. The nursery-book; a complete guide to the multiplication of plants ... Gardening; Plant propagation. SOAKING SEEDS. A wet or moist surface over a dry substratum should always be avoided. Error is common iiere. It is usually best to apply water with a watering-pot, as watering with a hose is apt to wash out the seeds and to pack the soil, and the quantity of water is not so easily regulated. At first thought, it would appear that the apparently good results following soaking of seeds in many cases are a contra- diction of these statements that seeds may be over-watered. But soaking is usually
. The nursery-book; a complete guide to the multiplication of plants ... Gardening; Plant propagation. SOAKING SEEDS. A wet or moist surface over a dry substratum should always be avoided. Error is common iiere. It is usually best to apply water with a watering-pot, as watering with a hose is apt to wash out the seeds and to pack the soil, and the quantity of water is not so easily regulated. At first thought, it would appear that the apparently good results following soaking of seeds in many cases are a contra- diction of these statements that seeds may be over-watered. But soaking is usually beneficial only when practiced for a comparatively short time. It is hot good practice to soak delicate seeds before sowing, and it is of doubtful utility in most other cases, unless it is necessary to soften the integu- ments of hard-shelled species, as discussed on page i6. The gain in rapidity of germination following soaked, as compared with dry seeds, is often fictitious, .inasmuch as germi- nation actually begins in- the soaked seed before the dry samples are sown. The soaked seeds are sown in water rather than in soil, and as conditions are more uniform there, a gain appar- ently due to soaking may result. In the case of strong seeds which must be planted outdoors in cold or uncongenial soil, a preliminary soaking of from 12 to 24 hours may be bene- ficial, as it lessens the period which the seeds would other- wise pass in untoward conditions. But soaked seeds, unless of very hardy species, should never be sown outdoors until the soil has become rather dry and warm. To prevent too rapid drying out, the soil should be firmly pressed about the seeds. The pot or box should be given a shady place, or some covering may be applied to check evaporation. A pane of glass is often placed over the pot (Fig. 2) or box, being tilted a little at intervals to allow of ventilation and to prevent the soil from becoming soggy or "; A seed case, with a glass cover, as shown
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, booksubjectgardening, booksubjectplantpropagati
