Seed Testing
Seeds can be tested to find out how many will grow. When testing seeds for personal use, place the seeds in a container of water. The seeds that sink are the good ones to be planted, the seeds that float are the bad ones and should be thrown out. Usually, almost all of the seeds will sink. For seeds that will be sold or exchanged, it is better to test them first to find out what percentage of the seeds will germinate and grow. This viability rate can then be written on the packets. There are a few methods to test this, one is to count a number of seeds (for example, 50 bean seeds), then plant those seeds and count how many grow (for example, only 40 seeds grew). Divide the amount of seeds that grew by the amount of seeds that were planted to find the percentage of beans that grow (40 : 50 = 0.8). This number is then multiplied by 100% (so the result is 80%). So, the viability rate of these seeds is 80%.
When conducting this test it is important to make sure the soil mixture used is of the best quality. Take good care of the seeds and protect them from pests, such as snails and ants. The test must continue until the seeds have passed the germination phase. The seedlings can then be planted in the ground.
#seedtesting #goodseeds
