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Entry Date
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Location
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Tuesday, March 25, 2025
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Hough
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Missouri
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Entry 15 of 81 |
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After 6 days, the seeds were checked with poor germination overall, even using just water. The paper towels were completely dry in some cases despite condensation drops on the plastic bag. I added additional water and did get most seeds to germinate after another 3 days with the added water. The exception was with the 50% bleach, in which no seeds germinated. Articles I found show the hot water method to be very effective at sterilizing, but some suggest it might decrease germination rates. I was at least glad to see that in my trial the seeds in the hot water did as well as all other methods. I also found no difference in germination after sterilization between sanded/unsanded seeds, or larger/harder seeds as opposed to smaller/softer seeds. Overall, I would say if you need any more proof not to use paper towels in plastic bags to start seeds, this is it. Also, sterilizing seeds with 3% hydrogen peroxide, 10% bleach solution, or 130-degree water for 15 minutes did not seem to affect germination rates compared to just soaking in water. Finally, soaking pumpkin seeds 50% bleach will definitely kill your seed.
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