Why are Seeds Not Germinating?

Malay/English

Imagine, there's this plant you want to grow. You've got the seeds; you soak them, plant them and tend to them daily. You watch them every single day yet you see no changes.

Sounds familiar? I'm pretty sure you are not alone in that situation, unless you are one of the lucky few who can grow anything. I've also had my shares of failure to germinate seeds but to quote Edison;

From these failures, I've learnt how to germinate seed better (and had better success rate).

What is Seeds?

Seed is a unit of reproduction of a flowering plant, capable of developing into another such plant.

Seeds of pumpkin, watermelon, carrots and one which I forget 😄

Seed is developed after fertilization by pollen and some growth within the mother plant.

Related Article:

Seeds: Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, Hybrid, Non-Hybrid and GMO. What's the Difference?. 

What is the Purpose of Seeds?

The primary purpose is to ensure continuity of a plant species.

How does a Seed Germinates?

Depends on the seed type;

1. Non-dormant seed. Seed germinates when there's water and suitable temperature. The presence of water soften the skin, expand the seed as well as hydrate the enzymes and food source contained in the seed. Hydrated enzymes become active thus metabolic activities in the seed was increased to produce energy for seed development. For this reason, radicle (seedling's root) typically is the first organ to develop for water absorption as well as first indicator to your seed's viability.



Radicle normally is the first organ to emerge from a seed.






Seed sent out shoots when exposed to (sun)light.







Young seedlings.





2. Dormant seed. A dormant seed will not germinate unless certain criteria are met to break the dormancy, either occurs naturally or artificially. For example, an apple seed needs to be exposed to cold climate for 30-45 days (also known as cold stratification) in order to break its dormancy. Once broken, the seed will germinate as stated above.

Why My Seeds are Not Germinating?

First rule, are the seeds old or new? You may have just bought it but it could have been in the store for quite some time, so check the expiration date. If the seeds are new, these 5 factors perhaps could enlighten and aid your problem;

1. Water. Water's availability is the most critical factor to seed germination; seeds or young seedlings are unable to store water so ensuring continual water supply is imperative for a complete seed germination into a young seedling.
2. Temperature. The temperature here is referring to the temperature in the soil/germinating medium; a too low temperature will slow-down seed germination whereas a too high temperature may denature the enzymes thus seed will not be able to germinate.
3. Air. Apart from water, oxygen is needed to activate the metabolic processes that will turn food source in the seed into energy. Oxygen is dissolved in the water but not much; if the soil is too wet, the amount of dissolved oxygen well be less thus seed germination will be hampered. Additionally, lack of oxygen promote fungal development that is typically a detriment to the seed.
4. Light. Some seeds can emerge when it is exposed to light; some others need to be in the dark first (underground) before they can emerge while there are those that are not fussy whether there's light or no light.
5. Soil/Germinating Medium. An ideal germinating medium is capable of storing water that is accessible to the seeds, free from toxic and any organisms as well as allowing air to circulate around seeds.

My Note

Hmmm...I forgot point no. 3; sometimes I have this tendency to over-water my seeds, no wonder many of them turned bad (and the presence of maggots 😭).

Reference

1. What Happened to My Seed Germination.
2. Seed Germination.
3. Seed Dormancy.
4. How to Sprout and Care for Apple Seeds.