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Mount Vernon

I started 5 seeds and only 1 sprouted. I filed/soaked/ and added hydrogen peroxide to soaking water. How many days do I wait before giving up on the seeds?

5/1/2010 1:06:55 AM

Farrell, PA

Mine just popped up out of the soil this morning. Sowed them 3 days ago. I only soaked them for a few hours prior to sowing though so maybe thats why it took awhile. Give em another few days and see what happens.

5/1/2010 6:02:20 AM

Rhode Island

lots of things can go wrong when new growers attempt to germinate giant pumpkin seeds.here are a few things i have noted over the years.

1. do not file seed coat to agressively --- only need to sand lightly around edges and very lightly at the tip. to much exposure allows to much water into the shell and can rot the seeds.
2. starting seeds in heavy planting soil rather than seed starter mix --- a sprouting plant must push itself up through the starting nedium to reach the light source. if the medium is to wet and heavy it could also cause problems.
3. soaking to long and/or to strong a solution --- one hr soak is plenty, especially on older seeds. be careful with any peroxide ,etc so as not to mix to strong.
4. ample heat for germination --- we like a minimum of 87 degrees. will go to ninty as a max. no window sills needed.
5. moist not saturated --- the main reason most seeds rot is due to excessive watering. moist is good but wet is a no-no.
6. they are not all super stars in the making --- some seeds no matter how well they are prepared will not sprout. usually if you get one out of five that does not go its not a big deal. but, when you get only one out of five to germinate? your probably doing something wrong.

5/1/2010 7:49:37 AM

Murray, KY

I just posted in the General Discussion under Wallace germination concerning my experience. Don't give up! I had 5 Pennington seeds that broke the surface in three days, so I assumed that my Van Hooks would do the same. I lost 4 good seeds because I gave up and counted them out too soon. One of them suddenly came up in a dry dusty pot that had been a week without water. Don't give up, keep them warm and dry and give them plenty of time. Like Pap said, and I learned the hard way, 1 out of 5 means we did something wrong! :-) However, the 1 out of 5 that makes it against the odds just might be the big'un! At least that's what I'm hoping to see!

5/1/2010 11:29:24 AM

Ct

Last year my seeds took 8 days but they finally sprouted.

5/1/2010 9:54:54 PM

Vancouver Island

This may sound silly, but I've been experimenting with germination and using a baby wipe warmer. After I soaked and filed the seeds, I put them in layers of moist paper towel and then put that in the warmer - with the lid open a crack, it stays around 89-90 degrees. All I had to do was re-moisten the top layers of paper towel once and within 3 days all 10 of my seeds had sprouted roots. Then I placed them in some sterile soil and put them under some lights - now all 10 have popped up and are looking good. My dad is also having 100% success with the baby wipe warmer, so something to think about.

5/2/2010 7:54:03 PM

Deer Park WA

Hi Neighbour, recommend you start some backups! If you want some East meets West genetics I have a #909 Gsdberry seedling I will give you, its 4-days old and in a 1-gallon pot.

gdgadberry@gmail.com

5/3/2010 12:20:31 AM

Bear Creek, NC

I'm a newbie myself but here's what I did. Planted 9 seeds 7 days ago and only one didn't sprout. It was one of my 2 best seeds so I was concerned. I very carefully dug down to the seed yesterday and found a tap root underneath. So maybe they will still grow. I used starting mix and kept the soil between 85 and 90. Good luck.

5/3/2010 2:05:07 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

I worry when someone sez they "Dug Down" to look at the seed. We are suggesting an easy medium so the seed doesn't have to spend to much of the cotes energy to pop through the soil. It also suggests that by doing so we will probably have to remove the final seed covering since mother nature didn't scrub it off coming through tough soil. Remember were trying to make the most out of these plants and as little stress we can can give to them. We will start em easy and protect them from whatever we can.
Seed starting is only the first part...It Gets worse...Not for the weak of heart..believe me. GrowEmBig! Chuck

5/3/2010 6:07:32 PM

Minnesota

I have had my share of germination problems this year, thanks to all the growers who gave me seeds I still have some great plants going.

5/3/2010 6:14:34 PM

Mount Vernon

Thank you so much for all of the input. At this point 3 of 5 have sprouted, but of course not my Harp 1316. I am not giving up though and will wait a few more days. Yes, I do live in Mount Vernon, WA.

5/5/2010 11:57:23 PM