Floating Seeds

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by RonnyWil

Floating seeds in my experience rarely germinate. As for soaking them, I use 1 tsp. salt peter to a quart of warm water. Ever since I started doing this my germination rate has increased and germination time has decreased.

Hummm. Gonna show my ignorance here, but what is salt peter? I have heard of it, but have no idea really what it is.

It all depends on the type of seed. Some you want the floaters and some types you want the sinkers. Okra is a floater.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Hummm. Gonna show my ignorance here, but what is salt peter? I have heard of it, but have no idea really what it is.

It all depends on the type of seed. Some you want the floaters and some types you want the sinkers. Okra is a floater.

Potassium nitrate.
It is used as a stump remover almost pure.
Fertilizer.
In black powder.
And as a food preservative.
It is a form of crystallized nitrogen.
It can be found and I have seen it as a white line in old manure piles.
Also in bat caves in the guano.
My dad used to dig the stuff out of the caves on his own during the 2nd world war.
He would sprinkle the guano into the flame of a carbide light to see how strong the guano was.
A carbide light is a light that uses carbide and water.
The water mixes with the carbide and makes acetylene gas which burns.

Worth

[carolyn137]

I used to use potassium nitrate (KN03) tp wake up old seeds but subsequent to that I found a much more effective method of doing that which I've posted here at Tville many times that involves soaking the seeds in water to which a pinch of blue stuff, Miracle Grow or Peters is added, or if organic a few drops of liquid fish or seaweed prep is added, well no need to continue here unless someone wants me to do so.

Carolyn