Pre Sprouting

•Pre sprouting is germinating seeds before planting to test viability and germination rate.

-using the paper towel method (short answer: placing the seeds in between a folded , wet paper towel inside of a plastic bag or clear container and placed in a warm area) to see the % of seeds that are viable..

Example: pre sprouting 10 seeds and only 7 germinate - you have a 70% germination rate

•if the germination rate is 50% or lower you now have the knowledge to either sow heavier to make up for the decline in viability or toss the seeds and move accordingly

•You can then take the germinated seeds and transplant them to their respective mediums (soil , etc)

Advantages

•Let’s you see your seeds sprout before they are covered with [medium]

•Able to eliminate dud seeds

•Cuts out the need to thin seedlings

•conserves space ( don’t need to sow in trays and cells only to have some sprout)