varied germination times within varieties

I sowed four seeds each of 100 varieties this year - all earlies.

Most varieties germinated all four seeds within a week or so of each other.

Some varieties, though, germinated at widely different times. For instance, Polish Dwarf, which I bought in 2010 from Victory Seeds, has one plant with five sets of leaves, one with its first leaf emerging, one with cotyledons, and the fourth has just poked above ground.

I've been eliminating the late germinators because I assume they will continue to grow slowly, and I want early tomatoes.

Has anyone experimented with this? Do late germinators catch up? Do they pass their late germination on when their seeds are saved?

[ContainerTed]

Days to germinate is very variable. It can be influenced by the depth the seeds are planted, the firmness of the starter medium, the temperature and wetness of the starter medium, storage conditions, and the age of the seeds (to mention a few things). Very fresh seeds from last year's crop will always do very well. However, as seeds age, the time to germinate usually will be extended. The seed you purchased in 2010 might have already been two or more years old. Vendors will always do germination tests frequently (at least once per year) to determine the viability. Mike at Victory is well known for the very best in quality.

Seeds do not pass on a trait of late germination.

Thanks, Ted.

Maybe I will do an experiment, just with Polish Dwarf. I'll mark each of the four plants, plant them near to each other, and see whether they bloom and fruit together or not.

[Country Breeze]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Days to germinate is very variable. It can be influenced by the depth the seeds are planted, the firmness of the starter medium, the temperature and wetness of the starter medium, storage conditions, and the age of the seeds (to mention a few things). Very fresh seeds from last year's crop will always do very well. However, as seeds age, the time to germinate usually will be extended. The seed you purchased in 2010 might have already been two or more years old. Vendors will always do germination tests frequently (at least once per year) to determine the viability. Mike at Victory is well known for the very best in quality.

Seeds do not pass on a trait of late germination.

If there were a Like Button, I'd click it 100 times. Well said sir.