in life. You don’t want seeds germinating just before winter because the tender seedling will die. An inhibitor can prevent this.
In some cases a single plant will produce seed with varying amounts of inhibitor. Some have a little bit of inhibitor and will germinate in a few months – next spring. Other seed from the same mother plant have more inhibitor and will not germinate for a year or even several years. This can be a big advantage for survival of the species since a single year of bad spring weather will not kill all of the seedlings.
Overcoming Chemical Inhibitors
What this means for the gardener is that such seed can germinate over longer periods of time – some each year for a couple of years.
The inhibitors in seed degrade over time. In some cases the best solution for this problem is to keep the seed moist and just wait. They might takes months or even years to germinate.
Temperature and Stratification
Seed from a temperate climate needs to control the time of year in which germination occurs. Some seed germinates in fall and usually stays under ground where it is better protected from the cold. Then in spring true leaves start to grow.
Other seed wants to stay dormant until the warm spring arrives. This seed may need a cold period (ie winter), before germination can start. Or the seed may need a warm period (mimicking late summer and fall), then a cold period (winter), followed by a warm period (spring). This final warm period triggers germination.
Overcoming Temperature Dormancy
Giving the seed a cold spell to cause germination is called stratification.
Seed that requires stratification can be manipulated by the gardener by moving them from room temperature (warm) to a fridge (cold), then back to warm to germinate. Some seed will actually germinate in the cold. The Baggy Method is great for overcoming temperature dormancy because the are easy to keep in the fridge.
Light and Dark
Light and or dark can also affect germination. Consider weed seeds. They get spread around and some will fall into holes, or be covered with too much soil as animals go digging in the soil. There is no point for seeds to germinate if they are too deep to grow. To solve this problem they have evolved to require light to germinate.
Weed seeds can stay dormant in soil for many years, and as soon as you disturb the soil to bring them to the surface, they germinate.
Other varieties of seed are the exact opposite. They want to be buried before they germinate. For them it is important that they remain dark in order to germinate, and if they get too much light, they stay dormant.
Overcoming Light Dormancy
This one is quite simple, provide the light conditions needed by the seed. This again is easy if you are using the Baggy Method.
Fire
This might be the strangest form of dormancy. Cones from Scotch pine stay tightly closed for many years. The seeds inside can’t get water and so they don’t germinate. In a forest fire these cones pop open releasing the seeds which then germinate.
The Scotch pine is an example of a fruit that needs fire in order to release the seeds. There are also seeds that need to be exposed to smoke from a fire to germinate. This is common for some Australian seeds. Artificial heat and or smoke have been used to germinate these seeds.
Seed Dormancy – What Does It Mean To The Gardener?
Seed dormancy does not affect most vegetables and most common flowers. You can just go ahead and plant the seed and it will germinate.
Most other types of seed have a form of dormancy and in most cases we still do not fully understand which of the above factors are causing the dormancy. However, for most seed we do have information about steps that you can follow to overcome dormancy. So for example, if you are growing iris seed the instructions might say to wash the seed for several days, and then give them a cold period of three months, followed by 3 months of warm. You can follow this procedure and you should get germination.
How do you know how a specific seed should be treated?
Step 1: find out how to germinate it by looking it up in this germination guide: Ontario Rock Garden & Hardy Plant Society Germination Guide. It is the best on the internet.
Step 2: now that you know what the seeds need, have a look at my YouTube Channel where you will find all kind of videos for germinating seeds. To get started have a look at this video.
This is the clearest explanation of seed dormancy I’ve read. In addition to the bottle caps you show for soaking seeds, I’ve used contact lens cases. They have a screw cap so I don’t have to worry about accidentally knocking them over and losing the seeds. Jut have to open them once a day when changing the water. As to smoke exposure I’ve read (possibly in your plant science book) about buying a small bottl of smoke flavor at the supermarket. (Though I suppose burning a piece of paper and soaking it in water might also work.)
Rum caps are better – more fun to collect 🙂
This was so helpful,I need to go back to my garden and correct my mistakes. Thankyou so much!from South Africa.
you are a amazing person i must say….your blog helped me a lot.. thank you so much sir … lots of love from INDIA!!!!