Seed germination

Nathan Lange plantsman@comcast.net
Tue, 13 Jan 2015 17:17:03 PST

Rooting powder should never be used on seeds.  With regard to 
germination, auxins (active ingredient in rooting powder) are usually 
associated with the inhibition of seed germination.  While there 
always seems to be exceptions in the literature with regard to plant 
phytohormones, I can't think of one in this case.  The only 
conceivable situation where a benefit of rooting powder on seed 
gemination might be noticed is when using very old rooting powder 
containing a fungicide and the auxin has already oxidized, rendering 
it biologically inactive.  I guess the fungicide in the rooting 
powder (if there is one) could be of some help in this case assuming 
it didn't also inhibit germination, but I wouldn't waste the time or 
resources to find out.

With regard to using hydrogen peroxide on seeds, I recommend doing 
your homework first (google it).  While 3% may work great with many 
species, this concentration can also kill seeds of other 
species.  Besides being beneficial to seed germination as a 
fungicide, hydrogen peroxide also improves seed germination by 
physiologically altering the dormancy states of seeds of many 
species.  One practical example is its use to improve the germination 
rates of old seeds of some species.  There is probably a lot of 
literature on these topics available online.

Nathan





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